Fancy fillies

If you are an avid reader of my blog (yes, I know there must be at least a few of you), you might have noticed the propensity for me to have a general theme to my writings. And this blog post will be no different.

It is quickly come to the pointy end of year; the sun starts to shine, Christmas decorations start to adorn the shelves of shops and end of year festivities are planned. It is also a time when Victoria becomes immersed in all things horse-related. Yes, it’s the Spring Racing Carnival and apart from the oversized feathered hats, large consumption of champagne and men in suits; it is also a time when the horses shine. This then leads me to my topic for this week. I am a huge fan of the Spring Racing Carnival and love to have a bet on the horses, and when I was much younger I used to want my own pony to ride through the paddocks with the wind in my hair. Two things abated this dream. First, my father refused, point blank to have horses on the property, be around them or work with them; and second, I was overcome by sneezes and puffy eyes when I came within feet of a horse. There goes the dream of being the next Elizabeth Taylor in National Velvet.

Horses were a huge, if not the biggest part of my grandparents’ life. As a couple they held a well known and rather exclusive Dressage teaching school from their property in Lara and Meredith during the 1960s and 70s. However, as individuals they were mighty powerful in the horsing world.

Above: Erica Russell & friend on a horse, c. 1930.

My grandmother, Erica Russell grew up around horses, as did both of her parents, Eric and Amuri. However Erica was a whole different kettle of fish. It seems that she was comfortable on horseback from a very early age, I’m sure there were two factors to this narrative. The first being that she grew up on the land and it would have been a requirement that she be sturdy riding a horse, the second would be (and there is photographic evidence of this), she was probably put there under duress. Her brother Tom was 12 years her senior and there are many photos of him propping her up on a horse. So it is quite likely that she could ride before she could walk!!

From as early as the mid-1940s Erica was riding professionally. Pounding the ground at Royal shows throughout Victoria and even the country. Fairing more than well, and taking many top prizes and places along the way. She featured in newspaper pictorials throughout the 1950s for her placing in the Garryowen events, her winning the Equestrienne event and training for the 1956 Olympics.

 

Left: Erica on 'Flame', Geelong Show 1948.

Below: Erica on her favourite and most successful horse, 'Brown David, Colac Show 1949.

 

 

 

 

Erica, now in her mid-80s has dementia, however she remembers her time riding horses with great enthusiasm and in particular her favourite horse Brown David. She may not remember much these days, but she can tell you all about horses and could look at any rider and pick them apart (with vigour).

Hank was also an excellent horse rider, particularly when it came to Dressage. He competed in his native Netherlands in cross country events and was also very successful. I don’t know if his family also had an affinity with horses, but there are some photos which would lead any observer to the affirmative. When he came to Australia he continued to ride, teach and work with horses, he also wrote papers on the techniques of Dressage (which I don’t have the slightest bit of patience or interest to read).

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Above: Hank riding in a cross country event, The Netherlands, 1949.

Left: Louis Wilkens on horseback, the Dutch East Indies, c. 1925.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

As I said, horses were a huge part of their lives. And this is why they aren’t a huge part of mine. That said, I will put a bet on the odd race during the Spring Racing Carnival, but won’t get too close, save for sneezing all day.

Good luck and I hope you (and I) back a winner!!

Phoebe

Traditions

Looking for inspiration for my next blog post, I got to thinking about traditions. Traditions are events, elements of culture, beliefs and customs which are passed down through generations. Traditions, I suppose can go hand-in-hand with genealogy (or just this genealogist). Learning about the customs which your ancestors shared with other generations; who made the Christmas pudding every year (grandma)? How did that painting come to hang on our wall? Why do we have so many ribbons and photographs of showing sheep at the local show? The latter may not be a question posed by many people, but is definitely prevalent in our family.

It’s not just these shows which feature heavily throughout my ancestry, but livestock and sheep in particular. Both sides of the family tree have strong connections with sheep, and today, it is still a part of my family. Whether it be topping the markets in the wool sales for my Russell ancestors of Barunah Plains or Wurrook, and frequenting the local news of the time, detailing as much; or making a living through the sheep markets, which the Rutherford family would inevitably have done to help to amass their wealth and prominence.

 

 

 

 

 

Above: The Argus (Melbourne), 20 August 1927.

Right: The Argus (Melbourne) 18 November 1932

My maternal great grandfather was a sheep shearer by profession, travelling the country and living on the road going from one sheep shed to the next to make ends meet. Rumour has it that this side of the family was also one of the first to import merinos to Australia (a fact I am yet to verify). My sister and I were propositioned one school holidays to shovel sheep poo for a hefty (at the time) wage. We quickly tired of this and ate our whole days’ food within 2 hours of being left at the wool shed and were ready to retire from our shovelling duties soon after.

However, it was whilst I was moving the (precious/precarious) sheep into the shelter of the shed to prepare them for the upcoming Royal Geelong Show which got me thinking about our years showing sheep. We will be showing the finest of our flock of Ryland Merino’s at the local show, which is where I will be late next week (trusty assistant to my father). Why does he do it? Well, it’s tradition. Once a thing of great prestige, Dad would often frequent the rural shows with his own parents, who both showed and judged throughout the 1960s, 70s and 80s. Now, he is often one of the few showing in the Ryland category, and if he does win the prestige of a trophy and/or ribbon, it is usually adorned with his own name as he provides the prize under the ‘Malung Ryland’ banner.

 

Above: Erica & Hank Wilkens (at right) with their winning sheep at the Royal Melbourne Show 1962.

 

 

 

Left: Andrew Wilkens at the Baccus Marsh Show, circa. 1972.

Below: Erica Wilkens, 1969.

We have copious amounts of black and white photos of grubby men and women, (actually, more often than not dressed in their Sunday-best), holding a robust ram in front of the critical eye of the judges. This year, I will be one of those grubby women (much to the pride of my father), holding the tempestuous rams (I am quite convinced they hate me as they stamp their feet and butt their heads in my direction as I try to coax them into shelter for the night). It’s a tradition, I didn’t realise that was odd, because as traditions go, well, they’re traditional and just something you are used to. However, the more people I tell, the more they look at me with a puzzled look asking why we do it. It’s a tradition; just something that we’ve always done.

 Above: Starting them young. Phoebe & Andrew Wilkens at the Royal Geelong Show 1988.

So, wish us luck for the show next week, and let the tradition continue on.

 

Phoebe.

Wurrook featured in 'Country Style' Magazine in Winter this year. For the article see this link. 

Newspaper articles were sourced from Trove.