Summernats with my son was ... not as horrific as I expected

He had a great time. I didn't hate every minute. But it's not my bag. Just the noise. The noise. But, as one sign said: "This is horsepower heaven." And it is. It's for people who love things with wheels and engines and grunt. And that's OK. I spent the week before saying "we'll be in and out before all the craziness starts". And we were.

Hopefully, I won't wake on Sunday to the news of massive arrests or anything else untoward. Because mostly what we saw there was good fun. Not an art gallery summer blockbuster, but just as valid.

By lunchtime, I hadn't seen any anti-social behaviour. I hadn't overheard one "show us your ... you-know-whats". But then after lunch, the frozen cocktails seemed to be kicking in, the T-shirts were coming off [the blokes] and I wanted to get the hell out of the smoke as the cruising cars started to get a little crazier.

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There was a lot of smoke, a lot of noise, a lot of burnouts. A lot of people who just loved to see what a car could do. I also saw a lot of families having a good time together. I saw a dad relaxing in one of the food tents, reading a book, with his little girl sitting happily beside him. And lots of mullets. So. Many. Mullets.

Summernats is also not devoid of humour. Look at the number plates on the competitor cars, for a start. There was also a mullet competition and fashions on the field. Fashions on the field. So funny. Stubbies and tatts all-round. So much better than Miss Summernats - now long gone, thank goodness.

I was extremely heartened by chief health officer Kerryn Coleman's common sense comments this week regarding Summernats in the face of COVID. She was asked at a press conference on Wednesday if Summernats was potentially just importing COVID to the ACT via visitors from NSW and Victoria and if density limits should be imposed on the event.

"Importing COVID into the ACT? We've been doing that this whole pandemic," Dr Coleman said.

"There is no ACT versus NSW and Victoria now. We are all one, except WA. And hopefully that will open on the fifth of February. So I don't think we can talk about importing and exporting disease now.

"I think that this is part of us continuing to learn to live with COVID. We need to continue to live our lives.

"Whether you agree with Summernats or not is another story. But this is about, 'What are the events that are important to community'? And, 'How do we try to do them as safely as possible'?

"We've worked really hard with Summernats who have been really engaged with us around what protections we can put in place. That includes, and they've taken really seriously, recommendations to wear masks throughout the entire time people are in Summernats. Also looking at vaccination, as well as check-in requirements. So, let's see how it goes."

From what I saw, some people wore masks inside. Many didn't. Most weren't wearing them outside.

As we left EPIC, my son said of his first Summernats experience: "Mum, do you reckon I loved it or do you reckon I loved it?" I reckoned he loved it. He loved the burnouts, the lawnmower racing, the slushies, the bloke who took the time to explain how the Dyno Cell tent worked. (Don't ask me, something to do with horsepower and more noise).

Summernats will always have its detractors. And if COVID cases skyrocket in the coming days, it'll be blamed. But life is a risk, and it's a calculated risk most of the time. I was worried about going, for sure, but we took lots of precautions. I'd prefer to live life.

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