Echoes of Hooves

170 years of racehorses around Caulfield

GEHS has partnered with historian and oral history expert Dr Andrew Lemon.

We launched our oral history project at our Speaker Series on 27th May 2026. It is about life in the Caulfield, Glen Huntly and Carnegie areas when race horses were an everyday feature. Many generations shared their lives with at least the sounds of horses, horse training and horse racing – that is, until the decision in November 2019 for horse training to cease at Caulfield Racecourse.

Funding from the Victorian Local History Grants Program enabled us to work with Dr Andrew Lemon for an initial seven interviews. There are more stories to be collected from other people and we plan to continue these interviews. Please contact us if you would like to share your story or know of someone else you think we should approach.

Dr Andrew Lemon is a professional historian who has published numerous historical texts, with horse racing a speciality. Andrew was appointed a member of the Order of Australia (AM) in 2019 for significant contributions to community history and the racing industry.

We thank Dr Lemon and all seven people interviewed for sharing their stories.
The other occasional voice helping with the interviews is Anne Kilpatrick, lead GEHS volunteer for this project.

© Glen Eira Historical Society Inc., 2026.

Please acknowledge Glen Eira Historical Society as the owner and producer when quoting, sharing or reproducing the interview transcripts.

The Glen Eira Historical Society gratefully acknowledges the Local History Grants Program and Public Record Office Victoria, supported by the Victorian Government through the Community Support Fund.