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Clydesdales parade in George St. Photo by Craig Baxter. |
From the time they arrived at a car park in St Andrew St in
Dunedin with their entourage of various wagons and people, to
when they arrived at Forbury Park several hours later, a
company of well-groomed Clydesdales attracted crowds.
The horses, much more at home in the countryside tilling
fields than clopping along tarmac, had come to town for a
parade to celebrate 100 years since the Clydesdale Horse
Society of New Zealand, which held its first council meeting
in Dunedin, was formed.
The parade was part of three days of festivities in the city
which began on Thursday.
The John McGlashan College Pipe Band heralded the clomp,
clomp of the single, double and up to nine-horse teams of
Clydesdales pulling all manner of wagons, carts and buggies
bearing hay, wool and people in period dress through the city
streets on Saturday.
Crowds gathered at the Railway Station, along Stuart St and
in the Octagon between 10.15am and noon as the parade of
about 40 horses and 12 wagons made its way through the city
to Forbury Park where centennial celebrations of the
Clydesdale Horse Society continued.
Welcoming the group to the city, Mayor Dave Cull said some of
the Clydesdales were better turned out than he was, even
though he had brought out his mayoral "bling" for the
occasion.
Clydesdales had been an integral part of Otago's mainly rural
history and the pa-rade was a great sight to see, Mr Cull
said.
It had been 70 years since there had been a Clydesdale parade
in Dunedin and he hoped it would not be another 70 years
before the next.
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