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Lest we forget

Printed From: Thoroughbred Village
Category: Horse Racing - Public Forums
Forum Name: Tributes Forum
Forum Description: Personal tributes to past and present day champions. Lest we forget our turf heroes.
URL: https://forum.thoroughbredvillage.com.au/forum_posts.asp?TID=1084
Printed Date: 19 Mar 2024 at 9:05pm
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Topic: Lest we forget
Posted By: Riceman
Subject: Lest we forget
Date Posted: 20 Apr 2007 at 10:43am

During the First World War, 121,324 walers were sent overseas from Australia.  Only one waler is known to have been returned to Australia; "Sandy", the mount of Major-General W T Bridges, who died at Gallipoli in May, 1915 was sent back home for the funeral of his master. Sandy was in fact a thoroughbred stallion as at that time the waler was not a breed but a type. Many veterans of the Light Horse have gone on record stating that leaving their trusty steeds behind was one of the toughest things they had to do in the war.

A poem by "Trooper Bluegum" sums up the men's sentiment:

I don't think I could stand the thought of my old fancy hack
   Just crawling round old Cairo with a 'Gyppo on his back.
Perhaps some English tourist out in Palestine may find
   My broken-hearted waler with a wooden plough behind.

No: I think I'd better shoot him and tell a little lie:--
   "He floundered in a wombat hole and then lay down to die."
May be I'll get court-martialled; but I'm damned if I'm inclined
   To go back to Australia and leave my horse behind.

From Australia in Palestine, 1919

Returned soldiers, who, due to quarantine and army economies, had to leave their horses behind, erected a monument in Sydney… "by members of the Desert Mounted Corps and friends, to the gallant horses who carried them over the Sinai Desert into Palestine, 1915 - 1919.  They suffered wounds, thirst, hunger and weariness almost beyond endurance, but they never failed.  They did not come home".




Replies:
Posted By: Cords
Date Posted: 24 Apr 2007 at 8:05pm
Excellent and timely post Riceman

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The past is a foreign country: they do things differently there.


Posted By: Run For Fun
Date Posted: 26 Apr 2007 at 4:20am
Originally posted by Cords Cords wrote:

Excellent and timely post Riceman
 
Too true.  On a couple of levels.


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It's hard to soar with eagles...

Cheers


Posted By: puntingpatto
Date Posted: 04 May 2007 at 9:37am
What a fantastic poem. Excellent post.


Posted By: bailyroy
Date Posted: 27 Nov 2009 at 3:26am
Generally we forge ted post the latter and appointment lunch and dinner, but we remembered the good date of won prize.Many veterans of the Light Horse have gone on record stating that leaving their trusty steeds behind was one of the toughest things they had to do in the war.

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http://starbrightamusements.com - amusement parks


Posted By: acacia alba
Date Posted: 19 Nov 2010 at 11:28pm
can i boost this up to the front, just after 11th day of 11th month, rememberance day ?
has anyone heard that song ?  i cant recall its name, something like, do they think we dont know ?
about the horses, left behind.
there should be a memorial to these horses.
there is a waler memorial in Tamworth. has anyone seen it ? david evans worked tirelessly to get it there.
its a beautifull statue of horse and trooper.
we should never forget the horses in our wars.



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animals before people.


Posted By: acacia alba
Date Posted: 25 Apr 2018 at 1:02am
Lest we forget.
All our service men and women.
And all the animals who served . 
And are still serving.
Lets make the Invictus Games , coming to Australia later this year, something to be proud of. 
100 years since the guns fell silent on the Western Front.   Lets remember what these brave men gave their lives for, and keep Australia the way they fought and died for.
Their generation is almost gone, and I dont think any other generation will ever have the morals and courage those blokes did. 
Lest we forget.



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animals before people.


