Sport
9 May, 2024
Pony Club celebrates 60th anniversary
A stunning Sunday afternoon saw the history of the Maryborough and District Horse and Pony Club celebrate their 60th anniversary in style, with plenty of celebrations throughout the day and a strong contingent of past members supporting the modern...
A stunning Sunday afternoon saw the history of the Maryborough and District Horse and Pony Club celebrate their 60th anniversary in style, with plenty of celebrations throughout the day and a strong contingent of past members supporting the modern day iteration of the club.
The event was well supported, with mayor Liesbeth Long attending, as well as councillors Wayne Sproull and Anna De Villiers.
Some terrific highlights on the day included rider demonstrations, which included a musical ride which won the Midland Zone Games for its category in Bealiba on April 21, which helped qualify the team for the Pony Club Victoria State Championships in June, while all members of the club were also displayed.
Rider memorabilia and a collage of photos from 60 years was also displayed, while past members had an opportunity to sign a book of memories throughout the afternoon.
Maryborough Pony Club president Pat Hedger said it was an outstanding day.
“It was good to see a lot of the past members. A lot of members who was there rode in the 60s and 70s, so it was great to catch up with them,” she said.
Ms Hedger said she believed to many, it was eye-opening to see how big Pony Club was in the town.
“Anna De Villiers and Liesbeth Long didn’t realise how big Pony Club was in the town. It was such a well-supported event,” she said.
“Most people think of football, netball and cricket in the town, but some don’t also see how supportive Pony Club is with so many families, not just in town, but outside as well, which was eye-opening for them.”
The demonstration of the musical ride, which was based on Harry Potter, was a highlight of the day, and according to Ms Hedger, something that marked the hard work that’s been done since February.
“We had a zone qualifier at Bealiba Pony Club on April 21, which the Maryborough Pony Club won,” she said.
“Doing that troupe line thing is what the Pony Club is about now, and that’s what we wanted to do for the Pony Club members of the past. We have 67 riders, so that’s our main concern, but when a lot of people rode back in the day, we had a big number of kids like we do now, but there never would have been any kids on horses.
“With four riders and horses working together, a number of past members who didn’t do it back in the day were amazed. For the kids to be able to do that in front of the past members was a big achievement.
“They’ve been training since February. Trying to get four girls together has been hard, especially when two of them live locally and two of them travel, plus other things in their lives, but it’s worked well.
“We now have the state event on June 21, with our musical ride and the flat team. We’ll have a games team as well.”
Showing the memorabilia was also a big highlight of the day, with many members stopping and looking in the club rooms for a look back at their past.
“A lot of people commented on our memorabilia. When people looked, they saw themselves riding when they were younger, and they couldn’t believe it,” Ms Hedger said.
“That was one thing I wanted to put forward, as it was about when Pony Club started, and how things have changed, how people didn’t wear helmets or went bareback back in the day as they couldn’t afford saddles. It’s good that people looked at that and see how things are now.”
A book has been commissioned to celebrate the club’s 60th anniversary, and although it wasn’t completed in time for the special day on Sunday, it’s a bit of a blessing in disguise, according to Ms Hedger.
“It was a little bit disappointing that the book wasn’t done as I would have liked to give to a lot of people who were there, but having that final chapter with the 60th anniversary is going to make it,” she said.
“A lot of people said the same thing, with a lot of photos taken on the day, with everyone there. All the life members who were there had their photos taken, which will go in the book, and that was like a final chapter for the 60 years, which will work in terms of finishing the book off.”
With a growing number of members recognising the impact the Maryborough Pony Club has from out of town, Ms Hedger is mindful of ensuring that the next 60 years are even stronger than the first 60 years.
“It’s not something that we’ve done ourselves, people have seen how we do things at our Pony Club, and haven’t been happy with theirs and transferred to ours,” she said.
“One member comes from Buninyong, a number come from Ballarat and some come from Bendigo as well. “It’s also good that we have members who were back in Pony Club and are bringing their kids along. We have many members in our Ready To Ride group — we had two new kids join on Sunday and their mother rode in the 80s.”
