IT is testament to the appeal of Tenterfield that the Whip of the NSW Legislative Council would get so animated about receiving a whip from the Tenterfield Saddler.
There was no mistaking the excitement in Peter Phelps’ voice when talking about the gift, and it apparently provided some amusement when he tried it out in the foyer of Parliament House.
While it’s great the whip will now hang in Parliament House, it’s also a reminder that other people value what we have here.
The whip is a symbol of something more. It represents the Tenterfield Saddler, but it also represents the history of our shire.
It is a good indication of exactly where our appeal - and instant recognition - lies.
We might never be known as the most progressive, technologically advanced or innovative town in Australia or even NSW, but we are well known for our history and our beauty.
We need to celebrate it, protect it and nurture it.
If a little piece of Tenterfield can create such excitement in Sydney, what could another such memento do in Canberra or overseas?
We’ve all seen tourists standing around on icy mornings photographing the Tenterfield Saddler, possibly unaware of all the other history surrounding them.
The Vistors’ Centre does a good job in making the information available to people who stop here, but we all need to do our bit.
Celebrate the fact that you might visit a church where Banjo Paterson got married, or that every day you drive past a property once owned by the state’s most powerful men.
It’s time for us to start cracking our own whips. We need to be proud of where we live, the way it looks and the history it boasts.
Let’s let everybody else know about it.