Don't PANIC....it's next weekend

Woke up early on Friday morning with the horrible realisation that the Yaraka Gymkhana was this coming weekend and that I had promised them a painting to auction to raise money for the Flying Doctor. After I jumped out of bed and ran round in circles for a while I realised as I looked blurry eyed at the calender that it wasn't this week end but the following one. THANK GOD. So then I knew I had to get stuck in and get some thing done.

 I had actually given it some thought a few weeks ago but having had the previous weekend in Toowoomba and then arrived home to a visit from my bridesmaid who I hadn't seen for 30 years I'll fill you in on that later... so some how the painting had slipped my mind for a week or so.
Last year I had the idea of sending a painting out there for them as they are always looking for new and interesting things to auction. We were intending to go but didn't manage it as something came up as it has for the past 10 or so years that we have been trying to get back to the Yaraka Gymkhana.
Tony and I go back along way with regards to Yaraka and it's gymkhana. We used to take horses there and compete well before we were married and Tony spent his childhood on the properties of Emmet Downs and Isis Downs, his father Dick McLean managed both. So he went off to both Yaraka and Isisford gymkhana's and competed from a very early age.

This is last years Auction Painting

The painting I sent out last year was very well received and according to all reports a great time was had forming syndicates to purchase the painting. It was eventually knocked down to the Peta and Peter Darcy syndicate. I heard that it was then given to Peta's brother Paul Moody as a thank you gift for having the Darcy's and their group of friends from Brisbane to stay for the weekend. I know and love the Darcy's and we go back a long way. But that's another story!

This is this years Auction Painting

So I decided to try and find an some old photo's I had taken back when we lived at Emmet in the 1980's. I thought I would have trouble putting my hand on any as most of my old photo's have never made it into an album and are just floating round in a great big plastic box (well at least it's plastic!!). But would you believe they were right there on the top. So after quite a few sketchers to try and work out what to do I thought this one was the best. It is Mark Payne and I can't remember the name of his very smartly coloured piebald horse in the foreground with 2 other riders who are Tony McLean on Princessa and Mike Wacker. I don't know what the race is but it would probably be either The Flutter or The Walk, Trot and Gallop. By the looks of things I would say one of the two on the out side would have won as the front horse looks as though he is pulling up.

For those of you not in the know regarding the the two above mentioned events, The Flutter is a race which is just that a race from start to finish. It was a very hotly contested event and back in the day when we used to ride in gymkhana's it was really something to have the fastest horse there. (I don't think this race is run any more I think "they" decided it was too dangerous.)

 The Walk, Trot and Gallop event involved walking for a certain distance I would say about 200 meters at a guess, when you got to the marked distance then you broke into a trot for the same distance again, and again only after you got to the distance marker you could start to gallop. The difficulty was that if you were in the walking phase of the race and the leading horses started to trot then you had to keep your horse still at a walk if you started to trot before the appointed mark you had to stop and turn your horse around, this would put you further behind.. It was especially hard to keep your horse at a trot when the leaders were galloping off into the distance!! 

Actually I do think that the painting must be the Walk, Trot and Gallop as it always had a very exciting finish as it was unusual for a horse not to do break in either the walk or trot so sometimes the fastest horses were way back in the field when they got to the gallop and it was great to watch them coming though the field. I would say this is what is happening in this picture as Tony's mare was very fast and a Quarter Horse which meant she could really cover a short distance very quickly. Mike's horse was no slouch also. I just can't remember it's name I will have to ring him and ask he will remember for sure.

So the long and short of it all is that I did get the picture done and it is now packed and ready to go on the bus to Blackall tomorrow where my sister Grace will collect it on their way out there on Thursday. We were all ready to go this year but can't go now as Tony will be at work. We were going to stay with Lock and Ruby Kent at "Mt Marlow" station which would have been great to catch up with them and also I think with this cold change that is upon us at the moment camping would be no fun!! 

Well that's it for now ...see you down the track

To view more of my original Australian outback paintings please visit www.theoutbackartist.com.au