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Lennie Gwyther (Lennie the Legend)

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Lennie Gwyther
Born18th April 1922
Leongatha, Victoria
Died1992
NationalityAustralian
Other namesLennie the Legend
Known forSolo horse journey at age 9, to watch the opening of the Sydney Harbour Bridge

Lennie Gwyther (18 April 1922 - 1992), often referred to as "Lennie the Legend", was an Australian figure of significance due to his 1932 solo horseback journey from Leongatha, Victoria to Sydney, New South Wales as a nine-year old boy. Accompanied by his horse, Ginger Mick, Gwyther undertook an 1000 kilometre or 600 mile journey to watch the opening of the Sydney Harbour Bridge.[1]


Personal life

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Lennie Gwyther (Lennie the Legend) was born in Leongatha, Victoria, Australia on 18th April 1922 to Australian parents Captain Leo Tennyson Gwyther and Clara Amelia Gwyther née Simon.[2][3] Lennie had four younger siblings, Beryl Ferrier née Gwyther, Noel Harry Gwyther, Keith Roy Gwyther and Leta Gardenal née Gwyther who was born in 1934[4], two years after Lennie's journey. They grew up on a farm, known as 'Flers'[3] in the country town.

Lennie alongside Ginger Mick before he departed.
Lennie photographed on his journey with Ginger Mick.

At the age of nine, Leo Gwyther (The Captain)[3], Lennie's father, broke his leg on the Gwyther Farm[5] and as a result, Lennie took over the responsibilities on the farm such as ploughing 24 fields[4][5]. Consequently, Lennie was offered a reward which was to attend the unveiling of the Sydney Harbour Bridge. This was largely because of his interest with the engineering and construction of the bridge.[6] His mother, Clara, was unsure of this arrangement, however, due to the fulfilment of his duties, she allowed Lennie to go.[3][4]

On the 3rd February 1932, Lennie left Leongatha with Ginger Mick on his expedition to Sydney. On 10th June, after his tenth birthday, Lennie returned home and resumed with his family commitments on the Leongatha 'Flers' farm.[1] Several years later, at the age of 19, Lennie enlisted into the Army for World War II. He followed his father who fought on the Western Front in World War I and was awarded the Military Cross and bar in 1916 and 1917, respectively.

After serving in the Morotai Islands[7] in the Pacific, Lennie commenced work as an engineer with General Motors' Holden at Fishermans Bend, Victoria and moved to Hampton, Melbourne, Victoria.[1][3][7][8] He married and had a daughter, Mary Gwyther, and granddaughter, Sarah Gwyther.

In 1992, Lennie's passion for fishing and sailing was at the forefront, as he built a yacht with intentions to sail to Tasmania and then to New Zealand. [1] However, Lennie Gwyther died during this time, at the age of 70.

10th March 1932, Sydney Morning Herald article.

Ginger Mick

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On his second birthday in 1924, Lennie's grandfather, on his mother's side, Mr Charles Simon, gifted him a two-year-old horse named Ginger Mick.[3][9] He was named after his father's favourite character from C.J Dennis' book The Moods of Ginger Mick.[4] Ginger Mick would later go with Lennie on his 600 mile journey to Sydney. Eighteen years later, in 1949, Ginger Mick died on the Leongatha farm.[1]


Significance

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Lennie Gwyther is significant and is recognised for his solo horseback journey to Sydney, New South Wales from country town, Leongatha, Victoria as a nine-year-old boy.

During his journey, he became popular through media publications, particularly newspapers.[3] Frequent updates regarding his whereabouts led Lennie to encounter experiences that were unprecedented on his departure. For example, outside of Parliament House in Canberra he met, shook the hand of, and had tea with Prime Minister Joseph Lyons'.[1][10] Other instances include being "...attacked by vagabonds..." and being met with a bushfire.[10]In Sydney, he met with Lord Mayor, Sir Samuel Walder, while also looking at Circular Quay, Bondi Beach and Taronga Zoo, where he rode an elephant.[1][11]

On March 19, 1932, Lennie Gwyther, with Ginger Mick, participated in the Royal Show and paraded across the Sydney Harbour bridge in its opening.[1] Following this, on March 21, Lennie met cricketer Don Bradman at the Sydney Cricket Ground where he was gifted with a signed cricket bat.

Upon his arrival back to Leongatha, Lennie was met by 800 citizens.[12] He also had to deliver a return letter from Sydney's Lord Mayor to the President of the Woorayl Shire Council.[12]

Taking part in the opening of the Sydney Harbour Bridge parade.

