1 week Ago By Nick McGrath
Jennifer Hughes woke up feeling lucky on Friday. or signup to continue reading And when she picked up the number eight ball she knew she was on to a winner. Amid the blindfolds, randomisations, jammed ballot balls and having a crack at spinning the election bingo cage, it was Mrs Hughes who landed in pole position on the ballot paper ahead of the May 3 election.
"I'm not usually a lucky person, but I'll take every bit of luck that I can get in this one, so it's it's a nice start," Mrs Hughes said in Orange on Friday. Mrs Hughes is one of 10 candidates in the field for . Incumbent MP Andrew Gee, Nationals candidate Sam Farraway, , Labor's Julie Cunningham, Greens candidate Ben Parker and Family First hopeful Ross Hazelton have all previously flagged their intention to run for the seat of Calare.
On Friday, it was confirmed Legalise Cannabis candidate Sue Raye, Shooters Fishers and Farmers candidate Jase Lesage and a candidate from Clive Palmer's Trumpet of Patriots party, Vicki O'Leary, will also run. The ballot paper order is as follows: In a large, industrial-sized shed in Orange there sits a man at a table. Potentially, just maybe, this blindfolded figure holds the future of Calare in his hands.
Sitting in front of him are 10 white balls, each emblazoned with a number. Each candidate is offered the chance to have a spin of the cage in which the white balls sit. Kate Hook has a crack.
She encourages the other candidates to have a go as well, with Julie Cunningham and Andrew Gee enjoying a spin too. Then, the frivolity ends. The room sits silent.
Into the cage goes the man's right hand, it emerges with one ball. On it reads the number eight. Jennifer Hughes lands in the number one spot.
Over and over the sequence continues. Hook, Parker, Lesage, Hazelton ..
. the names roll on. Until one ball remains .
.. innocuously wedged between two of the cage's bars.
That ball belongs to Sam Farraway, and the Nationals candidate lands in 10 place. That's just the luck of the draw. Mrs Hughes is one of the only candidates juggling her campaign and full-time work .
.. and now school holidays will be thrown into the mix as well.
The mother of two admits "it's pretty full on" but she's been overwhelmed by the support of people across the electorate. "It's not totally unexpected (the support) but ..
. I'm relieved, I guess. And the one message that I'm getting from all of the communities in Calare is they're taking this election really seriously, which is why I'm running," she said.
"It's good to see everybody's doing their homework and finding out about all the policies of all the candidates. I've been to lots of candidate forums around the place, Lithgow and Sunny Corner and Oberon and they're all asking the right questions, which is really great to see." Editor, Daily Liberal, Western Advocate, Central Western Daily Editor, Daily Liberal, Western Advocate, Central Western Daily Advertisement Sign up for our newsletter to stay up to date.
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