Introduction
As you all know this will be my last Annual Report so I am going to seek you indulgence while I do a quick resume of what ACTEA has achieved in the last 16 years. And make some suggestions about where the Association might want to focus in the next decade.
Numbers don’t lie and I usually start my annual report with a summary of activity during the previous year. Here’s two decade’s worth:
- 665 face to face meetings and site visits with public servants or their contractors
- 504 representations in writing or by telephone to public servants or their contractors
- 79 written submissions to a formal public consultation process
Here are some highlights reflecting that workload
- In 2009 ACTEA voted on a new management structure for Equestrian Park with Terms of Reference for a sub-committee delegated to manage and develop the facility. The EPMG has been embraced by the Parks most active user groups and has become a powerful and effective management tool driving ongoing development of the facility.
- In 2010 we started regular meetings with the ACT Government
- In 2011 we launched a new and more sophisticated ACTEA website to enable better communication with our community
- After several years of negotiation, in 2012 ACTEA and the Bicentennial National Trail Board signed a memorandum of understanding with the ACT Government to protect the national trail within the ACT boarders.
- In 2013 an opportunity arose when TAMS updated its walking and cycling map of Canberra. ACTEA extracted an agreement that a shared path can be used by a person who is riding a horse. While most of us have no desire to be on a bitumen path many riders are forced by circumstances to use them sometimes (such as underpasses) and often ride quite close to them. The new walking and cycling map contains text which refers to horses using the areas around shared paths and Roads ACT undertook to amend signage in places horses frequent
- We were able to work with the senior ACT vet, the Rural Fire Service and Emergency Services to produce information material to distribute before and during the fire season. For the first time the ESA made a formal arrangement on the catastrophic fire days for orderly evacuation of horses in compromised positions, setting a precedent for future summers.
- In 2014 the Economic Development Directorate signed a promised strategic approach to equestrian issues in the Territory. Text included
- Every effort will be made to site additional paddocks to advantage the equestrian sector. This was enormous step forward from the government’s traditional position that horse paddocks were land waiting to find a useful purpose.
- The government also agreed that horse bushfire preparedness and evacuation arrangements be included in its emergency planning. Directions for horse owners would be included as part of evacuation notification arrangements.
- In 2015 the first Pegasus Crossing in the ACT was installed on Streeton Drive. Use it or lose it. This is a huge step forward as far as planning for new and maintaining old equestrian trails is concerned. Roads ACT and TAMS began updating their old infrastructure guidelines and developing Active Travel Guidelines that includes standards for equestrian infrastructure such as cavaletti and gates.
- In 2016 ACTEA fought a successful battle against the cross country course at EP being added to the ACT Heritage Register as a part of the listing of the Yarralumla Woolshed. Thanks to a high profile campaign by the local and international equestrian community, the cross country course went on the Register with the Woolshed but the landscaping is now recognised as part of the design of our equestrian facility and not an adjunct to the Woolshed and the equestrian activities that take place there now and into the future are specifically recognised as having no impact on the values of the place.
Block 1201 contains an equestrian cross country course. This course does not form part of the heritage significance of the place, nor do its activities impact the heritage significance of the place. Surrounding equestrian activities are considered complementary to the heritage significance of the Woolshed and its Outbuildings.
- Shane Rattenbury officially opened the horse yards at the Arboretum in part due to the contribution of the equestrian community who have provided $4,265 to the overall cost
- Sport & Recreation committed to a new 5 year licence for Equestrian Park with a trebling of the annual subsidy to $34,000.
- In 2017 ACTEA put a lot of work into a submission on a review of the Canberra Nature Park Plan of Management. ACTEA took the opportunity this review afforded to debunk prejudices about the impact of horses on the nature reserves and to seek greater access for horse riding. We were told that Parks was willing to consider increased access in a small number of areas.
- In 2018 a whole suit of new signs around underpasses used by horse riders were agreed to by Roads ACT. The triangular yield triangle that Roads ACT resisted for some time is now on their list of standard signage.
- The 2018 Budget included $450,000 of the 2020-21 Economic Recovery package for agistment infrastructure improvements at the old Pialligo Abattoir holding paddocks. This is a huge weed ridden area, requiring a lot of work and money to make it suitable for grazing horses and recreational riding. The Planning and Sustainable Development Directorate was also asked to review horse agistment arrangements in the ACT to ensure appropriate arrangements are in place for Canberra’s equestrians.
- In 2021 Parks & Conservation formally opened all the pine forest areas around Sherwood to informal recreational horse riding closing vehicular access gates where necessary. This somewhat offsets the pressure from mountain bikes in Blue Range. This enormous area has already been used by the endurance riders as part of the annual Brookvale Ride
While it took some years, the undertaking in the new Management Plan for Canberra Nature Park to look at increasing the number of legal equestrian trails in reserves finally gained traction. ACTEA was asked to recommend some trails against several criterion which we have done. They went off into the maw of Parks to be thrashed out among rangers and managers. In keeping with the request to bid for a ‘small number ‘of additional trails and also the Parks requirements that they be:
- Connected to existing trails
- Not in reserves from which horses are excluded
- Close to or connected to government horse holding paddocks
- McQuoids Hill
- Cooleman Ridge
- Oakey Hill
- Urambi Hills
- Farrer Ridge Reserve and a connection to Wanniassa Hills
We are still arguing with Parks about some of these.
