18 February 2009
The opening celebrations for the Australian Equine and Livestock Events Centre at Tamworth are shaping up to be as spectacular as the iconic building is on the landscape.
The official opening of the $30million centre includes a day/night format that will bring hundreds of horse riders and thousands of visitors together on Saturday February 21.
The day will begin with a free equine expo and industry showcase outdoors at the AELEC from 9am. It runs until 4pm and includes lectures and seminars from a range of equine health professionals and experts. These include veterinary, health and dental, nutrition and management, education and judging.
Centre manager Mike Rowland says the day is designed to provide expert advice and information in one spot for all horse enthusiasts from young learners to old cowboys.
There is a packed program of seminars mixed with an outdoors action schedule that has a breed village, demonstrations of vaulting, whip cracking, fitness and training clinics. The day also features a mini horse spectacular and carriage driving competition.
Mr Rowland says the industry day is designed as a free community expo that provides value for owners and riders but also for regional visitors who don’t know the back end of a cow from a horse – but will get some entertainment from seeing horses in action.
“We have a lot of committed industry figures taking part in the day, so it would be great to see a huge turnout from across the region to participate. This is an absolute first for the industry in this region,” he said.
The opening will be performed by the Governor of NSW, Professor Marie Bashir, who toured the centre during its construction last year and said then it could well come to symbolise Tamworth in the same way the Opera House did for Sydney.
A special Opening Spectacular Show will be presented in the stadium from 8pm that night. Tickets are on sale through Tourism Tamworth and TRC is hoping to have a sell-out crowd for that performance.
It includes a glittering mix of horse riding, musical sets, dance, theatre and spectacle.
The theatrical performances are a celebration of the historical contribution of the horse to the nation with some electrifying horse acts, trained by the legendary horseman Heath Harris, the man behind the Man from Snowy River and Phar Lap fame.
There is also a moving tribute to the heritage of the Australian Light Horse brigade with an historic re-enactment Light Horse charge at Beersheba and the premiere of a Kamilaroi dance story that relates the coming of the first white men on horses to the indigenous lands.
Beijing Olympian Heath Ryan and the 2008 Horseman of the Year Dan James are also part of the show, along with a team of trick riders and electric horsemen.
About 200 young people from schools and pony club riders from Coonabarabran, Narrabri, Wee Waa, Gunnedah, Quirindi, Bingara, Nundle and Manilla are involved.
Multi award winning singer songwriter Troy Cassar-Daley, this year’s Golden Guitar winner for bush ballad, Warren H Williams, and didgeridoo player Mark Atkins headline the musical lineup.
The two hour show includes about 50 Light Horse troop riders from as far as Queanbeyan and Queensland with the Warialda and Murrurundi troops part of the lineup.
Mr Rowland says the centre has had a strong and solid opening since it began operating last September. So far about 50,000 visitors and 7,000 animals have attended shows, events and sales there.
Detailed times for the expo lineup and information about the evening show are available at www.aelec.com.au.