Andrew and Emma Sheridan have made Kinloch Equine their dream home. Set on beautiful acreage, blood sweat and tears has gone in to the couples’ home and business, which they run from the Wallendbeen property 15 minutes north of Coota. They have three children under three with a brand new baby in Emma’s arms. They have added yards and infrastructure to the farm and now have state of the art facilities. Facilities that they have been unable to utilise to their full potential for some time.
They are country people with Andrew from Eurongilly and Emma from Marrar, and with their country upbringing have an excellent sense of what is right and what is wrong.
Most performance horse enthusiasts know the Eurongilly native for his equine aptitude.
Their idyllic lifestyle has been disrupted.
With the disgraceful failure of what was the Wallendbeen Bridge more than three and a half years ago, Andrew and Emma have been battling to save their property and continue to run their business having suffered losses in the hundreds of thousands of dollars.
Apart from their own business they have been unable to run their annual campdraft which they use as a fundraiser to donate funds to local community groups including the local village progress association, the local Rugby Club in the Coota Tricolours, (who Andrew used to play for), and probably and most importantly, the local Light Horse Troop.
The camp draft won’t be held again this year due to the continued construction of the bridge and the construction of the road that will soon be going through the edge of their property in a move that will see some of their land compulsory acquired due to TFNSW indifference to bush infrastructure. Andrew and Emma had nothing to do with the bridge collapse but they sure are paying for it. It is continued uncertainty that the Minister must bring to an end with a cheque book and some sincerity.
Andrew is disheartened and frustrated. He said, “We have had dealings with TFNSW where they won’t put things in writing and where we have had to go to Sydney with our sole lawyer and sit in a room with several TFNSW lawyers and staff. It’s cost us money and we can’t see a resolution yet. Our own costs are well over $100,000.
“We run Kinloch as a business but we have been hampered the last three years. We can’t hold our annual fundraiser, our campdraft to help out the local Light Horse Troop. Each year these men and women have to cart their horses around on ANZAC Day, have their uniforms ready to go and have fuel to make what can be half a dozen ANZAC services. It’s disappointing that we can’t help groups like that who are continuing the ANZAC tradition.”
The annual campdraft has had to be cancelled and was due to be held 21-23 February 2025.
Lack of Communication between TFNSW when they were using a giant pile driver has resulted in horses being injured on the property and according to Andrew the goal posts continue to be shifted in a drawn out process where they just want what is best for their family and their farm.
More than a dozen horses had to be removed and agisted on another property and TFNSW staff with little to no horse experience were by their very presence, spooking horses from the bushes whilst they were wearing their high visibility vests during construction. Equine studies have been completed by both parties and they don’t meet in the middle.
Andrew said, “One study from TFNSW talked about how the horses on the property could be conditioned to be better behaved by being fed treats and rewarded when they reacted positively around the disturbances.
They fail to realise that we have young riders and young horses on the property and that is part of the business and both can be inexperienced. They can react unpredictably at times. We have lots of different horses at different stages of their life and level of training. We have foals born on the property. We just can’t seem to get sense through to them.
Transport for NSW does not move at a Hare’s pace, it is obvious to Wallendbeen locals and residents that they move at a Snail’s pace. They have been slowly constructing the new bridge which is next to the current temporary bridge, where the former 1916 constructed bridge linked the Burley Griffin Way from the east to the west over the main southern line. It’s clear to anyone that the rain event wasn’t the only reason the bridge failed, it was end of life and was inspected prior to the collapse by TFNSW from a vehicle. If it had collapsed entirely it could have ended up on the main southern line from Sydney to Melbourne where passenger trains and freight trains operate.
When such good people are treated so shabbily, as Andrew said, “It makes you wonder where the country is going.”
TFNSW has been contacted for comment.
