Community
6 December, 2024
Gladmans bestowed Special Service Awards
A CAMPERDOWN couple who are members of the Australian Stock Horse Society (ASHS) have recently received recognition of their contribution to the society and the Australian Stock Horse breed.
Ian and Marlene Gladman were each awarded a Special Service Award at the ASHS annual general meeting.
Mr Gladman, who has been a member of the Western Victoria branch of the Australia-wide organisation for 28 years, said his wife and him found it nice to be recognised.
“Our local stock horse branch, which we have been involved with for a lot of years, got it all together and dobbed us in,” he said.
“We’ve only been home (from a holiday) a few weeks, and we had our stock horse show over at Hexam over the weekend and on Saturday night they presented us with the certificates and a chopping board they give us as a memento.
“It’s a bit embarrassing.
There’s other members in the branch who have been there a lot of years, and they’ve always competed with their horses and they’ve been involved with the management of the Western Victoria branch and nationally.
“We’re very honoured and privileged our branch thinks that much of us to give us an award like that.
“At the time, we were annoyed about it because you don’t want the recognition – you just go and do it, it’s a part of what you do.”
Mrs Gladman – who has been a member for 19 years – said the ASHS was entirely volunteer-run, with any payments solely covering costs of travel and accommodation for event judges.
“There’s so many who volunteer their time it just seems a bit unfair,” she said.
The couple have given their time to the society in various ways, including assisting in marshalling, stewarding, or cleaning up after horses at the ASHS’ shows.
Mr Gladman said he served as the Western Victoria branch president for three years since 2020 and has held the title of state delegate.
“Marlene and I have been involved in it for 30 years, but we’re not necessarily riding a horse all the time,” he said.
“When we first went along, the branch was at Glenormiston and they were struggling for numbers for membership, so we went over there and went to meetings and helped out at the show – we didn’t have a stock horse.
“Ten years went by before we actually got a stock horse.
“We just enjoy the company – it’s not essentially our age, it’s younger ones and older ones and there’s a group of us that have done a lot of things together.”
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