A printed metal sign, set at an angle on a post in the Bodalla Rest Area details the achievements of Neale Lavis, a local of the Bodalla area, who went to the 1960 Rome Olympic Games, as an equestrian competitor.
Neale Lavis
From Bodalla to Olympic Gold
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Neale Lavis grew up in the Bodalla area with a deep love of horses. He honed his riding skills in the bush around Eurobodalla doing stock work on horseback, playing polocrosse and competing in local shows and rodeos.
'In 1957 Neale rode his horse Bennelong to win the first three-day eventing competition ever held in Australia. Eventing became his passion and his search for the right horse led him to the Cooma district where he found Mirrabooka, a strong and intelligent brown gelding. From 1957 to 1959 Neale and Mirrabooka trained and competed together and in 1959 they were selected for the Australian Olympic Team to compete in Rome.
'Eurobodalla locals rallied in support and the Moruya Pony Club raised money for his saddle.
'The team of riders and horses sailed together to London in a cargo ship, where the horses exercised on the deck during the six-week journey.
'In England, prior to the Rome Olympic Games, Neale and Mirrabooka had great success. They won several show-jumping events, were fourth at the Badminton Horse Trials and six weeks before the Games won the International Great Auckland Combined Training Event.
'A week later tragedy struck when Mirrabooka became lame. With only five weeks before the Olympics, Neale was forced to train on his reserve horse Adeli. As the Olympics approached, the difficult choice of which horse to ride had to be made. Even though Mirrabooka's preparation had been interrupted, Neale chose him because of gameness, courage and because he "would not stop".
'In the cross-country event they were 27th to start of 78 competitors and the first to jump a clear round. This placed the team in a wonderful position despite the dangerous track.
'The team was doing well when Bill Roycroft and his horse fell on the cross-country course.
'He managed to finish but was injured and had to be hospitalised. Australia had a chance of winning gold, but three riders needed to complete the entire event and Brian Crago's horse Sabre was not fit to compete in the show-jumping phase. Against doctor's orders Bill Rycroft discharged himself from hospital and he and Neale complete the show jumping round with no faults. The Australian team won the gold medal!
'In addition to winning gold as a team, individual members also won their competitions. Laurie Morgan, riding Salad Days, won individual gold, with Neale Lavis and Mirrabooka winning individual silver.
'This was only the second Olympic Games where Australia had an equestrian team competing and it set a precedent for future Australian Equestrian Team representatives. Our riders had conquered the world and proven to generations to come that anything is possible.
'Back home in Bodalla Neale put on a demonstration of dressage to a proud community.
'He represented Australia at the 1964 Olympics in Tokyo and then had success breeding and training race horses in Braidwood.'
This sign was placed in the Rest Area in October 2017 - per the Narooma News of 2 October, 2017, with Neale personally uncovering the horse-rug draped sign. Neale Lavis, retrieved 25/8/2019.
Visited: 0745-7, Saturday, 29 December, 2018