Al was then employed by Kerry, and the Onassis Hilton Vet Clinic was built.Įllerston subsequently became a pioneer in the world of embryo transplants. Onassis, Kerry’s favourite horse, came down with colic the night before the tournament, and Kerry helicoptered Al Simson from the Scone Vet Centre to save her, which he did. The first Ellerston Tournaments were held in March 1989 for the Ellerston Challenge Cup and the JD McLeod Cup on the newly built couchgrass fields. Kerry very soon realised he needed reinforcements, so more players were employed and more horses acquired to form the Ellerston White and Ellerston Black Polo teams. Left: Aerial view of Ellerston Shepherd, Peter Cudmore and Hamish Munro VS Ellerston Black – James Packer, Stuart Gilmore, Sinclair Hill and Alex Makim. Rosalyn Packer describes how his legacy was created, and continues to endure, at Ellerston Opposite: Jeff Fisher leads the Ellerston ponies on exercise. The players were: Ellerston White – The Prince of Wales, Lance follow Ahead of the pack Ever since Sinclair Hill took Kerry Packer to Cowdray Park in 1986, Kerry was fascinated with polo. The first official Ellerston game was the Invitational game with Prince Charles during his Australian Bicentennial visit in late January 1988, and was played on the recently completed River field. In 2001, The Ellerston Golf Course, designed by Greg Norman, was completed and it has just been rated #19 in the world. Only Jim and Lance had played before, but it was very competitive and the first of many ‘Ellerston White vs Ellerston Black’ battles.Ĭonstruction of the polo fields – the stables, the clubhouse, players’ homes and other buildings – began in 1987.
The Ellerston general manager at the time, Tony Clark, KP, James Packer, Fred Johnson the quarter horse trainer, Lance Shepherd and Jim Gilmore made up the three-a-side game.
In November 1986, with Sinclair’s advice and encouragement, Jim Gilmore was employed as Ellerston’s polo manager, and so the adventure began.Įllerston, located near Scone in New South Wales, Australia, had its first attempt at a polo game in January 1987, on a level area where the clubhouse, tennis courts, gym, pool and cinema stand today. Sinclair Hill was retiring from International Polo, and Kerry purchased 18 of his ponies, and four or five from Ross McGilvray, including the famous Onassis, who became Kerry’s favourite horse. Polo encompassed all that Kerry Packer loved about sport – his eye for the ball, his love of horses, and a competitive game that could be played and enjoyed with amateurs and professionals. Rosalyn Packer describes how his legacy was created, and continues to endure, at Ellerston Ever since Sinclair Hill took Kerry Packer to Cowdray Park in 1986, Kerry was fascinated with polo.