Posted By: maccamax
Date Posted: 25 Apr 2018 at 1:29am
Originally posted by acacia alba acacia alba wrote:

Lest we forget.
All our service men and women.
And all the animals who served . 
And are still serving.
Lets make the Invictus Games , coming to Australia later this year, something to be proud of. 
100 years since the guns fell silent on the Western Front.   Lets remember what these brave men gave their lives for, and keep Australia the way they fought and died for.
Their generation is almost gone, and I dont think any other generation will ever have the morals and courage those blokes did. 
Lest we forget.


           


Posted By: Shawy38
Date Posted: 25 Apr 2018 at 9:55am
Well said.



I am absolutely appalled by the following.


SHOCKING video has emerged of teenagers taking floral wreaths from the Box Hill War Memorial site.

The video shows the group laughing and swearing as they haul away the wreaths placed in our honour of Australian servicemen and women.

The expletive-ridden footage shows a teen running away from the bare cenotaph with an armful of floral tributes.

A female voice can be heard saying: “Oh look how many *** got!â€

The footage was captured by one of the youths and shared on Snapchat. It has then been uploaded online where it has attracted widespread criticism.

Victoria Police have been notified.

The memorial site has this morning been restored, with the wreaths replaced underneath the cenotaph ahead of tomorrow’s Anzac Dawn service.




Posted By: Carioca
Date Posted: 25 Apr 2018 at 12:56pm
Lest We Forget.


Posted By: horseshoe
Date Posted: 25 Apr 2018 at 1:09pm
Lest We Forget

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Those who know don't tell, Those who tell don't know


Posted By: djebel
Date Posted: 25 Apr 2018 at 1:48pm


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reductio ad absurdum


Posted By: Baguette
Date Posted: 25 Apr 2018 at 1:55pm
Anzac Day is to me and my extended family a very sad and solem day. I think if my gentle Grandfather who fought at Gallipoli, nearly died there and mourned for his mates who didn't make it for the rest of his life. I think of his brother who fought on the Western Front, was severely injured and was left with a bad facial disfigurement. He came home to have the wife he adored leave him, he couldn't get a job because of his injury and he committed suicide in 1921. I think of my Grandmothers two cousins who died within a day of one another at Ypres. Their Grandmother never recovered from their loss and died in 1919 of a broken heart the family story goes . I think of OH's Grandfather who was in the Lighthorse, never spoke about his war until his great old age when he would talk about his beloved mare Blossom who he of course couldn't bring home. And all this is from only one family , multiply by the entire country you get some of why there had to be some sort of Remberance Day for what the country went through . Sad , sad sad. Sorry for the rant but it is an important day in our family.


Posted By: Shawy38
Date Posted: 25 Apr 2018 at 2:25pm
Thanks for sharing Baguette.


Posted By: Carioca
Date Posted: 25 Apr 2018 at 2:41pm
A very moving piece Baguette, and my thoughts are with you and your family.


Posted By: Bonjour
Date Posted: 13 Jun 2018 at 9:51am
Originally posted by Baguette Baguette wrote:

Anzac Day is to me and my extended family a very sad and solem day. I think if my gentle Grandfather who fought at Gallipoli, nearly died there and mourned for his mates who didn't make it for the rest of his life. I think of his brother who fought on the Western Front, was severely injured and was left with a bad facial disfigurement. He came home to have the wife he adored leave him, he couldn't get a job because of his injury and he committed suicide in 1921. I think of my Grandmothers two cousins who died within a day of one another at Ypres. Their Grandmother never recovered from their loss and died in 1919 of a broken heart the family story goes . I think of OH's Grandfather who was in the Lighthorse, never spoke about his war until his great old age when he would talk about his beloved mare Blossom who he of course couldn't bring home. And all this is from only one family , multiply by the entire country you get some of why there had to be some sort of Remberance Day for what the country went through . Sad , sad sad. Sorry for the rant but it is an important day in our family.