Pressure on government horse paddocks has been a constant issue in 2022-23. As we are all well aware these paddock losses put pressure on the viability of the entire system.
The Pressures
Despite our successes there are some long term pressures ACTEA will have to devote energy to in the foreseeable future.
The land hunger in the ACT has been placing pressure on government horse paddocks for years. We lost part of Parkwood Paddocks to the West MacGregor urban extension in around 2008. Now the entire paddock system is under pressure from the Ginninderry development. The joint venture wants to start development in the southern paddocks in around 3 years but there have been constant delays as they strike various infrastructure issues. The loss of Parkwood Paddocks will have an inevitable knock on effect on the Belconnen Pony Club. Discussion with both the government and Ginnindery to find a viable amount of land on which to run an agistment facility as a replacement for Parkwood seem to go around in circles. The Joint Venture wants to be starting work in the southern paddocks in 3 years but they have some hurdles to overcome, including the buffer zone around the old landfill site.
Rose Cottage lost some of its best paddocks to a solar farm in 2016 and a new cemetery will eventually cover the remainder. In the latter case ongoing discussions have produced a design and development projection that will keep Rose Cottage operational in some form for at least another 50 years.
- Curtin Paddocks has gone quiet after all the initial noise with the latest government estimates being the loss of the ACT land around 2027 and no current future development plans for the Commonwealth land.
- The move of the RSPCA from its current site in Weston to part of the Duntroon Paddocks is now an active project but has struck the usual environmental hurdles associated with horse paddocks and the government is unlikely to meet its own deadline of a move in 2025.
There have been rumblings in the media about the future of Hackett Paddocks. We know that Rural Services have not supported any change to the existing land use but it is an issue to keep an eye on.
ACTEA’s main role in this process is to represent agistees interests to both government and their contractors and keep abreast of any changes that may impact those interests.
- We have been assured that work continues on improvements to agistment infrastructure at the old Pialligo Abattoir holding paddocks to make it suitable for grazing horses and recreational riding. Since the government has committed to these paddocks our best efforts need to be focused on making them a viable proposition.
- Since Transport Canberra and City Services added the equestrian trail map to its website, ACTEA has experienced both a decline in complaints about issues with access and a marked increase in consultation by government agencies and contractors when they do have to do works which impact on equestrian trails. City Services also use the map when considering applications for events in public places. I regularly receive advice of running or cycling events proposed on the BNT and other trails and have an opportunity to educate organisers about equestrian safety.
- Trail Losses
In the face of a government decision to formalise existing downhill bike tracks at Isaacs Pines ACTEA fought hard, along with the local residents, to protect fire trails used regularly by horse riders from Macarthur and Rose Cottage paddocks. Despite the government saying There is no intention to build any further mountain bike trails at Isaacs Pines either through the volunteer group or with a paid contractor. The ACT Government will monitor and review the trail network at Isaacs Pines. Any future recreational planning in Isaacs Pines will involve extensive consultation with the community. Trailforks does not show any additional downhill tracks. For all that it is not clear that local horse riders continue to see it as a safe destination.
Much the same goes for Mt Majura.
- Our serious trail issues have related to the BNT in the at the William Hovell underpass and ongoing issues at Stromlo Forest Park. Many of the trail issues at Stromlo and the Arboretum may well be ameliorated by the departure of their previous joint management.
I would like to thank a few people.
Since 2008 some 60 people have spend one year or more representing their community on either the ACTEA committee or the Equestrian Park Management Group! Such a long list reflects the nature of a volunteer representative body but I do want to thank some of the stayers but have culled my list to those who have served 6 years or more at the coal face.
Our Vice President Cathy Banwell who has been turning up for at least a decade
Jennie Hutchinson who has spread herself between the Committee and EPMG over 15 years, part of those at Park Manager
Ben Smith who has spent 15 years at least as the backbone of the EP cross country course
Marg Heaney who has given Ben a run for his money – so valuable as the keeper of EPMG minutes
Kate MacKenzie – the most recent in a very small group of dedicated park managers
Derek Pether and his predecessor Annabel Dobson the EPMG wranglers – er Convenors
And Steve Boyd, committed to the Park for 11 years, and whom we have to thank for the energy behind the development of the dressage arenas at EP
Jacqui Knobel who has been our Treasurer for around 6 years now.
Last but not least Keryn Kefous with the hardest job of all – taking the minutes for this Committee
Future
The Constitution states that the immediate past President of the Association shall be an ex-officio member of the Committee. As long as I don’t miss 4 meetings in a row!
The next President does not have to replicate me. The functions of a President are in reality managerial and organisational and don’t necessarily involve the detailed prosecution of the day to day function of a community group.
I am happy to help ACTEA find a new and maybe different way of operating over the coming year.
Christine Lawrence