The spectacular Good Old Days Festival will return this weekend, with donkeys and mules competing for the coveted Little Teamsters Trophy at the nation’s biggest gathering of draught animals. Photo: Supplied.
A singing stockman, camels, donkeys, mules and goats in harness, World War I memorabilia and an award-winning volunteer team will all come to Barellan this weekend (5-6 October) for the rare spectacle that is the Good Old Days Festival.
Known as one of the largest gatherings of harnessed draught animals in the country, the festival draws more than 8000 visitors each year to the town, which has a population of about 450.
Organised by the Barellan Working Clydesdales committee, the festival has a full program of authentic heritage events, a Furphy Festival, camp oven dinner under the stars with entertainment by country band The Bushwackers, a Tribute to the Teams grand parade and the famous Barellan Clydesdales team.
Committee secretary Fiona Kibble said festival volunteers were excited to be planning for an event in which the most experienced teamsters in the country would assemble to showcase horses, camels, donkeys, mules and goats hauling wagons, binders, headers, ploughs, carts, buggies, sleds, sulkies and a mallee roller.
“We are working hard to increase the visitor experience with an enhanced program plus the standing favourites to underpin what is the Narrandera Shire’s biggest tourism event,” Ms Kibble said.
“This year, we look forward to welcoming visitors from all corners of the country in what is a huge economic injection for our small town and regional economy.”
In another gong for the event, the organising committee was recently named as the NSW Volunteer Team of the Year for the Riverina and will attend the state awards in December in Sydney.
Barellan festival visitors will be able to see horses, bullocks, camels, donkeys, mules and goats in harness, an Australian Light Horse display, camel races, blade shearing, butter churning, working dogs, a blacksmith, log snigging, rope turning, sheaf tossing, dog jumping, old-fashioned children’s games, bush poetry, scone making, a billy-boiling competition, market stalls and the grand parade.
Camels, donkeys and mules in harness pulling an array of wagons and a Cobb & Co coach will compete for the prestigious teamster trophies in a spectacle rarely seen in modern Australia.
Master horsemen Bruce Bandy, Steve Johnson and Aleks Berzins will drive a composite team of more than 30 heavy horses pulling a wool wagon around the arena.
They will be joined by cameleers Rod Sansom and Chris Hill, bullockies Ron McKinnon, Darcy Quinn and Philip Thomson and their teams, a donkey team driven by Emily Parrott, a mule team driven by Noel Wiltshire, and Barellan farmer David Irvin with his vintage tractor pulling a Furphy water cart train.
A highlight this year will be the Perpetual Teamsters Trophy presented by Borambola’s Tim Peel. The trophy is awarded on a rotational basis to a different species of draught animal each year and acknowledges its contribution to the building of the nation.
“The camel teams will compete this year for the trophy, including a five-camel team pulling a Cobb & Co coach,” Ms Kibble said.
“Donkeys and mule teams will be ridden, under pack, snigging logs, ploughing and long reining, with talks and demonstrations for visitors.
“The teams will also compete for the Little Teamsters trophy to be judged and presented on Sunday.”
The popular additions to the program will be back – Meet the Teamster with the horse, bullock, camel and donkey teamsters in a Q&A session; an obstacle course for heavy horses and their handlers; the Norma Zingel Memorial Trophy for the champion draught animals in a single furrow plough; and the QPL Rural-McGrath Riverina Billy Boiling Championships.
New this year will be a display of British and Australian World War I horse-drawn vehicles, period tents and a field kitchen by members of the 18th Battalion Living History Group from Sydney. The display will be adjacent to the Riverina Light Horse display of a World War I encampment.
The Outback Stockman, Holbrook’s Lachie Cossor, from the Australian Stockman’s Hall of Fame at Longreach, will keep visitors entertained with his singing, whip cracking and animals at liberty show each day.
Bookings can be made for gate entry and camping via the website www.barellanclydesdales.com.au.
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