Baguette, sorry just got to read this post, fabulous, in a very sad way......I have an uncle buried in the war graves near Ravenna Italy, he was shot in the legs, lay still for hours only to be killed the minute he put his head up to call for help.....I never met him of course, he was only 22 when he died, my Dad and his other brother were all effected injury wise, My Dad was a champion athlete, held a national record, had his leg blown to bits and it stopped his Olympic dream, my other uncle was captured in Egypt and spent 4 years in a POW camp in Germany......he never resented his captors, he was a humble and lovely man.....God bless our beautiful dead, although dead is a defeated word, these men and women never die in the minds and hearts of us all, we are here because of their bravery and commitment and we shall never. ever forget.


Posted By: sunlinesusie
Date Posted: 26 Aug 2019 at 5:40pm
We will remember them.


Posted By: sunlinesusie
Date Posted: 26 Aug 2019 at 5:46pm
My three great Uncles, Ross, Keith and Colin Smith enlisted in the Great War. Keith served in London because of medical issues, Colin was killed at Villiers Bretoneux, and Ross became a flying ace. He was actually Lawrence of Olivier's pilot. 3 Distinguished flying medals, and after the war in 1919 he and Keith flew the Vickers Vimy from London to Australia in 28 days, and were knighted by the King.
Like all those who served, and the 6 million horses, donkeys and mules who died during WW1, we owe them all a debt of thanks and gratitude.
Lest we forget


Posted By: Gay3
Date Posted: 07 Apr 2020 at 6:27pm
From acacia alba

"This Old Horse" Poem

03 August 2014

haroldIdahoDEB_1188sean.jpg"This Old Horse"

This old horse, the Rancher said,
she’s seen some better days,
she’s eating up my profits,
and costs a lot for hay.

Another horse would suit me,
a stronger one at that,
shes seen a lot of miles
just like my cowboy hat.

This old horse, the Rancher said,
she helped me herd my steer,
I’m pretty sure shes magic,
I know I hold her dear.

Another horse would suit me,
one that can run fast,
maybe one that’s younger,
or maybe one that lasts.

This old horse, the Rancher said,
she’s long and far in tooth,
my children do remember,
her fondly from their youth.

Another horse would suit me,
a gelding in his prime,
one that needs less fixin’,
that helps me save a dime.

Why, they asked, then keep her?
why not trade her now?
bring her to an auction?
replace her with a cow?

The Rancher's brow grew heavy,


he took a staggered step,
his eyes did show his hardships,
in wrinkles, as they crept.

His breath, he took in deeply,
as he poised to say his words,
it’s as if the earth grew silent,
that his message should be heard.

Another horse would suit me,This old horse, the Rancher said,
has given me her life,
I wouldn’t trade for anything,
nor either, would my wife.

and perhaps someday will come,
but this old gal, I love her,
she is the chosen one.

This old horse, the Rancher said,

her service she did lend,
her and I, have seen the years,
this old horse, she is my friend.

Another horse would suit me well,
but her home is here to keep,
I owe her sanctuary,
my love for her is deep.

Another horse would suit me well,
and younger days for me,
and I will keep my promise,
until our last breaths, set us free.

Poem by Jess Vee



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Wisdom has been chasing me but I've always outrun it!


Posted By: acacia alba
Date Posted: 25 Apr 2020 at 1:35pm
Lest we forget. 
All the humans and animals involved in all conflicts .
They shall gorw not old.


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animals before people.


Posted By: acacia alba
Date Posted: 25 Apr 2020 at 9:50pm
Since today is the day for this, altho I feel we may have talked about it in another place ?  Books to read or something maybe ?
Anyone read the book "Bill The Bastard ".  Read it.   About the horse who went to war , a bush stallion,  from the beaches where they raced him, to the desert where he carried his rider and SIX other men , and guns, to safety.
Quite an amazing story, and he went to a Turkish farmer to sire babies.


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animals before people.


Posted By: furious
Date Posted: 30 Apr 2020 at 11:47am
Wrote this one on Saturday listening to the Last Post outside my window.

We remember not a victory

We remember a defeat

When looking back with hearts and minds

We see a distant beach.

