OUTBACK SPECTACULAR

ANZAC Day was Col and Den's wedding anniversary, so to celebrate both our "A" days, they took us in the evening to the "Outback Spectacular - Tribute to the Australian Light Horse" Seeing it on ANZAC night, made it even more special.

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Yep, we even subjected ourselves for the "mandatory" photograph in our new straw akubras (given to everyone on entrance).

During the show we were served a very good 3 course dinner, and of course prior to the show had time to do a little retail therapy for a couple of kiwi grand kids.

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Digger stood guard at the entrance to the Theatre!

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The Australian Light Horse Brigade in World War 1 had an amazing affinity with their horses, some took their own, others broke in new mounts, looking after them while travelling overseas and keeping them all through the desert campaigns. They rode Australian Stock Horses, a mixture of Thoroughbred, Arab, Timor pony and wild Brumbies. Known as Walers, because the first one came from New South Wales....they had a reputation for grit, sure-footedness and stamina.

The tradition of the Light Horsemen wearing emu plumes in their slouch hats, started with the Queensland Mounted Infantry back in the 1890s. Mounted troopers used to test their skills by racing after wild emus. When they caught one, still at a gallop, they would pull out a couple of the bird's feathers and proudly tuck them into their headbands.

The Light Horsemens' finest hour came on 31st October 1917, with one of the most audacious actions in modern warfare....the charge at Beersheba. In a last ditch effort to save the attacking British Army from disaster, they were to attempt the near impossible, a cavalry charge across five kilometres of open desert, against 4,000 entrenched infantry, supported by machine guns and artillery - surely a suicide mission.

Three lines of Light Horsemen a mile wide, thundered across the dusty plain. Screaming, like banshees and brandishing bayonets that glinted in the dying sun, they were terrifying, unstoppable. The Turkish lines were breached and the day won. Amazingly, only 36 out of those gallant 800 Light Horsemen lost their lives in that incredible charge.

There was some wonderful and clever riding, fabulous scenery and simulated pyrotechnics /strobe lighting, and finished with the Australian Flag on horseback accompanied by the appropriate music.

To top it off, we had the best seats in the house for this wonderful evening ! Thanks guys.