Dignitaries enjoyed the special company of Light Horse troopers – including our own Bruce Petrie and Scott Rhodes – for the Reserve Forces Day ceremony in Sydney on July 1.
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The two riders from the Tenterfield-based Major JF Thomas Riding Troop assembled with 26 others at Victoria Barracks in Paddington before making their way to Government House to collect NSW Lt Governor Tom Bathurst and then parade to Hyde Park for the 20th and final Reserve Forces Day parade.
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Mr Petrie said riders were individually invited from Goulburn, Gilgandra, Grafton and of course Tenterfield to participate in the parade, creating quite a dignified spectacle as they then lined in the park as Mr Bathurst inspected them on his way to the dias.
While this was only the second time Mr Petrie has participated, Mr Rhodes has missed only a couple in the event’s 20-year history.
“That’s a pretty good effort,” Mr Petrie said.
The demise of Reserve Forces Day comes as reservists become more integrated with regular defence force operations. Organisers also considered it timely to bow out this year, the centenary of when Lieutenant General Sir John Monash, a reservist officer led the newly-formed Australian corps in successful battles fought at Le Hamel (July 4, 1918) and Amiens (August 8), bringing the war to early conclusion.
Below is a video of the day, courtesy of the Australian Reserve Forces Day Council. Mr Petrie can be spotted riding through the streets of Sydney ahead of the Lt Governor’s car at the 13:34 minutes mark.
In October he and other members of the troop will be heading to Toowoomba for the QMI (Queensland Mounted Infantry) Cup, a sporting event where riders compete for honours in hurdles, skill-at-arms, tent pegging, relays and other traditional Light Horse Brigade skills.
The Cup draws troops from around the regional including Toowoomba, Warwick, Gatton and Roma as well as Tenterfield. Winners on the day will be up for consideration for a representative team to compete at the state competition to be held in Warrnambool.
Mr Petrie participated when it was last on two years ago and said he’d consider which events to enter depending on how he was travelling at the time. He hopes fellow troopers Jim Hamilton, Murray Funnerty, Sue Bailey and others will be along for the ride.
Back in Tenterfield, Mr Petrie is organising a day for horse lovers at the Tenterfield Showground on November 11, bringing together the members of the Major JF Thomas Riding Troop, Tenterfield Pony Club and other horse-related groups for some horse-themed networking.