Two prominent Australian equestrians have been honoured in the 2014 Queens Birthday Honours List.
Australian equestrian stalwart Wayne Roycroft has been awarded a Member of the Order of Australia (AM) while World Champion four-in-hand driver Boyd Exell has been awarded a medal of the Order of Australia (OAM)
Photo courtesy Equestrian Australia
WAYNE ROYCROFT
Roycroft receives an AM for significant service to equestrian sports as a coach, competitor and administrator.
As well as representing Australia at three* Olympic Games (1968, 1976 and 1984), Roycroft was the coach of Australia’s three-day event team which won three successive Olympic gold medals; Barcelona 1992, Atlanta 1996 and Sydney 2000. Two individual medals were also achieved in this time (gold by Matt Ryan in 1992 and silver by Andrew Hoy in Sydney). Roycroft also led Australia to a team silver medal at the 2008 Beijing Games.
In 2000 Roycroft was elected as the Chairman of the FEI eventing committee, a position he held for nine years. In 2002 the future of Eventing at the Olympic Games was under threat. Roycroft, supported by an FEI delegation, was instrumental in revising the format to the satisfaction of the International Olympic Committee.
“One of the most rewarding things of my career was the time I spent as the chair of the Eventing Committee.
“We were in desperate trouble staying in the Olympic Games under my Chairmanship and we did quite a lot of inventive thinking to come out with a good result to stay in the Olympic Games. Of all my achievements that was probably the most important one to the sport worldwide.”
Roycroft describes being awarded an AM as his very best honour.
“I wish my mum was still alive as she would be very proud.
“I feel very proud not just for myself but for all the people that I’ve been associated with who put me in the position where I could be nominated for this award,” he said.
A tireless contributor, Roycroft also served many years as the Chair of Equestrian NSW and Equestrian Australia.
In 2010 he was inducted into the Equestrian Australia Hall of Fame in the service to sport category and was again inducted in 2012 with the 1976 eventing team.
Photo courtesy Rinaldo de Craen/FEI
BOYD EXELL
In the world of four-in-hand driving Boyd Exell has achieved it all. He is the current world-four-in hand driving champion, having won the title in 2012 and also in 2010. Exell has won the FEI World Cup Driving title five times (2009-2012, 2014) and the prestigious Aachen CHIO on six occasions (2003, 2009-2013).
He has twice been named Equestrian Australia’s international athlete of the year (2010, 2013) and his team of four-in-hand horses have also been honoured twice, receiving the international horse of the year award in 2012 and 2013.
He was awarded the FEI Top Driver Award in 2008 and 2011-2013.
Boyd is currently serving as the deputy chair of the FEI driving technical committee.
In August Boyd will represent Australia at the 2014 FEI World Equestrian Games in Normandy France where he will aim to win his third successive World four-in-hand driving title.
