Arena horse events were a feature of the three-day Mountain Cattlemen’s Get Together at Merrijig.
The weather held out for the new schedule for the three-day Mountain Cattlemen’s Get Together on the weekend.
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The event is normally held in summer.
More than 2500 people turned out at Merrijig to see the crack riders, hear some bush poetry, meet old friends and listen to some music, with hundreds camping out in their swags, tents, utes and caravans.
The weekend also celebrated the 40th anniversary of the premiere of The Man From Snowy River movie, featuring Kirk Douglas, Sigrid Thornton and, at the time, a new face — Tom Burlinson.
Burlinson delighted the Merrijig crowds on Friday and Sunday by turning up to meet people and sign autographs.
Crack rider from the The Man From Snowy River movie 40 years ago, John Lovick, at the Mountain Cattlemen’s Get Together on the weekend.
There were a few of the crack riders from the movie in the crowd, including John Lovick, now in his 70s.
“We had to get together more than 100 horses for the movie,” he recalled, when they were approached to help out with the movie featuring wild horses in the mountains.
“But we wanted to do it, we knew what the story was about. It promoted us, and the bush and gave Geoff (Burrowes) a good start on his movie career.”
Mr Lovick soon got tired of the repeated takes.
“You do a take and they would say: right, do this one, then another one, it wasn’t good enough. By the time they got it in the can, we were absolutely sick of it.
“We couldn’t work out why it wasn’t good enough! But that was their business.”
Daryl Baines from Tooma, NSW, competing in the bareback cut-out event in the arena at Merrijig.
He can’t believe it was 40 years since the move premiere was shown in the Mansfield Town Hall.
“The whole movie was built around locals.”
The bushmen, dressed in riding gear, turned out for the Melbourne premiere too.
“We got out of the limos to go into the foyer of this joint and there are thousands of people outside clapping. You were like a bloody hero,” Mr Lovick said.
He said Tom Burlinson became a part of the cattlemen family, who taught him how to ride.
The Man From Snowy River film, based around the poem of the same name by AB ‘Banjo’ Paterson, was a box office success grossing worldwide about $50 million.
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