Anyone who has been to a rodeo can see it clearly – it’s a tough sport, with equal parts skill and commitment.
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To be able to excel you have to a dedication that goes well beyond.
It’s something that is borne out in the achievements of Albury’s Gard family, both in rodeo but also in other competitions involving horse and rider.
But it’s not something they shy away from. Just recently, Carolyn Gard’s son Ben broke his femur at the Australian Professional Rodeo Association national finals.
And her youngest, Ellie, suffered a brain injury in a riding accident.
The family understands that these are the risks of taking part in what they love.
What they don’t understand though is the actions of crooks who recently raided a storage container in North Albury, getting away with thousands of dollars in items.
What makes the theft especially galling is that among the haul were two trophy saddles and more than 80 belt buckles won the Gard siblings at rodeos and horsing events throughout Australia.
That was on top of precious items such as antique diamond rings, jewellery bequeathed to Ms Gard by her mother and other personal possessions.
As Ms Gard points out, the sentimental value of the trophies in particular is obvious given that her kids have been competing since the age of five.
Ellie, she says, is especially distraught by the callous theft.
“She is absolutely devastated, it is so hard to explain why these things happen,” she says.
“You can’t replace those items – they have monetary value but we will never get the sentimental value of those things back.”
Anyone who knows anything that could lead to the prosecution of those responsible certainly should not hesitate to come forward with that information to police.
But at the very least, as Ms Gard has urged, there really is an onus on the thieves to have the courage to return what was taken.
The family deserves nothing less than getting back what is theirs.
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