By SARAH MATTHEWS 

Despite difficulties created by the COVID-19 pandemic, Horsham Riding for the Disabled members will have plenty to celebrate when they gather next month.

The Horsham RDA centre will mark its 40th anniversary at a birthday celebration on July 17. 

The centre helps develop the abilities of and enriches the lives of people with disabilities through sporting, therapeutic, educational and recreational equestrian activities in Horsham district.

President Jan Croser, who has been involved since the group’s inception in 1981, said invitations would be sent out to all past and present members of the not-for-profit organisation. 

“Things have been a little difficult with COVID and we’ve had to make some tough decisions,” she said. 

“We are still plugging along though and are hoping to have our celebration at Haven Hall. 

“If the COVID situation allows it, people will travel from quite a long way to attend.

“Obviously it depends on border closures at the time. It might just be a Victorian event.”

The celebration will run from 3pm to 10pm and includes a casserole tea.

“We will be running video footage and looking back on the past 40 years – when you start looking at all that’s happened, you realise there is a lot to celebrate,” Mrs Croser said.

“The anniversary dinner is really just about catching up. COVID has made it difficult for people to be together and celebrations like these give you the energy to keep the organisation going for another 40 years.”

Mrs Croser said she took great satisfaction from being part of RDA, particularly helping participants achieve milestones.

“For me, the highlight is usually when you see a rider achieve a goal, and the smile on their face,” she said. 

“They start with a goal that in the beginning seems impossible, and then they achieve it.”

Mrs Croser said fellowship of volunteers was also a large part of RDA.

“It’s lovely to see the volunteers bond through their dedication to helping RDA,” she said.

“It always makes my heart sing. The volunteers do such a wonderful job and it’s lovely to see them enjoying each other’s company.” 

History

In February 1981, Elsie Jefferies, while in hospital, said she would like to do something for the International Year of the Disabled. 

When Annette Heard told her about RDA, Elsie called a meeting of interested people.

In July that year, she and Dorothy Adamson called for helpers and horses to start an RDA group in Horsham. 

The first ridden session was at the Crosers’ Green Lake property, on August 7, where Mrs Croser instructed 15 riders. By February 1983, the group started hosting sessions at Karkana Support Services, raising money for a fenced area to run riding groups on the last Friday of each month.

The centre moved to Riverside Recreation Reserve in 1993 and the following year, a push to raise money for an indoor arena started. 

The indoor arena was officially opened in November 1996.

In June 2020, RDA Horsham bought 11 acres beside the reserve to keep its horses. 

“RDA is run by volunteers and financed partly by RDA head office, fundraising events, donations and hiring of the indoor arena,” Mrs Croser said. 

“Because of the pandemic, we had our last rally on March 13 last year. 

“It’s been quite difficult. We get our income from riders, which helps us pay to care for the horses. We weren’t able to have any riders, but we still had to pay for food, shoes, teeth and vet costs.

“It’s definitely been challenging, but we’ve experienced this before, with the equine influenza.

“We have found that if you have to shut down, you lose participants. It can be very hard to get everyone back – maybe they will come back, maybe they won’t. But we’re hopeful they will.”

Memorial

Members will also pay tribute to late life member Tina Pallot on the anniversary weekend. 

“We were all devastated by Tina’s passing,” Mrs Croser said. 

“We were unable to attend the funeral, so we’re going to have a memorial on the Sunday at Riverside Recreation Reserve, so we can celebrate her amazing life.”

Mrs Croser said the centre was always looking for volunteers and encouraged people to consider giving it a go.

“You don’t have to be a horsey person, there are lots of different parts of RDA and we can find a role that’s most appropriate for any energetic person,” she said.

Mrs Croser said there were many benefits to volunteering with RDA.

“Mental health is a big one – socialisation and giving back to the community do great things for mental health,” she said.

“It’s also a great opportunity for people who are new to the community to meet people and make some friends, and it’s also a great place to network for people who are looking for work.

“A lot of our volunteers are quite influential in the business community and there are many people throughout the past 40 years who have started volunteering with us and ended up with a job.

“It’s a good place to find employment.”

People can call Wendy Donald on 0499 868 203 or Mrs Croser on 0429 935 382 for more information or to RSVP for the anniversary event.

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