>
Company executives drank champagne behind the safety of Flemington Racecourse’s controversial flood wall over a $270 a head lunch, while those on the other side drowned in misery.
Daily Mail Australia can reveal that hundreds of people gathered at The Atrium on October 14 for a two-course ‘premium lunch and drinks’ as homes in the surrounding suburbs were inundated with floodwater from the Maribyrnong River.
Flood victims have expressed horror at the prosperous event that continues as residents across the racecourse watched their world assets wipe out.
Vecci boss Paul Guerra (third from left) stands next to Melbourne Cup winning jockey Damien Oliver (center), presenter Jacqueline Felgate and VRC Chief Executive Officer Steve Rosich (far right)
High and dry: Flemington Racecourse was awash with wine that washed large wigs behind the safety of a wall as the area flooded
The security wall (pictured) around Flemington Racecourse was built to keep it dry but could have been very wet everywhere else
Maribyrnong resident Hannah, who lost everything in last week’s flood, said she was furious that the business leaders dined in safety behind a wall that she believes contributed to the community’s grief.
“I think it’s a bit of a kick in the ass. You don’t expect everyone to stop and not get on with their business and do what they have to do, but you know it was a state of emergency for everyone and we were left alone,” she said.
“You’re looking at drone footage from when the floods happened and everywhere, except Flemington Racecourse, it’s wet and completely dry.
“They don’t care about us right now. We all suffer here. People have lost their homes and I really feel sorry for those people who don’t have insurance because where are they going?’
The lunch was organized by the Victorian Chamber of Commerce to mark the start of the Melbourne Cup Carnival.
A resident walks to his flood-stricken home in Oakland Street, Maribyrnong on the day of the big Vecci lunch
Stables next to Flemington Racecourse were the only buildings that seemed to get wet during the floods
Flemington Racecourse hosted corporate big wigs as it engulfed the community outside its walls
During the event, television’s Jacqueline Felgate hosted a panel of racing experts including Steve Rosich, Chief Executive Officer of the Victorian Racing Club, Emma Freedman and champion jockey Damien Oliver.
A who’s who of other media identities from print, radio and television attended the gala event.
So proud of the event, VECCI posted 300 images of it on a flickr website so people could download and relive their chic memories of the day.
VECCI chief executive Paul Guerra did not respond to Daily Mail Australia’s requests for comment on Friday.
He appears in many of the photos enjoying the warmth and safety of the racecourse.
Among many of the photos are photos of attendees enjoying a drink on the balcony overlooking the flooded area.
Residents living in the shadow of Flemington Racecourse remain homeless, and one resident tells Daily Mail Australia he is the only person still living on his street.
Maribyrnong is just north of Melbourne’s CBD
Oakland Street cleanup in Maribyrnong continues a week after the floods
Oakland Street in Maribyrnong after the flood washed it away
Zac Najdovski said his entire street was flooded as the business lunch “protected by the wall” went ahead as planned.
“I don’t know what else could have been done … they probably couldn’t have helped anyway,” he said.
“They were probably drunk. You could say it’s (insensitive) but on the day it didn’t matter because nobody could have done anything.
“Maybe instead of pissing it up there, they could have made plans to help us immediately…I would have thought they would say, ‘We’re the higher power, let’s keep this short. We need to take action instead. “, don’t wait until Tuesday for something to happen.”
Najdovski said he had two strangers from a remote suburb who came to his street armed with shovels to help clean up.
“If you’ve compared people like that to people in higher places and have the power to do really good, they make it evil and we have people from the community just passing by. That’s the difference,” he said.
A spokesman for Maribyrnong City Council told Daily Mail Australia that no one with links to the core of the community attended the event.
“Council members, including our mayor and executive team, were engaged in supporting our community on Friday, Oct. 14,” the statement said.
The PRC could not comment on the event.