Five Minutes With... EA Deputy Chair - Natalie Nichols

Natalie has been involved in the equestrian scene from the age of 5 when she first rode a trail horse.  Over the years she has been involved in Pony Club, was fortunate enough to ride in the earliest interschool competitions and has ridden extensively in EA competition.   

It was during the EI outbreak that Natalie really decided to have a change of approach in her involvement in EA.  Natalie was appointed as the Crisis Manager at Warwick when the EI outbreak occurred.  She was out there providing support to her husband who was riding and looking after their two small children (one not even 12mths) at the time of the EI outbreak.  

The event organisers called for people with Crisis Management experience and Natalie put her hand up.  In her professional career as an IT specialist and major project manager she had worked extensively with the Dept of Emergency Services in understanding and studying their processes for the purpose of improving their software for crisis management. 

Once the situation was stabilised at Warwick Natalie then wrote an industry recovery strategy.  The QLD government asked Natalie to work with them to implement the recovery strategy.  In this role Natalie worked as the Advisor to the government for the equine industry in QLD. 

It was during this time, that Natalie decided to step back a little from the competition scene and look at how the sport and industry could be improved and grown to the next level.  She was appointed to the National Board in October 2008 and currently holds the position of Deputy Chair. 

Natalie is extremely busy at the moment as not only EA Deputy Chair but also as Chair of the EA Flood Crisis Committee, who are helping people in the equestrian community affected by the floods.  Natalie was kind enough to spare Horsezone a moment to further enlighten us about the EA Flood Crisis Committee...

 

Natalie, you’ve been doing a fantastic job raising funds and awareness for members of the equestrian community who were affected by the floods, however, we believe that you were also affected by the floods?

Not really affected, only flooded in.   We were cut off for a few days but our property sustained no flooding.  I was just amazed at the extent of the damage that the flooding was racking up everyday.  EA had been monitoring the situation on a National level since early January.  It was during the worst of the flooding (Wed/thurs) that we enacted the EA Flood Crisis Committee and I built the website.  I couldn’t do much else but I had power and broadband so I went about building the site www.eqflood2011.com.au  - it is not the most glamorous but it was done quickly with the intent of pulling the information together.  My husband, who is the QLD Chair was busy coordinating a lot of the operational areas with the QLD office.  So essentially the phone has rung solid since early January. 

 

What is the main purpose of the website and the EA Flood Crisis Committee?

The main purpose of the website was a place to put the massive amounts of information that was circling.  We had hundreds of emails, phone calls etc.  We needed a register that would let us know who could help and who needed help.  This website allows both of those areas to be logged.  From an administrative point of view we can then download the information in spreadsheet form.  This allows the EA/EQ staff to provide a matching facility. 

The website has also been heavily supplemented by the facebook networks.  EA and EQ have  a large following on social media.  This service was heavily used to get information out and to also check on people that we knew were likely to be in trouble spots. 

 

How are the fund raising and donations of goods going at this stage?

The support across the board has been overwhelming.  The main forms of donations initially have been through hay and hard feed.  The list of people that have assisted in setting up feed distribution points and manning them are enormous.  People of particular note are; David Manchon from UQ at Gatton, Reg Weatherill from the Rosewood/Ipswich area and Kent Wells from the QLD Horse Alliance.  The amount of phone calls between us will have kept Telstra in business over the last few weeks.  The staff in the EQ office in particular Sam Duffy have also been tireless in their effort.   

There are many, many more people doing amazing things every day.  For example we put out a call over facebook that a truck needs to be unloaded and we have 10 people show up to help.  We don’t know who they are or where they come from they just help.  This alone is very rewarding from my perspective.  Knowing that people care and are prepared to help. 

 

EA are giving their full support to the online stallion service auction with Horsezone - is this another avenue for fundraising that will directly help horses and people in need as a result of the floods?

In all honesty it has been difficult to legally get donation accounts  happening.  There are a myriad of rules that have to be abided by to meet legal requirements.  So the online auction is a brilliant way of doing this, it also gives us a little more time to set up the appropriate trust accounts that the funds can be held in for distribution. 

EA is very excited by this.  It will be an awesome showcase of the best stallions in the country from all sectors of the industry: - racing, harness and performance.  This demonstrates that the industry is working closer and closer to provide better outcomes across the board.  It is a very exciting time. 

 

What do you see as the main challenges that horse people who are affected face now and in the future?

One of the main challenges will be the shortage of hay.  Hay will be at a premium, there is little doubt.  I have already seen panic buying.  However, I think that people need to think a little more outside the square.  I know most feed hay for many reasons, but we also have huge amounts of fresh grass.  So if there are suitable pastures available then they are a real alternative.  My horses are now on one hard feed a day and as much grass as they can eat.  If you are concerned about changing your horses diet – seek advice from your local vet or the Equine vets Australia

I think that one of the other major challenges will be people's emotional state.  When they go through crisis and devastation such as this it has a huge emotional impact that will last for a long time.  Sometimes people just need a friendly face and an understanding ear to bend.  So I urge those with friends that have been impacted to look out for the signs and make sure they are there to give them a buffer and the shoulder to lean or cry on – whatever they need.

 

In practical terms, what can the Australian equestrian community continue to do, to help the horses and people who’ve been overwhelmed by the devastation of the floods?

The key things are not forgetting that it is going to take years in some cases to sort things out.  When I drove around out in the rural areas between Ipswich and Brisbane to shoot the Hamish and Dave video it was evident that Brisbane and Ipswich had an army of volunteers.  This is great to see.  However, there were literally hundreds and hundreds of rural properties that had water through homes, sheds gone, irrigation gone, fences destroyed and paddocks full of who knows what from who knows where, but I didn’t see any teams of people out their helping these people.  These people will need help. 

The more funds we can raise through the online auction then the more we can do to help get  the equestrian community operating again and in time flourishing.

 

Horsezone would like to thank Natalie for her time and hope that everyone who can, will take part in the online stallion service auction, to assist our fellow horse people in this time of need.