We can feel their endeavour

To keep each other safe

We remember Men and Woman

Lost together with their mates.

What makes Australia different

We don’t celebrate the war

We remember instead the sacrifice

Of those who gave their all.

Of the countless men and woman

Who’ve defended Aussie shores

Who never returned to family

On April 25th we pause.

We say thank you for your service

We thank also those returned

We say thank you for your courage

For the lessons which you learned.

That war doesn’t solve our problems

War doesn’t help the world

But sometime we can’t avoid it

Or our story would be soiled.

So today we pause we listen

To the souls now passed away

We remember wars dark history

With the many wreaths we lay.

We remember sacrifice and service

Remember fearful death and pain

And we hope that with remembrance

This will never come again.

2020



Posted By: acacia alba
Date Posted: 30 Apr 2020 at 12:37pm
Amen to that, Furious.  Very lovely poem.


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animals before people.


Posted By: max manewer
Date Posted: 30 Apr 2020 at 12:45pm
Anzac Day almost "died" in the 1930's, by all reports. People were pre-occupied with more immediate problems, like the hardships of the Depression, and the many WW1 veterans still alive, seemed not to want to be reminded of the dreadful war they experienced. I recall an uncle who was a warrior of some note in the second world war, not being much of a fan of Anzac Day, he shunned marching and medals, but would have a few drinks with his old comrades. It seems it is the people who did not go to war, that want to commemorate past wars and old soldiers.


Posted By: Go Flash Go
Date Posted: 30 Apr 2020 at 1:23pm
There were some great tributes and commemorations over the Anzac period not a thread really to put them all in ......

..anyway on theme worked with a fellow for many years in my twenties that was in WW2 ...  Rat of Tobruk and then for good measure was sent to New Guinea Kokoda trail and that. Now he didn't talk at all except for one sentance stuff if a smart alec had a comment ... dispensed them in no uncertain manner ..... best toughest worker l've worked with l'd say ... and he was 65 back then ( really 70 but never said past 65 so he could keep on working)

...


Posted By: furious
Date Posted: 30 Apr 2020 at 1:26pm
My father was like that although he had been in the ambulance cor up in New Guinea he never went to Anzac Day.  War isn't something to be remembered as such.  But we have to remember what war does to people and make sure to work a way through our issues.  War like many things seem to destroy the inner person.  And I don't think Anzac Day is a glory of war it's to make us remember the penalty of war.


Posted By: Go Flash Go
Date Posted: 30 Apr 2020 at 1:56pm
This fellow didn't talk about whether he went to Anzac day but he did mention a fellow in New Guinea that was so badly hit, l won't go into detail, at the time they said well that's the end of him when they took his helmet off. Yet he was still around he said (back then in the 80's) so he kept in touch.

Perhaps your father helped .. you never know ...


Posted By: acacia alba
Date Posted: 11 Nov 2020 at 11:11am
At the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month.
Lest we forget.


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animals before people.


Posted By: max manewer
Date Posted: 11 Nov 2020 at 11:27am
I seem to recall in the 60's at school, this was a big deal (Armistice Day as it was then called), and certainly the class would observe the minute's silence. But there were still a few WWI veterans alive in those days, I actually lived next door to one in the 80's, he lived to 100. Never spoke a word of his war.


Posted By: acacia alba
Date Posted: 11 Nov 2020 at 11:21pm
We need to keep the memories alive.    If we forget , we cant remember , and we cant keep those memories alive. 



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animals before people.


Posted By: acacia alba
Date Posted: 17 Nov 2020 at 3:25pm
Remembrance Day - 11th hour, of the 11th Day of the 11th Month
In Flanders Fields
In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.
We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved, and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders Fields.
Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders Fields.
By Dr John McCrae, 1915
Lest We Forget


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animals before people.


