There wasn’t a Versace in sight at the CQU Mackay Melbourne Cup Day celebrations as the staff chose to take part in a ‘Worst Fashion in the Fields’ competition.

The inaugural event attracted quite a few glamorous entrants, with staff wearing mismatched tops and bottoms, stripy socks through to white socks teamed with sandals.

Science lecturer Delma Clifton took the event literally and wore her koala tracking gear. For a handbag she chose her fieldwork backpack. Her fashionable ensemble has been featured on numerous national television documentaries as she clambers through the scrub searching for the marsupial.

From the onset the clear winner’s circle contender was Equity & Diversity Contact Officer Natell Reilly, who took her role seriously by standing out from the crowd in her extremely decorative hat, which included dangling, plastic horses.

Library staff proved a crowd favourite too when they arrived wearing white shirts and ‘classy’ ties.

‘Media Puzzle’ campus sweep winners were CQU Mackay Head of Campus Phillip Clift, Cathy Head, Josh Ward, Heather Mason and Frank Armstrong.