RDA Alice Springs received support from RDA SA volunteer L1 RDA coach Ivars Vulfs in 2007 and 2008.

In 2009, Averil Troon (RDA Qld volunteer coach) visited the centre and met up with RDA SA volunteers Joan and Bob Lemmon, who are currently travelling around Australia as recently retired "grey nomads" and calling into centres as they travel.  Joan is an RDA L2 Coach and assessor, and Bob lives up to his nickname of "Bob the Builder" wherever he goes.  Combined they are a formidable team.

Averil writes:  "[RDA Alice Springs] is a little centre with a very, very big heart. It is run by an amazing group of volunteers ... The centre has a lovely, rather unique full size arena with enormous shade sails to give the riders and horses some relief from the very extreme weather that Alice Springs has. ... they do it hard...

"Joan and I have been very busy coaching, training, writing grant submissions, setting up policies and procedures, stocktaking and generally getting things set up for easy operation. With all these projects on the go, Joan very generously gave me some of her time and assessed me for my Level 2, which I passed. 

"While all this was going on "Bob the Builder" built some beautiful new stables, with the help of CEA. We were lucky enough to have Father Frank Brennan, a Catholic Jesuit priest, lawyer and member of the Board of Human Rights, come and bless the new stables, the ponies and the volunteers.  It was a fabulous morning.

"There is a huge need in RDA Alice Springs and we wish them the very best in getting more of their beautiful riders off the waiting list and onto the horses."

19 June 2009