Posted By: acacia alba
Date Posted: 16 Jan 2021 at 11:24am
https://www.msn.com/en-au/news/australia/white-australia-policy-no-barrier-to-queensland-man-billy-sing-s-world-war-i-feats/ar-BB1cNg0W?ocid=BingHPC" rel="nofollow - https://www.msn.com/en-au/news/australia/white-australia-policy-no-barrier-to-queensland-man-billy-sing-s-world-war-i-feats/ar-BB1cNg0W?ocid=BingHPC

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animals before people.


Posted By: acacia alba
Date Posted: 18 Apr 2021 at 7:32pm
Next Sunday on ABC TV Landline will be a tribute story of Bill The Bastard, the hero horse of the second war.   The book is worth a read, and I reckon the program should be worth a look.


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animals before people.


Posted By: Gay3
Date Posted: 25 Apr 2021 at 9:12pm
Thanks for the contribution acacia Heart

https://postimages.org/" rel="nofollow">



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Wisdom has been chasing me but I've always outrun it!


Posted By: acacia alba
Date Posted: 25 Apr 2021 at 10:05pm
The painting is by Sandi Lear and if you google her you can see her latest work , of a war horse, called The Veteran, along with this moving tribute.

"The Veteran"
1140mm x 730mm on Arches 300gsm rough.
"The veteran, has survived, not without scars....sometimes visible...sometimes not. Out of the darkness and into the light, life refreshed but burdens remembered, as if filling a well, some of the life giving moisture is taken out, the light dimmed; and then a refreshing change starts to fill it again, for some never to be quenched. Whilst our incredibly brave men and women of the forces are repatriated, (although many lie in foreign graves or remain missing) our brave animal troops are too often left behind. Horses have always been a willing sacrifice for our forces overseas, rarely to return; and still, those remaining at home, now see service in helping our injured veterans learn to live with PTSD. Their gift keeps on giving....and yet, as with our own kind, do we say thank you twice a year and then turn away? As with our own kind, when we look in their eyes do we see their stories? Do we feel their pain? Do we acknowledge the anguish of being torn from their mates, their band, their brothers & sisters? Do we understand that their trust remains steady even as we leave them behind? Together our veterans of all the forces, as with our Lighthorse, forged unbreakable bonds, ties so deep as to be unfathomable, only to say goodbye. So, as the Lighthorseman gave his best mate his last drink, he gave him the final gift, sending him to greener pastures, forever young. At last the broken-hearted men returned home, heavy hearts, mourning. How is it possible to thank a veteran, man or beast, for a service we cannot hope to comprehend? We NEVER forget, we will EVER say thank you, we bow our heads in grief but with a camaraderie that all those who served, brought to us, taught us. This is what unites us as a nation, the expression of deep gratitude and a promise Lest We Forget. "
©2021 Sandi Lear, all rights reserved.


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animals before people.


Posted By: acacia alba
Date Posted: 27 Apr 2021 at 1:12pm
https://www.msn.com/en-au/news/australia/pm-says-social-media-being-used-by-evil-one-gives-rare-insight-into-pentecostal-faith/ar-BB1g3JUe?ocid=BingHPC" rel="nofollow">

https://www.msn.com/en-au/news/australia/anthony-albanese-objects-to-idea-god-is-on-any-political-side-in-response-to-morrison-s-evangelical-speech/ar-BB1g56fP?ocid=BingHPC" rel="nofollow">

The deeds of Tasmanias Victoria Cross recipients range from service in the Boer War to Afghanistan. (Supplied) © Provided by ABC NEWS The deeds of Tasmania's Victoria Cross recipients range from service in the Boer War to Afghanistan. (Supplied)

Feeling as though Tasmania's 15 Victoria Cross recipients were being increasingly forgotten, Kerri Statton embarked on what she was told was an impossible task — getting all the families together in one place.

Her constant phone calls and messages will pay off on Tuesday when two descendants from each family sit down for lunch at the Tasmanian Club in Hobart.

"Ringing these descendants, finding them … to be told I couldn't find 15 and to have found them all, I was so excited," she said.

