Ride honours the spirit of World War One light horsemen

AN EPIC journey across rural Victoria and NSW, the Chauvel Anniversary Australian Light Horse Ride, a commemoration of the courage and sacrifice of those mounted regiments during the First World War, concluded last week with two local riders participating. The Australian Light Horse Society organised the 750km ride to honour the legendary Harry Chauvel who led the light horse defence and remember those brave soldiers and their horses. The historic event saw up to 24 riders from the light horse society and other associations/regiments involved across the two legs of the journey, with up to eight riders at any given time. Mansfield’s Matt Leggett, a founding member of the 4th/8th Light Horse Troop is a passionate advocate for the Australian light horse and has been involved in re-enactments since the late 1990s. “My motivation for joining the ride was to keep the memory alive,” said Mr Leggett. “It was about opening up the trail as a tourist thing as well as a memorial. “There was up to 30 volunteers providing back up along the ride and we really appreciated the support. “It was nice to go for a long ride and socialise each night. “We were welcomed into each town and the RSLs every night had a service." Fellow member of the 4th/8th Light Horse Troop, Graeme Barr from Goughs Bay, and Mr Leggett joined the ride for the first leg starting at Shepparton for a service at the Murray Bourchier memorial. The start date of March 4, 2025, marked the 80th anniversary of the death of Harry Chauvel and the finish date on April 16 in Tallangatta his birthday. After the service in Shepparton, the ride moved onto to Dookie, with a service that evening at the Dookie memorial. On day two they rode from Dookie to Broken Creek with a visit to the Broken Creek Primary School. The following day the ride to Devenish included a visit to the Goorambat Veterans Retreat, followed by a service at the Devenish silo memorial. On day four the riders split into two groups, said Mr Leggett, with one group visiting the Benalla Secondary College and the other the Glenrowan Primary School. “One of the most rewarding bits of the ride were the kids, I was very impressed by the young people’s interest in Gallipoli,” he said. In the afternoon the riders joined up again to ride to Thoona with a service that evening at the local war memorial and dinner at the hotel. Day five was a ride over the Warby Ranges into Wangaratta with a service that evening at the Wangaratta memorial and dinner at the RSL. The pair returned home the next day, with Mr Leggett rejoining the ride for day eight at Wodonga with a service that evening at the Wodonga RSL. The following day was marked with a ride down the main street of Wodonga to the railway precinct where the local mayor unveiled a plaque to commemorate the Chauvel Ride coming through Wodonga. The riders then crossed over the river via the causeway to NSW to the Albury war memorial on the hill above the city to be welcomed by the mayor and for a service conducted by Albury RSL. Mr Leggett then farewelled the ride which continued through various NSW towns to Harden where the first leg concluded. The second leg of the ride began on March 31 in Young, NSW, embarking on a journey that wound its way back down to Victoria where Mr Leggett rejoined at Tooma to ride the Tintaldra to Corryong sections which included the Man From Snowy River Festival on April 11 and 12. The final destination on the ride for the others was in Tallangatta where a service was held at the statue of Sandy, the only light horse that came back home from World War One. Mr Leggett a member of the Mansfield RSL Sub Branch will be a speaker at the main ANZAC Day service at the Mansfield war memorial on Friday April 25 at 10am on the topic of World War One connections to the Mansfield district of which there is several. One notable inclusion is that of 876 Trooper Stephen John Arbuthnot, a member of the 8th Light Horse regiment. Trooper Arbuthnot, a grocer's assistant from Bonnie Doon, prior to enlistment, was killed in action on the Gallipoli Peninsula on August 7, 1915. LEST WE FORGET.

Ride honours the spirit of World War One light horsemen

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