RIDERS from Corryong will mount their horses and make the journey home for those who couldn’t after the war 100 years ago.
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Heidi and Mark Walton and Bridget Waters have been training for seven months for the marathon ride which will cover more than 500 kilometres.
The “100 Year Ride Back” will make up part of the Corryong Neighbourhood Centre’s Anzac Centenary Cele- brations.
On horseback, the trio will retrace some of the tracks their forefathers took to enlist in the war.
The path covers distances similar to those of a daily ride for the Light Horse.
They will leave Melbourne on Tuesday, working their way north through Glenrowan, Wangaratta and Wodonga before heading home to Corryong on April 22.
Above one horse will be a lantern lit by the eternal flame at the Shrine of Rememberance, while the other two will bear the Australian and Anzac Centenary flags.
“A lot of people from the Upper Murray left on horseback and headed off and they never came back, so we are coming back for them,” Mrs Walton said.
“You just think about what they had to do back then, which was normal for them, but now not many people would have the horses or know how to do it.
“You don’t realise how much life has changed until you start preparing something like this.”
Ms Waters had family members who served in the war, while Mr Walton has a strong connection of his own to Anzac.
He is a relation of Sir William Glasgow, who was appointed major in the 2nd Light Horse Regiment and sat with Churchill and Roosevelt during peace talks.
The riders will visit memorials along the way, passing through Wangaratta, Chiltern, Barnawartha and Wod- onga on April 18 before having a rest day.
From there they will trot out to Bonegilla, Bethanga and Talgarno on April 20, head to Granya and Jingellic on April 21 and return to Corryong the following day.
Anyone who wishes to sponsor the event or host the riders at a service should contact Sara Jenkins at sara@corryongnc.org.