Ariah Park’s National Trust Heritage Horsepower Festival started on the morning of Saturday, April 5, 2014, with a Main Street Parade of the horses with riders and horses with carriages and drivers. They then embarked on a 20 km route to Lake Arbortree and the Mirrool Creek area before returning to the Ariah Park Showground.
While in Coolamon Street, the opportunity was taken to unveil a new Heritage Interpretive Panel featuring the poem written by Miss Phyllis Davey in 1945 when the Clydesdale horses on the Davey family farm, "West Hall" were replaced by the tractor.
The poem is entitled “A Cocky's Farewell to his Team", and also features a photo of a young boy called Jim Davey seated on the plough.
Ariah Park Community Projects Vice President, Nigel Judd, introduced Phyllis to the crowd, and thanked Rita Bromfield and Belinda Bushell for arranging the Panel, and to Eric Buerckner for making the frame.
This ceremony was then followed by the launch of the new Heritage Walking Booklet for Ariah Park. – a 32 page information rundown of the history of the shops and churches in Ariah Park.
New Ariah Park Community Projects Chairman, Ian Sherwood, thanked Rita Bromfield for her work in obtaining the grant, and to Bill Speirs, Nigel Judd and Jim Davey for their historical knowledge for the booklet. He then called on Bill Speirs to launch the booklet.
