"Day Off, Peter"Print Page

The sculpture " Day Off, Peter" was originally unveiled in 1988 to honour the Clydesdale working horse and the centenary of the Angaston Agricultural Bureau.

The sculpture was restored and unveiled on the 13th May 2008 and coincided with the 120th anniversary of the Angaston Agricultural Bureau, the oldest Bureau branch in Australia.

At the beginning of the 1880s, Albert Molineux, a farmer at Klemzig, a printer, gold miner and finally the editor of the South Australian Register and the Observer, began waging an unrelenting campaign to promote farmers’ clubs conforming to his view that, for long term viability, ‘Politics, religion and all debatable subjects should be nowhere in a farmers’ union’. His aim was strongly supported by landowners: and the Agricultural Bureau was formed - which, since 1888, as a non-profit and non-political organization, has profoundly influenced the development of profitable and sustainable cereal growing, pastoral, dairying and horticulture production across the State.

Exactly when the first importations of heavy horses into Australia were made is not clear, however, in the early days of pioneer settlement of New South Wales, pioneers attempted to bring horses for draught purposes to Australia despite the difficult transport conditions. In Tasmania, the English dray horse appears to have predominated. Victoria, in its early days of settlement, secured its foundation in draught stock mainly from Tasmania and New South Wales, to be later followed by importations from England and Scotland. English horses were also introduced into Western Australia late in the 1830’s and some were also imported to South Australia.
 

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