Creating the perfect Quilty Cup winner’s memento
THE Quilty Cup, Australian endurance riding’s premier award, has been made in Warwick in preparation for the 52nd annual competition.
Silversmith, goldsmith and hand engraver, Trevor Young, well-known for making the famous Warwick Gold Cup campdrafting trophy for the past 23 years, has been working in a small shed behind his humble home on Yangan Rd to hand-make a cup which will be treasured by the winner for a lifetime.
No two trophies made by Mr Young are identical. There are always minor differences.
“They (the Australian Endurance Riders Association) gave me plenty of time to make the cup and I’ve made them all a ‘one-off’ but the competitors will not see a difference” he said.
“Any hand-made engraving will always be different; no two will ever be the same, unlike stamped or factory-made trophies. “I made the cup for the association first in 2014 and ’15 and they attached their own buckle to the red cedar base, which I also make. “Last year and again this year, they’ve had me make the plaque for the base and it is something special.
“It’s made like an Australian plaque should be, complete with small eucalypt leaves and gumnuts and no horned saddle or flank girth.”
Mr Young said it took him a couple of years to talk the association into allowing him to make the plaque a “one-off” and it later took the idea to heart.
“Their previous plaque was one of the Quilty buckles pinned to the base, a good idea at the time but they now have something very special and truly individual,” he said. The 2017 Quilty Cup will be held at Wirrina Cove on Yankalilla Bay in South Australia, a well-known scenic area in the state’s south.
It will host the cream of the crop of Australia’s endurance riders.
The premier endurance riding event started in 1966 near Hawkesbury in NSW.
It is a 100-mile (160km) ride which must be completed in 24 hours and held under strict veterinary conditions.
Legendary horseman Reg (RM) Williams was the power behind the first ride and invited his friend, pastoralist Tom Quilty of Spring Vale Station in the Kimberley Ranges of Western Australia, to become involved.
Mr Quilty donated $1000 to fund the original cup, which is now on display in the Australian Stockman’s Hall of Fame in Longreach.
Competitors at the ride decided the event should carry Mr Quilty’s name while ever it was held.
The Tom Quilty endurance ride was held at Hawkesbury for the first 20 years.
Then in 1986, the association’s members decided it should be held in each state on a rotational basis.
Since then the “Quilty” has been held in every state including Tasmania.
Competitors believe that to complete the ride is a win.
❝ It’s made like an Australian plaque should be... — Trevor Young