West Australian Horse Council

ABOUT THE COMMITTEE
The WA Horse Council consists of committee elected at the Annual General Meeting.
Each of the committee members are then involved in the various portfolios and report back to the committee at meetings.

The portfolios or working groups can invite non committee persons with specific skills to be involved for the course of a project or longer.

Patron of the WAHC is The Hon David Malcolm AC QC

2010 Western Australian Horse Council
Chairperson	Diane Bennit	Ph: 9291 0202 bennit@optusnet.com.au
Vice Chairperson	Alan Parker
Treasurer	Margaret Langan
Publicity Officer	Sandy Hannan
Committee Member	Janet Cameron
Committee Member	Christina Slater
Committee Member	Ian Huntington
Committee Member	Robert Hawes
Committee Member	Dr Kathy Kline
Committee Member	Portland Jones
Committee Member	Nikki Brooks
Committee Member	Tracy Talbot
Committee Member	Michelle Wilkie
Committee Member	Robert Hawes
Committee Member	Fran Stephens
Committee Member	Janet Innes
Committee Member	Gill Woodstock
Secretary (Non Committee)	Naomi Briggs

LIFE MEMBERS
Diane Bennit - 2010

COMMITTEE PROFILES

Diane Bennit
An equestrian consultant, is a well know equestrienne with a very broad background in the horse industry. This includes running the successful Springfield Riding School in Wanneroo, training jockeys for the WA Turf Club, competing in A grade showjumping, breeding and racing horses, being a classifier/inspector for the Warmbloods and Connemaras, Chairperson for the National Coaching Accreditation Scheme (NCAS, an accredited coach with BHS, AHRC, PCAWA and Riding for Disabled (RDA).

Diane also spends her free time working with RDA, The WA Horse Council and other associations in a committee capacity. She hosts a weekly hour long equine radio show for the WAHC on community radio 91.3 FM Sports.

Diane was made a Life Member of the WAHC in 2010 in recognition of the role she has played in tthe development of the Council over the years.

Alan Parker
Alan has been involved in harness racing administration since 1977 in a variety of roles including Registrar and Racing Manager.
He is presently employed by Racing and Wagering Western Australia in the harness racing section as the Assistant Manager Harness/Westbred, where his role includes the preparation, distribution and internet uploading of media releases and news relating to harness racing.

Alan has been a member of the WA Horse Council for a number of years and served a period as Chairman in the 1990’s before a family tragedy forced him to resign. He rejoined the Council in 2007 following the outbreak of Equine Influenza, allowing a closer liaison between the racing sector of the horse industry and the broader equestrian community.

A renowned pacing historian, Alan wrote The Village Kid Story with Bill Horn and he is also on the Selection Panel for this year's 'The West Australian Racing Industry Hall of Fame'.

Alan’s internet expertise has been of assistance to the Council in the development of the WA Horse Emergency website and database, which will be used should the horse industry ever suffer another outbreak of equine influenza or similar disease or disaster.

Sandy Hannan
The introduction of GST and the impact it would have on the horse community was the catalyst that bought Sandy onto the WAHC in July 2000. Her involvement with horses has touched on many aspects within the industry, including Thoroughbred racing, Appaloosa breeding, polocrosse, showing, western and dressage.

An equestrian photographer and editor of Hoofbeats magazine Sandy currently holds the position of Publicity Officer on the Council.

Portland Jones
Portland Jones is an NCAS coach with an interest in the application of Learning Theory and ways of improving horse welfare. Living in the Swan Valley with her husband, three children and an ever increasing number of horses, she has competed in dressage to advanced level and been on the WAHC for over three years. She has been involved with the training of horses, particularly young and problem horses, for many years, is currently completing a PhD and is a regular contributor to Hoofbeats Magazine.

Robert Hawes
While not a rider, Robert has some experience of horse ownership and being allowed to fund the horse operation, drive home from events, be involved when there is a problem and being chief 'gofor'. He has had an active involvement with show ring activities since 1967, including one and three day horse trials - with an involvement from deputy acting assistant xc course builder to organiser to cleaning up after the event - and he is also is a carriage driving referee.

Margaret Langan
A member of the WA Horse Council committee since 2007, Marg has been associated with horses since she was a child in England and both her daughter Tanya and son Brett are part of the horse racing industry.

Currently involved in carriage driving as the State Branch secretary of the Australian Carriage Driving Society Marg has been President and Show Driving Convenor for many years, club secretary for the West Australian Harness Driving Society and has represented carriage driving on the Royal Agricultural Society=B9s Carriage Driving and Horse committees.

A business owner working in the equestrian industry she is now more into judging than competing in the many different breeds she has been associated with over her years of equestrian involvement, however she still has a horse and rides purely for recreational purposes.

Janet Cameron
Coming from a farming background, Janet has always owned and ridden a horse or pony. When married with young children she became interested in Carriage Driving and joined the then Western Australian Driving Society, attending various driving clinics and participating in social drives, even holding the annual Easter Drive one year.

Janet’s children attended Victoria Plains PC, New Norcia PC and Bindoon Range PC and she was zone and club secretary, club president and delegate to PCAWA State Council for a number of years, as well as being a qualified PCAWA Line Steward for the Prince Philip Games.

In 1992 Janet took up Endurance Riding and it became a passion for 15 years. She completed the Toodyay Quilty in 1995, a 320km Marathon at Mornington Mills in 1997 and various 120km Marathons and 160km State Rides. She is also an AERA registered Chief Steward and became involved with the Western Australian Horse Council as a WAERA delegate.