Dudley Farrar, polo player
Waler Data Base @ Face Book. Image: Daily News, 20th March 1954
Thank you to Garrick for sending in these two photos of his uncle, Dudley Farrar, polo player, 1950’s era.
Below: Dudley Farrar, hugging one of his polo ponies…; Dudley playing polo circa 1956
Dudley Farrar was a legendary horseman in Western Australia, he lived in the Gascoyne area and was associated with Landor and Yinnietharra stations. His father before him was also a well known stockman and horseman and got the cattle together for the legendary drive of the Durack’s from Gippsland through Victoria, NSW, Queensland, the Territory and finally to the Kimberley.
Image: The West Australian, 15th March 1954. Dudley over-rides the ball in an attempt to strike it, the other player is W.G. Bennett from Perth. It was the northerners first game in Perth. They did extremely well.
Dudley started a polo team in the Gascoyne in 1952, men from stations near and far joined his team. He arranged a gymkhana at Carnarvon so people could enjoy getting their horses and ponies out in a social setting, the day of the races, and also watch the men play their first ever polo match, two teams being formed. It proved a very popular outing. They’d played a practise match at Landor station before that.
Dudley had been breeding his own stock horses for a long time, horses that were also handy at the annual picnic races. He entered local races such as Carnarvon, winning there in 1950, and in 1952 with his horse Rosewood, by Gladswood, bred on de Grey station he was out of a station mare (and the sire unregistered). Dudley was owner, trainer and jockey! He also won another race on his horse Plantation and placed on his mare Duchess. He was also successful in local gymkhanas in all sort of events, winning from the 1930’s on.
In 1936, a person signing as “Rough Rider,” wrote to the Western Mail, a Perth newspaper, about the greatest riders he’d ever seen, the best was a breaker on de Grey about 1918 he didn’t name. However the equal next best he allowed, was Bill Rose of Mia-Mia and Dudley Farrar of Landor, of whom he said, “…can stay in the saddle as long as any old timer.”
Images: Polo pony Flirt, Daily News, 20th March 1954; Teano Captain Dudley Farrar ready for action, The Daily News. 16th March 1955
Dudley’s team brought 18 horses about 700 miles to Perth to take part in the nine day polo tournament – keen indeed! Teano team was only 3 years old, yet the year before carried off the Polo Pony of the Year Award for W.A. with his mare Flirt.
Not bad for a station bred!
When asked about the ponies Dudley said “Polo players are horse lovers. And when a polo pony becomes too old for the game, it doesn’t get sold for lion’s meat.”
Dudley was very proud of his versatile station horses, able to do sustained stock work in a tough environment, play polo, excel at gymkhanas, carry a lady with safety, and also excellent at polo. Agile, with stamina, surefooted, clever, reliable. He was very fond of them. When the teams first made the big trip to Perth to play in the state tournament, it was the first time their ponies had played on turf – being used to the hard grounds of the north. What a tremendous horseman, no wonder Australia bred such good horses!
