Island horses take centre stage in movie project
A community-led project is exploring the history of how some of K'gari's brumby population were sent to the frontline in World War I from a unique perspective.
A Fraser Coast resident, Violet Whitaker, has crafted a short film that highlights K gari, formerly Fraser Island, wild horses that were deployed to the Middle East during World War I. These horses, renowned for their light frame and distinctive hoof pattern, were chosen by the military for their suitability in desert conditions and maneuverability.
Whitaker, president of the 5th Light Horse Regiment in Hervey Bay, aims to preserve the region's equine history for future generations. The horses, originally brought to K gari in the late 1800s as Clydesdales for timber transport and later interbred with Arabic thoroughbreds during the Boer War, formed the brumby population. From K gari, these horses were sent to military camps across Australia for training, which included acclimatization to different tasks and climates.
Most of these horses did not survive the war, but some, like Sandy, a charge of Sir William Bridges, were fortunate enough to return to Australia. The 40-minute film, "The Forgotten Horses of Fraser (K gari)," narrated by a horse, will be shown at select cinemas across the Fraser Coast later this month.
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