the light horse & field artillery museum

I recently discovered that my long lost uncle Bernard Dingle was the curator of this fascinating musuem and took a trip there. I blown away by the incredible collection he had managed to accumulate with little or no funding and his passion at keeping the history alive. I never knew my great-grandfather Dudley Dingle was a lighthorseman and am so proud that Bernard has worked so hard to be a caretaker of this history. It is well worth a visit-maybe you too will find little of your family history here.

We were 'blown' away with what we saw at this place!! The memorabilia collected over 26 years relating to the Australian Light Horse is truly amazing! I have read a number of books about the Australian Light Horse and the 'role' it 'played' during WW1 but here....! We learnt so much more about the Light Horse during Crimea, Boer, First and Second World Wars from the Curator, Bernie Dingle. He is a 'mine' of knowledge!! Not only that, told us other interesting stories that were 'beyond' or not quite associated with the Light Horse, eg: the swords he has from Arabia. Mind boggling!There were some very sad stories that he told us, so if one is a bit 'faint hearted' or doesn't want to know some very 'grisly' facts, then possibly this is not the place for you. Having said that, I feel everyone needs to know the futility and senselessness of war, regardless of where and when it happened.Bernie also told us some facts which have become 'myths', eg: ones about Simpson and his Donkey, that Simpson had more than one donkey and after he was killed a New Zealander took over his role and that the Australian Light Horsemen did not destroy their horses.One of the most interesting facets of this Museum, is finding out more about the role of female nurses, which started at the Crimean War.One word of advice: if you go for the day (which is the amount of time you need to spend there to see everything), take your own lunch. Bernie will supply you with a cuppa of some sort as in tea or coffee.Fabulous place to visit! Be prepared to spend a whole day there to be able to see everything!

I haven't been to the museum yet, but I see these guys regularly at the Anzac Day Parade. They give a terrific historical context to the parade itself. They deserve al the support we can give.

We stumbled on this and were pleasantly surprisedThere were relics from WW1 that I have never seen before.There were areas divided off showing different scenes[casualty stations etc]I have not seen better than this for a along time.The owner accompanied us explaining different exhibits.I recommend it well worth a visit