An exciting year ahead
Dear Horse Enthusiasts, 2006 promises to be an exciting year for the sport. The World Cup Final for Jumping riders will take place in Kuala Lumpur, the first final held in an Asian city. By coincidence, the FEI General Assembly will be conducted in the same location at the same time although meeting will not finish until the Tuesday after the Final. Dressage, Eventing and Driving will, of course, have their own World Cup finals as well but the BIG event of the year is the World Equestrian Games held in Aachen, Germany, from 20 August through to 03 September. Our National Selectors for Dressage, Eventing and Jumping have already reviewed National Squad membership. Those of you who are going to the Football World Cup in Germany during June and July may as well stay on for this. Accommodation in Aachen is probably the trickiest issue the organisers are facing but with good road networks around Aachen, you can stay in Holland or Belgium or even in Cologne and still get there within an hour or so. Hong Kong is gearing upThe Hong Kong Equestrian Committee and the Hong Kong Jockey Club have got their work cut out organising the Equestrian competitions for the Beijing Olympic Games. The Hong Kong Government is in the process of setting up an 'Equestrian Company' that will manage the process and the competitions in conjunction with the FEI and BOCOG - the Beijing Organising Committee for the Olympic Games. Many of you may not know that 'Sport' is just one functional area in the Olympic Games structure. Other “programs” prepare aspects with common features for all sports and venues. Examples of these are Accreditation, Ceremonies, Marketing, Media, Technology, Security, Look (signage, flags, etc.), Accommodation, Catering, Uniforms and Transport. The OCOG usually sets up a separate company for Olympic Broadcasting. With Hong Kong a good two hours' flight away from Beijing, it is going to be interesting to see how all this is going to be managed. One never knows but the distance may allow some 'specials' for Equestrian that would not be possible otherwise. Horse Deals publishes regular EFA national newsletterWe are pleased to announce that the first issue of the newsletter is being published in Horse Deals right now. Samantha ('Sam') Hain is our editor/coordinator for this monthly program, putting together interesting stories not just for EFA members but also for the general public that is interested on equestrian sports. A big 'THANK YOU' to Horse Deals for giving us this opportunity. Australia Day Honours ListI don't know whether I enjoy going through the Honours list published each Australia Day. It's probably because I can't find many, if any, Equestrian folk in there. Why do some of our volunteers not get a listing even though they give their everything to true 'public service'? They give up weekend after weekend (and weekdays) for the sport, don't claim reimbursement for their expenses and don't push their own barrow to get attention. They are the quiet achievers without whom sport simply would not work. Why are they not listed? Because they have not been nominated!!!!! So please look around you and nominate the people that really deserve it. It's a very simple process. Just go to the Honours web, get the form, fill it in and submit it. The EFA has now introduced a national policy for 'Member Recognition and Awards' and you will have a chance later this year to nominate our volunteer achievers. Please do so after the forms are published in June. You can find out more about the awards on our web. National OfficeThose of you who check the national web will know that Louise McGregor has transferred from the NSW Branch Office to become our Administration Officer - High Performance. Welcome, Louise. On the other hand, High Performance Manager Peter Horne will be moving to an island in the sun and become HPM for the Samoan Rugby team. Good luck, Peter, and thanks for your contribution over the last 13 months. It made a difference but just think what else could have been achieved if ... Space is getting a little tight in the office, however. The National Board is looking at proposals to purchase office accommodation. A purchase certainly makes sense, especially once the mortgage is paid off. We will let you know more once the evaluation of options is concluded and a decision is made. Upcoming EventsGala Ball and Auction for the Guy Wallace Fund / Injured Riders Fund - 04 February 2006 Heath Ryan and a few other movers and shakers have organised a Gala Ball and Auction to raise money for the Guy Wallace Fund and the Injured Riders Fund. You can find more details about the Funds and the fund raiser at http://www.guywallacefund.com/index.html. The Tempo Summer Show Jumping Classic at SIEC (03 - 05 February) again includes the last competition for the 2005-06 World Cup Jumping series of the Australian League. Come to the Sydney International Equestrian Centre and enjoy a good show. For other events, please check the event calendar on our web. The 'Advanced Search' function lets you pick from a range of options and includes the events listed by those Branches that are using the National web facility now. Meetings(BTW: Following recent elections, there have been a few changes to the composition of a number of Committees.)
Supporters and SponsorsI cannot close without thanking our funding agencies, sponsors and supporters. Make it a good day! Franz Venhaus
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