The highlight of this month has been the Parramatta Pride Picnic. Constable Rochelle Burgers from the NSW Police who visited us earlier this year told me of the picnic being organized by ACON. She thought that it might be a fun day for Seahorse to attend and got one of the organizers to contact me. The committee fully backed the idea and I was soon able to book a stall for the day. ACON is the premier LGBTI Health organization in NSW. Its mission is to improve the health and wellbeing of the LGBTI community and is partially funded by the NSW government.

Sandra and I arrived at Parramatta Park at 9.30am last Sunday and soon found the location where the picnic was being held. We were directed to the Seahorse stall and soon had the Seahorse banner tied to the front of the stall. Other stall holders were setting up as well and we soon got to know everyone around us. Everyone was so friendly and eager to learn what other stall holders had to offer. The weather could not have been better. The temperature peaked at around 23° with a perfectly clear sky all day. It was also the perfect day to get out and about wearing that beautiful spring frock and sun hat, and I certainly took full advantage of doing just that as did several other Seahorse members who dropped in throughout the day. Many of the girls brought along a picnic lunch and for those who came along empty handed there was plenty of food to buy from the BBQ run by the Western Suburbs Haven.

The day kicked off at 11.00am and the festivities were officially opened by the Honorable John Robertson, NSW State Opposition Leader and Shadow Minister for Western Sydney. There were lots of activities and entertainment during the day and the main event was the Doggywood dog show. There were prizes for the best lookalike owner, best dressed and best in show sponsored by Pedigree. Other events included the "Drag Races", the Hand Bag throwing competition and tug of war. Many families with children came along and there were plenty of events organized to keep the kids well entertained.

Many people commented that our stall looked great; however, unfortunately there were no prizes for the best stall. Our stall was decorated with several foam Seahorses and a colorful collection of flowers and palms kindly loaned to us by Seahorse member Jill and our Penny kindly loaned us her van to transport the floral collection to and from the venue. At this point I must thank Jill and Penny for their generous help behind the scenes to make the day the success that it was.

All in all the day was a great success and a lot of fun was had by everyone who attended. Many people stopped by our stand to ask what Seahorse is all about. We chatted to a lot of people and handed out our information brochures. There were several serious enquiries during the day and these may lead to more new members joining. To sum it up, a great day, probably a little better than the Fair Day which we attended earlier this year as there were less people and hence a more relaxed atmosphere allowing people to mix and socialize more freely.