Lennie Gwyther was also recorded in the Gilds Records as the "youngest known person to make a solo equestrian journey."[13]

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Lennie Gwyther has been commemorated and referenced in popular culture, indicating his ongoing legacy into the 21st century.

On the 1st February 2015, NLA Publishing published Lennie the Legend: Solo to Sydney by Pony by Stephanie Owen Reeder. This is a modern children's book which follows Gwyther and Ginger Mick on their journey to New South Wales from Victoria while also referencing Lennie and his family history.[14]

This inspired other references to Lennie in popular culture, such as the October 2015 musical produced by primary school teacher Roz Girvan at Clifton Hill Primary.[5] This involved the creation of twelve songs, including a rap song for when Lennie met Donald Bradman.[5]

Other pieces of work that commemorate or reference Lennie Gwyther include chapter eleven of Peter Lalor's book The Bridge: An Epic Story of an Australian Icon - the Sydney Harbour Bridge (2006), Mary Small's book Lennie's Ride (2010) and poem by V.G Williams 'My Latest Ambition'.[4][6][15]

On the 14th October 2017, a bronze statue of Lennie riding Ginger Mick was unveiled in Leongatha by the Gwyther family, namely, his sister Beryl, his daughter Mary, granddaughter Sarah and niece Julie Campbell.[8]

Peter Watchorn as a spokesperson for The Leongatha Chamber of Commerce stated the significance of the statue was due to Lennie's achievements and the desire to commemorate this within the community as it had been somewhat forgotten.[8] Watchorn also commented that media company Village Roadshow was interested in the books made about Lennie, thus leaving speculation regarding a film.[15][16]

Moreover, in February 2018, the ABC Radio - Conversations, Richard Fidler, Sarah Kanowski with guest Peter Lalor spoke about Lennie Gwyther and the journey in the "depression-era Australia".[17]

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h Webb, Carolyn (2015-01-22). "The nine-year-old who rode a pony 1000km to Sydney". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 2019-05-11.
  2. ^ "Family Tree for Leo Tennyson Gwyther". www.wikitree.com. Retrieved 2019-05-11.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g "THE STORY". lenniegwyther. Retrieved 2019-05-06.
  4. ^ a b c d e Reeder, Stephanie Owen (2015-02-01). Lennie the Legend: Solo to Sydney by Pony. National Library of Australia. ISBN 9780642278654.
  5. ^ a b c d "Signing into eresources, The University of Sydney Library". login.ezproxy1.library.usyd.edu.au. Retrieved 2019-05-07.
  6. ^ a b Lalor, Peter (2006). The Bridge: An Epic Story of an Australian Icon - the Sydney Harbour Bridge. Crows Nest: Allen & Unwin. pp. 255–280.
  7. ^ a b Sophie Dixon (2016-08-07), Lennie Gwyther and Ginger Mick, retrieved 2019-05-11
  8. ^ a b c Lucas, Rachael (2017-10-19). "Leongatha's legendary 9yo Lennie Gwyther remembered for epic pony ride". ABC News. Retrieved 2019-05-12.
  9. ^ "THE BOY WITH THE PONY". Sydney Morning Herald (NSW : 1842 - 1954). 1932-03-12. p. 9. Retrieved 2019-05-12.
  10. ^ a b "Lennie Gwyther statue | Russell Broadbent". Retrieved 2019-05-12.
  11. ^ Technologies (www.eruditetechnologies.com.au), Erudite. "National Library of Australia Bookshop". bookshop.nla.gov.au. Retrieved 2019-05-12.
  12. ^ a b "LENNIE GWYTHER". Sydney Morning Herald (NSW : 1842 - 1954). 1932-06-11. p. 18. Retrieved 2019-05-12.
  13. ^ "News 2015". www.thelongridersguild.com. Retrieved 2019-05-13.
  14. ^ Reeder, Stephanie Owen (2015-02-01). Lennie the Legend: Solo to Sydney by Pony. National Library of Australia. ISBN 9780642278654.
  15. ^ a b "Lennie's statue to be revealed | The Star". thestar.com.au. Retrieved 2019-05-12.
  16. ^ "Lennie the legend". Radio National. 2018-04-11. Retrieved 2019-05-12.
  17. ^ "A boy, his pony and the Sydney Harbour Bridge". ABC Radio. 2018-10-25. Retrieved 2019-05-17.
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