1942 Melbourne Cup ‘returns’ to Sabah after 73 years

A replica of a cup that was made out of tin and wood in Sandakan during WWII as an improvised Melbourne Cup will ‘return’ to Sabah after 73 years.

The 1942 Melbourne Cup replica, touring together with the 2015 Melbourne Cup will be on display in the State capital and Sandakan as part of the Melbourne Cup Tour which includes a stop in Sabah in conjunction with Sandakan Day and the 70th year of the end of WWII.

Mike Glover, son of Sandakan POW Bunny Glover is expected to present the 1942 replica to the Sabah Museum Director. Bunny Glover, now 94 years old, was only 20 when the Japanese took him as a prisoner in Sandakan.

1942 Melbourne Cup at Sabah, Malaysia

The 1942 Melbourne Cup race organized by the Australian Prisoner-of-War (POW) was held in the Sandakan Camp as a morale-boosting event for the prisoners.

Sabah Tourism and the Victoria Racing Committee are bringing together the 2015 Melbourne Cup People’s Tour where the Cup visits towns and cities before the race each year. Melbourne Cup is an icon of the Australian sporting and social history.

The actual 1942 cup will be on display at the Melbourne Museum during the Melbourne Cup race in November 2015.

This unique cup was also handmade in Sandakan, Sabah by the Australian POWs during WWII here. 

The Melbourne Cup 2015 - Image from www.flemington.com

Both the 2015 Melbourne Cup and 1942 Replica Melbourne Cup will be available for public viewing on;

• 12 August 2015 - 3.30pm - 4.30pm at Le Meridien Hotel in Kota Kinabalu

• 13 August 2015 - 6.30pm - 7.30pm at Four Points Sheraton in Sandakan

For those interested, you can now view the 1942 Melbourne Cup which ‘returns’ to Sabah after 73 years. Contact the Sabah Tourism Board for more information.