Records tumbled at the 2024 Good Old Days Festival as teamsters from around the nation brought out the biggest horse, camel and bullock teams ever seen in modern Australia.

The teamsters also excelled themselves with creating a world first – four bullocks, two camels and two horses harnessed together and pulling a wagon.

Held at Barellan in southern NSW on October 5-6, the Good Old Days Festival is now recognised as the greatest gathering of harness draught animals – horses, bullocks, camels, donkeys, mules and goats – in the world and is organised by the Barellan Working Clydesdales Committee.

Visitors were treated to new highlights this year including a demonstration of retyring wagon wheels using traditional methods, a display from the 18th Battalion Living History Group, of Sydney, Lachie Cossor and his Outback Stockman Show from Longreach, a teamster’s Q & A session on the stage, lettering and scrollwork demonstrations, and the unveiling of a life-size bronze statue of a Clydesdale, along with a camp oven meal under the stars with The Bushwackers.

The famous Barellan team, comprising Clydesdales, Draught and heavy horses, broke its own standing record of 32 to bring out 35 horses pulling a wool wagon loaded with 5.6 tonnes of wool bales. It was driven by Barellan Working Clydesdales president Bruce Bandy, Steve Johnson, Larne Draught Horse stud, Lake Cargelligo, and Aleks Berzins, Marlie Draught Horse stud, Exeter, with Shane Carroll on the brake.

Cameleer Rodney Sansom, Oakfield Ranch, Anna Bay, NSW, brought out the biggest team of camels ever seen in modern Australia of 22 pulling a wagon, while bullock driver Phil Thomson OAM, Numinbah Valley, Qld, had 22 bullocks pulling a giant Mallee roller and Emily Parrott, Anna Bay, NSW, had a donkey team of eight.

Rodney, Phil and Aleks combined their skills to create the world first of bullocks, horses and camels harnessed to a wagon after cooking up the idea over a few beers.

Chris Hill, Uluru Camel Farm, NT, travelled a 5000km round trip with a B Double of 20 camels born and bred in the central Australia desert to attend the event. He spent a few weeks handling and training the camels the traditional way to voice command and presented a team of 17 pulling a wool wagon to win the coveted Teamsters Perpetual Trophy.

Judged by master horsemen Tim Peel, Borambola, NSW, and Brian Fish, Oatlands, Tasmania, the trophy is awarded on a rotational basis between the horse, bullock and camel teams and is judged on authenticity of the harness and wagon, animal handling skills, presentation, leadership and mentorship across the event.

Emily Parrott received the perpetual Little Teamsters Trophy for her donkey team and was proud to be part of three generations exhibiting teams, with her father Rodney Sansom, and daughter Abbey, 9, with her goat and donkey teams.

Aleks Berzins won the Norma Zingel Memorial Trophy for the ploughing demonstrations with his two grey geldings Zooka and Zappo.

Scott Wells and his horse Tommy from Wellmore Heritage Farm, East Gippsland, won the obstacle course.

Paul Clarkson, Hunter Valley, won the trophy donated by Lou Clemons, Ardlethan, for the highest dog jump across the Festival with his Border Collie, Kiwi, at a height of 2.12m.

Visitors were also treated to a display of Furphy water carts and memorabilia to mark 160 years of Furphy engineering in Australia. As part of the display one of the world’s rarest tractors, a 1924 John Deere Spoker D Model pulled an equally rare train of four double Furphy water carts.

Secretary Fiona Kibble paid tribute to the large team of volunteers working on organising the event almost year-round.

“This year has been fun, and we have really enjoyed ourselves because of these extraordinary people who get on and do their jobs,” she said.

The festival was officially opened by Member for Cootamundra Steph Cooke on October 5.

A large crowd of 5000 visitors from every Australian state and territory, plus New Zealand, USA and the UK, ate their way through 1600 home-made scones cooked in wood fired ovens on the first day alone.

Ms Kibble, along with Narrandera Shire councillor Neville Kschenka unveiled a life-sized bronze statue of a Clydesdale in the main street and funded under the NSW Government’s Stronger Country Communities Fund Round 5. The statue paid tribute to the role the Clydesdale played in pioneering the nation.

The festival was preceded by a Tribute to the Teams Drive from Weethalle to Barellan by horse, camel, bullock, camel and mule teams and raising $14,000 for Motor Neurone Disease awareness and research.

Ms Kibble thanked the major sponsors, QPL Rural-McGrath Riverina, Jerilderie Tyre Service, AGnVet Rural, CK Cranes and Watertek.

Ends

Captions:

1. The Barellan team set a new record with 35 horses pulling a wool wagon and driven by Bruce Bandy, Steve Johnson and Aleks Berzins, with Shane Carroll on the brake. Images Kim Woods
2. Cameleer Rodney Sansom, Anna Bay, NSW, with his 22-camel team, one of the largest camel teams ever seen in modern Australia.
3. Queensland bullock driver Phil Thomson and his 22 bullocks pull a giant Mallee roller in the Tribute to the Teams parade at Barellan.
4. Bruce Bandy uses a vintage mower pulled by two Clydesdales to cut an oat crop at the Good Old Days Festival.

NFP: For media comment contact Fiona Kibble on 0409 363 682