Is it The End for the Black & White Committee?

Short answer is no but certainly in it's present form. The last of it's type, the Black & White Committee's annual ball at the Sydney Town Hall will be the last in it's present form. The Black & White Derby - where bright young gals reel in little wooden horses- is kaput. At this year's event the 80 year old tradition was put to bed.
But the Black & White Committee who have raised tens of millions of  $$$ over it's 80 year history will emerge next year in an exciting new form and we'll be the first to being you the news. Until then, here are a few snaps from the evening and a short video to show you what you missed. The B&W hard working ladies raise much needed funds for Vision Australia.

Young professionals love the Black & White Ball

 They were there in force. Young professional thirty somethings who have discovered the famous Black & White Charity Ball which was held this year in the Intercontinental Double Bay's ballroom. Amongst a smattering of familiar social faces including a couple of High Court judges, social mavens and self made business folk were celebrity dentist David Carr (he does the gnashers of Tom Cruise, Nicole Kidman and Daniel Craig) hairdressing boss Marylin Koch and arriving by humble taxi, the former Speaker of The House Bronwyn Bishop ( a waiter had whipped away the toy helicopter one wag had placed at her table setting). Now in it's 79th year the ball raised a tidy fortune which goes to aid Vision Australia.
 left : B&W president Susan Diver and Bronwyn Bishop MP

David Carr - always accompanied by a leggy blonde takes to the dance floor

The traditional Derby was run : young ladies compete by winding in a  wooden horse to win a prize and entertainment was from a Rat Pack  tribute act who while not looking like the originals, sang up a storm

Put The Union Jack Out

Today begins four days of celebrations for the diamond jubilee of HRH Queen Elizabeth 11 of Australia (and other places). We expect to see the streets of Sydney lined with Union Jack bunting. Yesterday Her Maj went to the races at Epsom for the Derby with mezzo-soprano Katherine Jenkins singing the national anthem. The only time the Shuttle has encountered The Queen at the races was at Royal Randwick when she visited in 2001 and the royal party arrived by coach and horses to parade down the track in front of a few hundred thousand punters. As the crowd were stopped  from crossing the track (including us) to allow the procession to pass, a crusty old pensioner oblivious to the who the VIPs were, moaned to the policeman holding us back saying :"I don't care if the bloody Queen of England's coming, I need to place a bet!"
PS: The little couple at the back waving excitedly from the commoner's enclosure are John & Jeanette Howard. Johnny was at the Palace this week to get a shiny bauble for ensuring Australia remained a British colony.
Here is an exclusive message from Her Majesty for Shuttle readers on this special occasion :