By Jenel Hunt
Some people make their preparations for Anzac Day the day before so that when they rise in the dark before dawn their clothes are laid out ready. Perhaps also set out carefully are medals that they will wear in memory of family members who served in the Armed Forces.
But for Jo Bailey, of Clifton, and Shayne Boyle, of East Greenmount, attending the Anzac Day Dawn Service in Stanthorpe will be the result of years of preparation.
They are re-enactors of the Australian Light Horse and on Anzac Day their horses will stand, still and solemn, at the dawn service and then take part in the parade and the 11 o’clock civic service at Weeroona Park.
It’s not just a case of saddling up and going along. Jo said horses had to be carefully trained for this kind of duty. They needed to be calm under pressure, not get spooked by loud noises and be able to stand still for long periods of time. Teaching them the drills and the desired behaviour was a labour of love and the work of years. In wartime, it was the sound of mortar and gunfire they had to endure stoically. Now it might be a brass band up ahead or pipers marching behind them in the parade.
“You can imagine the boys riding into battle with explosions happening all around them. They had to be skilled horsemen. We don’t have to contend with gunfire, but we do all sorts of things – from setting off smoke bombs to popping balloons – to desensitise the horses to noise and unusual things happening around them,” said Jo.
She said one of the aims of involvement in the Light Horse was to give younger people some idea of what the world was like in those days.
“There is a romantic notion of the early Australian digger but we know it was awfully tough. That is where the image of who we are as Australians came from. The bonding, the mateship, the willingness to have a go. The boys put up with an awful lot of hardship and took it in their stride. The Aussie spirit came from the ANZACS, and we try to keep that memory alive.”
Jo said she had been in the Light Horse for seven years and enjoyed the work of preparing for the bigger events when re-enacors did skill-at-arms where they galloped with swords and lances or rode in military formation, known as drill rides.
Her mare is an Australian stockhorse, while Shayne has an Arabian horse.
There are two things that Light Horse group members pride themselves on – they love their horses and they honour the history of the Light Horse.
“It’s good to have the knowledge to share with people, especially children. But although you might get yourself all prepped for a school visit and have all the facts and figures about the war days at your fingertips, the children usually only ask two questions: ’What’s your horse’s name?’ and ‘What kind of horse is he?’“
In the chilly pre-dawn on 25 April, Jo and Shayne will clothe themselves in outfits reminiscent of World War 1 uniforms – woollen jackets, corduroy pants and slouch hats.
Their horses will wear saddlery as authentic to the era as possible. Everything will be spit and polished so that all the brass shines, and the lead ropes will be a ceremonial white.
Stanthorpe RSL Sub-Branch president Martin Corbett said having an equestrian feature would be a very special addition to the Stanthorpe service. The horsewomen will literally be flying the flag for the diggers of World War 1. It will be a good reason for people who have never before been to a dawn service to set their alarms to get up in the dark on Anzac Day this year.
