World champion show jumper Billy Raymont and his partner Tesse are stranded in Victoria with nine of the country’s best showjumping horses and are asking to be allowed back to Queensland to care for 11 of their horses at his home base at Cooran.
Each year Billy travels the east coast of Australia competing and coaching, basing himself in Victoria from the end of September for the summer months during its competition season and returning home to Queensland in April for the winter months and its competition season.
This year they remained in Victoria.
They had no purpose to go back to Queensland because Covid-19 restrictions had halted showjumping competitions and coaching and they had an agreement with people with their own horses who were having a house built to stay at their house and care for all the horses.
Now their house has been built, the caretakers plan to move and Billy urgently needs to return to care for his horses.
“It’s impossible to put someone else in that position,“ he said. “It’s an onerous job. Everyone in my family works full time. I suppose my family will bend over backwards to help.“
Billy said it was becoming financially crippling for him paying rent in Victoria, a mortgage in Queensland, the expense of the horses and no income from coaching. Returning to Queensland would reduce his expenses and with restrictions lessening in Queensland competitions and coaching were beginning to return.
Billy has a self-contained trailer with a fuel capacity of 6000 litres enabling him to bring he and his partner the nine horses back to Queensland without needing to stop for fuel, food, showers or toilets.
He applied to the Chief Health Officer about two weeks ago for an exemption for hotel isolation in order to isolate at his rural property and be able to care for his horses.
Billy said he received a response saying his “circumstances were not of an extreme nature“ but has asked again.
Family friend Joy Ringrose said she supported the closure of our borders, knowing that the Queensland Government was determined to keep us safe but was aware exceptions had been made for Victorian football and netball teams. She believes another exception should be made for Billy and his partner Tesse (both of whom are Covid-19 negative), and nine of the best showjumping horses in the nation. Billy said Noosa MP Sandy Bolton’s office has contacted the Chief Health Officer in regard to this matter but had not yet received a response.
