Rodeo at Kensington Camp

Northern Advocate, 15 May 1939, Page 7

Rodeo at Kensington Camp

Kensington Park resembled an American rodeo stadium on Saturday afternoon. Troopers and officers of the First Composite Mounted Rifles Regiment staged a special sports programme for the benefit of their friends and the interested public. Several hundred people attended the function, and a most enjoyable afternoon’s programme was presented. During the staging of events, the regimental band 'gave a number of appreciated renderings. With fine autumn sunshine adding to’ the' popularity of the programme, the regiment spared no effort to make the occasion a marked success. Immediately after lunch the fun began, and lights were beginning to appear in nearby housgs when the final event, the dispatch race, was concluded. Fine Horsemanship Starting with with an event for members of the Light Car Corps, the programme included several . novel items, mainly horseback events. Winner of the light car “bending” race was Trooper Dobbie (headquarters),. with Trooper E. Weston second.

Success in the flag race went to Trooper P, Toi (N.A.M.R.) with Sergeant Watson (N.A.M.R.) runner-up. Tent-pegging featured on the programme, some skilled horsemanship being revealed.

Lance Corporal Turney (Waikato regiment) took the honours in the individual tent-pegging, while Sergeant Major Kingston (N.A.M.R.) tilled second place. Lance-Corporal Nunns (N.A.M.R.) was third.

Competing in teams, East Coast regiment proved the most successful, Sergeant Reed leading his four to victory over Sergeant Morrison and Corporal Drake, who tied for second place on behalf of N.A.M.R., V.O. Winners

Riding to the rescue of two wounded men (symbolised by bags filled with straw in the shape of a head, arms, legs and body) brought forth some exerting contests..

Rescuing the bodies under machine gun flee was only part of the contract, the Cross winners then having to gallop through the bullets, over obstacles (hurdles) and so back to the ambulance station.

Team work, time and general horsemanship brought honours to Sergeant Reed ,(East Coast Regiment) and Corporal Ward (Waikato), the next in order being Sergeant Walford and Private Walford, representing t East Coast.

Rarely has Whangarei seen such a masterly tug-of-war series as • went

with the bareback contests. Eight

men straddled their horses and heaved against an opposing team. The task of holding on to a horse with one hand and heaving on the rope with the other, while the horses persisted in their desire to break loose and run back to the stables, proved an embarrassing one, but team work and good placing of the men resulted in East Coast beating N.A.M.R. in the final, after a muscle-raising round of eliminations. Another “under-fire” &vent, the Lloyd Lindsay, also called for expert horsemanship. Teams of four rode over two hurdles together, and, while three of the team unhitched rifles and combated the enemy machine-gun, the fourth man had the ticklish job of leading the four horses over a hurdle. The three dismounted men then took to the saddles, and the four raced round the ground to finish up in a combined hurdle jump. All-in Wrestlers. This event produced the finest horsemanship and team work of the day, and the crowd made no secret of its appreciation. Sergeant Walford’s team (East Coast) was awarded the greatest number of points, while Sergeant Morris’s four, also from East Coast, took second place. Sergeant Walford’s team mates were Corporal Spedding, Lance-Corporal Granger and Trooper Walford. Free-for-all was the motto of the wrestling teams, the only rule being that, when a man was on the ground, he stayed out, or, if he was pushed out of the ring, he could not go back, Tom Mix and Hopalong Cassidy tactics enabled the East Coast Regiment’s team to carry off the honours. Final event was a round-the-course despatch event, in which four horsemen took part. It was a test of riding skill and quickness of dismount and remount. Waikato came down the straight two chains ahead of East Coast, but, at the final dismount, the Waikato message boy’s horse became rebellious, and, in the final run, he just managed to beat the EasLCoaster by a short head and a hat brim.