A STAR has just been born in the hills behind the Macedon Ranges.
And while this budding star – just one-month-old – isn’t heading for Hollywood just yet, Hollywood will probably come looking for her in the lush paddocks of Spring Hill, near Kyneton.
She is a foal with royal lineage, as her mother was none other than Blondie, who played Thowra, star of the 1993 film, The Silver Brumby. Amazingly, the foal, named Bel Bel, is the first for the 23-year-old equine movie star.
“We have tried five stallions with her over the years, but last year we had a new Friesian stallion who served her,” says her owner, Evanne Chesson, who runs Australian Movie Livestock.
“I have a real soft spot for Blondie - (The) Silver Brumby has great memories, it had a great vibe. Then there was Kangaroo Jack (an Australian film made in 2000) and the Lindy Chamberlain films, training dingoes.”
Blondie was cast in the main role of Thowra in the film adaptation of the much-loved children’s book written by Elyne Mitchell in 1958. Ironically, the next book Elyne wrote was called Silver Brumby’s Daughter in 1960.
Elyne lived most of her life in the Snowy Mountains and the book, and later the film, are set in the stunning mountainous landscape.
Film makers from Australia and around the world have used animals trained by Evanne and her partner, Bruce Gleeson. Most of the animals are horses – with 100 on their 120-hectare property – but they also have kangaroos, bullocks, cats, dogs, birds and sheep.
“Life is never dull, that’s for sure!” Evanne says.
To say that Evanne has been involved with horses all her life is an understatement.
“I started when I was 19 – 44 years ago,” she says.
Evanne and Bruce prefer to train up the animals themselves – that’s why they have a large breeding program in place with 21 foals born this season.
“It is easy to train them up from the start,” she says.
And the range of breeds – to suit any requirement – is enormous.
“We specialise in courage horses like Andalusian and Friesian horses, which have to be trained to saddle (to ride) and to pull (a cart).”
The jobs for which they have supplied animals in the past are wide and varied, including providing horses for the old Marlboro television commercials as well as the echidna in the iconic 1989 Antz Pantz “Sick `em Rex” commercial.
The clever pair have also supplied horses for Breaker Morant, Phar Lap, Ned Kelly and The Man From Snowy River and the equine stars have worked with Meryl Streep, Russell Crowe and Heath Ledger.
Filming of the Australian film The Cup began this week and Evanne is supplying horses for the producers. The movie tells the story of Damien Oliver, who rode Media Puzzle to win the 2002 Melbourne Cup after he lost his brother in a racing accident.
Evanne was rewarded for her work on The Silver Brumby with an Australian Film Industry award in 1993 – the Byron Kennedy Award.
This was the only time it had been given to an animal trainer.
And will Bel Bel be a movie star?
“She looks promising,” Evanne says. “She is a funny little thing, but she is very independent.”