"This event is a once-in-a-lifetime event — it's never happened in Australia and it hasn't happened anywhere."

"The recipients have had reunions, the descendants have never had a reunion, and from what I've been told that is Australia-wide … I'm even hearing it as far as Canada."

Mrs Statton is the great-granddaughter of Sergeant Percy Statton, who was awarded the Victoria Cross (VC) for rescuing two badly wounded men while under heavy fire near Proyart in France, in August 1918. 

She said she found it "sad" that Tasmania's VC recipients were rarely talked about and wanted to spark conversations about them. 

"One of the descendants cried when I rang on the phone because she thought her father had been forgotten," Mrs Statton said.

"I'm hoping out of tomorrow's luncheon that we all stay connected.

"We're all getting older, but [I hope] the 13 that are 100-odd years old start to get remembered again, bring them back into history again."

Family members attending the luncheon range from children of recipients to cousins, great-grandchildren and even a father, with six families travelling from interstate for the event. 

Thirteen of the 15 Tasmanian Victoria Cross recipients were awarded the honour for deeds during World War I, one for service in Afghanistan and another for his heroism in World War II.

Ordinary Seaman Edward , 78 years after his death in World War II, while Burnie-born Corporal Cameron Baird was killed in action in Afghanistan in 2013.

'He'd be proud we came' 

Caroline Gee, daughter of Lance Corporal Bernard Sidney Gordon, has flown from Queensland to Tasmania with her daughter Judith to attend the luncheon.

Lance Corporal Gordon was born in Launceston and worked as a cooper's machinist in Beaconsfield, before moving to Queensland, where he enlisted in the Australian Imperial Force in 1915. 

He was awarded the VC for attacking a German machine-gun post, where he captured 29 prisoners single-handedly. 

Lance Corporal Gordon captured 63 enemy troops and six machine guns in total during World War I.

He died in 1963, at the age of 72.

Caroline Gee said the luncheon was a "wonderful idea" and said she was thrilled to be able to attend after COVID-19 cancelled three previous attempts to hold the event.

"It's really, really important to honour my father and all the VC winners from Tasmania and Australia," Mrs Gee said.

"They [were] very brave, wonderful men and this is why we live under this beautiful sky.

"I think it's going to be a great occasion and we'll be able to talk to one another about our ancestors and the people that have done these wonderful acts."

Mrs Gee said her father "had the most influence on my life of anybody".

"He did believe that every man that stepped off the shore to fight for this country deserved a VC. In his mind he wasn't famous for what he did," she said. 

"He'd be proud that we came."

Judith Gee said it was important to remember the stories of the people who risked their lives for their country.

"I think it's really important, because how easy would it be [for] all of that to be forgotten and not acknowledge why we have the great country that we do right now," she said.

Elaine Jarvis, the great-niece of Captain Percy Cherry, has been friends with Ms Statton for almost 20 years. She said she was delighted to have the opportunity to meet the families of other Tasmanian VC recipients.

"I've got all these questions and notes to bring out and show them," she said.

"One thing that I wanted to do is catch up with the ones who lived at Cygnet, because there are three Cygnet boys who received the VC."

Captain Cherry was born in Victoria but moved to Cradoc in the Huon Valley as a child, joining the Cygnet cadets and the army band there. 

He died in Lagnicourt-Marcel, France in 1917, after his company was overwhelmed by enemy troops.

Captain Cherry organised machine-gun and bombing parties, sent back reports of progress and refused to leave his post after being wounded during battle. 

Ms Jarvis agreed more should be done to recognise the VC recipients.



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animals before people.


Posted By: acacia alba
Date Posted: 22 Apr 2023 at 3:49pm
< ="moz-mime-attachment-er">
 https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-04-22/from-an-unwanted-station-horse-to-an-anzac-day-educator/102249226" rel="nofollow - https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-04-22/from-an-unwanted-station-horse-to-an-anzac-day-educator/102249226 


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animals before people.



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