A Story Of Hope For Us All

This is a story of hope for us all.

It’s a story of an ordinary, but paradoxically, an extraordinary woman who decided to take a stand. Her name is Alex Hodges.

In 1985, Alex went to the Oakbank Easter Jumps Racing Carnival that once attracted more than 100,000 people over two days. She didn’t go to support the races, she went to stand outside the main entrance by herself, holding a solitary handmade sign saying, “Steeplechasing is not for horses”. Year after year, it became her ritual to be there in solidarity with the horses, to be their one and only voice in what was sometimes quite a hostile environment. But she never gave up.

One person then became two, as her friend Alice joined her in her fight. It is important to know, the Easter Oakbank Carnival was the biggest ever picnic racing meet in the world and South Australia’s premier social event, but they remained steadfast in their belief that jumps racing was cruel, immoral and had to come to an end.

Many years passed before Animal Liberation South Australia jumped on board to give these two courageous women a helping hand. Their numbers were growing but the Oakbank Carnival continued. Alex has been to every Easter Saturday and Easter Monday protest since 1985 except for one year when she was overseas.

In 2008, CPR was formed and of course there was no way we weren’t going to help out in this David vs Goliath battle. Together with Animal Liberation SA, the number of protestors grew, while the numbers of patrons to the carnival started to dwindle. By 2019, they had all but disappeared. The Easter Saturday crowd was down to less than 10,000, while the Monday crowd only attracted a few thousand hard nut jumps racing supporters. The public had voted with their feet but jumps racing continued.

As we know, just a few weeks ago, a decision was made to end jumps racing in SA because it simply was no longer viable. Now, jumps racing only exists in Victoria.

When Alex first started demonstrating 35 years ago, we wonder if she thought she was really going to make a difference. To her credit, she remained resolute, determined and committed to being there for those who had no choice, year after year after year. She didn’t do it on her own but she certainly was the one who had the courage to start a movement that could not be stopped. It is because of Alex that we have won a small victory for not just horses but all animals. One person can really make a difference and Alex is a perfect example.

“Each time a person stands up for an ideal, they send forth a tiny ripple of hope—these ripples build a current which can sweep down the mightiest walls of oppression and resistance.” Robert F Kennedy

To help end jumps racing in Victoria and make Australia jumps racing free, click https://bit.ly/3GJ92v5