Thank you Bill Tilley for your uniting call that – “Together we can save these horses” and “I’m amazed by the incredible show of support for the brumbies from people from all walks of life, from the high country, Victoria, the nation and across the globe”. Full text below.
Good Morning,
A Supreme Court judgement on the management of brumbies in Victoria’s Alpine National Park has been reserved until Friday afternoon following the presentation of arguments in front of Justice Moore yesterday.
We continue to live in the hope and resolve that the Supreme Court recognises the failings of Parks Victoria’s argument and rule in the brumbies’ favour and the action brought by Phil Maguire.
But in the interim I think the most important thing for all of us involved in this fight is unity.
We can’t afford to dilute the message or the importance of the task at hand –- the immediate goal is that we save these brumbies from being slaughtered.
The end goal is to have laws that protect these animals for their cultural and heritage value. These are the horses that were lionised by Banjo Paterson, that carried our soldiers into battle and immortalised at the opening of the Sydney Olympics.
The families of the high country — whether they be the Connleys, Faithfulls, Maguires, the Ryders, Ropers or the Buckleys to name just a few need to be consulted on these issues. They are the people who know these horses, know the country, know the issues. There are many other passionate and knowledgeable supporters of the brumby that were similarly ignored. An interview released on Youtube last night highlights these issues and can be seen here.
To date there has been limited consultation and next to no engagement from Parks Victoria whether that be in the formation of their strategic plan or in their arbitrary decision to jump from mustering and rehoming to the last resort of shooting after the federal court injunction was lifted a few weeks back.
We all understand there is a need to control the number of brumbies in the high country. However, the wild estimates from Parks Victoria shows their lack of knowledge and facts. It also hides the explosion in the deer population that now dominates the alpine landscape.
Having said all that, I can say with great humility that I’m amazed by the incredible show of support for the brumbies from people from all walks of life, from the high country, Victoria, the nation and across the globe.
We have done well to keep the shooters at bay and the only way forward will be with a united front and a common purpose – Together we can save these horses.
