Barn Fire Kills 6 Horses for Boyd and Silva Martin

by Heath Ryan | June 1, 2011

Barn Fire Kills 6 Horses for Boyd and Silva Martin

Monday morning at 2am on 30th May Boyd and Silva Martin's barn which housed some 11 horses burned to the ground. Boyd and Silva are based in the USA in Pennsylvania where they relocated to from Australia some 3 years ago. The barn that burned down belongs to another ex-Australian, Phillip Dutton, from whom Boyd leases these facilities. Living in the flat immediately above the barn is yet another Australian in Ryan Woods...

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Legend Bill Roycroft dies aged 96.

by Heath Ryan | June 1, 2011

Legend Bill Roycroft dies aged 96.

Bill Roycroft was a larger than life Crocodile Dundee. He fought for Australia in World War II, he returned home to become a dairy farmer in Western Victoria. Bill and his wife Mavis were great polocrosse players before becoming immersed in the world of three-day eventing. Bill was 45 years of age when he went to his first Olympics in Rome in 1960 where he broke his collar bone on the cross-country, re-mounted and finished the cross-country course before being rushed to hospital. Signed himself out the next day against doctors orders to ride a faultless show-jumping round and so secure an Olympic Team Gold Medal for Australia. Bill went on to compete in another 4 Olympics. All three sons Wayne, Barry and Clarke also rode for Australia at the Olympics. Bill was a brilliant story teller, had a laconic bush humour and was a natural innate horseman. Bill embraced everything that makes up an Australian legend. it was my great honour to have known him...

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