How Terry Snow turned his passion for horses into a legacy for generations to come

The announcement of Terry Snow’s passing earlier this month rightly focused on his incredible business acumen, his love for his family, his vision and his benevolent generosity.

His legacy is there for all to see across the city: the airport, the buildings, the establishment of a foundation to benefit Canberra’s disadvantaged, and the list goes on.

What is not immediately visible is Terry’s contribution to the sport of equestrian.

Willinga Park, an equine and stud breeding complex at Bawley Point, is a site to behold, with the magnificent landscaping complementing the dressage, showjumping, camp drafting and polocrosse facilities.

The Bawley Point complex received global attention during the Paris Olympics, with Australian dressage rider Jayden Brown competing on the Willinga Park-owned 10-year-old Hanoverian Gelding Quincy B.

Jayden and his Australian teammates made it to the final.

About seven years ago, Terry showed me around Willinga Park during a Dressage by the Sea event.

He told me how he took up riding horses at the age of 65. He described it as a relatively recent passion.

And Terry’s passions were always followed by an absolute concentrated effort on doing it well.

When cycling was his passion, he rode across Australia, so when horses became his focus, the sport of equestrian thrived immeasurably.

As he guided me around his complex, it was obvious there was enormous pride in what had been achieved at Willinga Park. It wasn’t just the equestrian facilities, it was the entire beauty of the place: the landscaping, the native gardens, the sculptures of which there are now around 30.

He also talked about his vision to televise all events at Willinga Park. He wanted the world to witness what was happening in the sport in Australia, with his Bawley Point complex the focal point.

A few years after he took me around the venue, Willinga Park, with no expense spared on fire breaks, was credited with saving Bawley Point during the firestorm in 2019-2020.

This went very much to the heart of Terry’s desire to help the community that had provided him and his family with so much joy over the years.

That community will be forever grateful to Terry.

Beyond the facilities, Terry developed the Willinga Park Elite Athlete Program, helped create the Making Eventing Safer Fund and developed events to showcase the sport. Dressage by the Sea, Jumping at Willinga, and the Gold Buckle Campdraft come to mind as three such events.

Many benefited from Terry’s vision and generosity – generosity that often went unnoticed beyond his immediate circle of influence. The sport of equestrian is a case in point where his simple goal was to promote and give back to something that had become his passion.