Caleche Heritage Highlight

The caleche is the horse drawn carriage used each year to carry the official party at the opening ceremony of the Sydney Royal Easter Show. It is on display in the Heritage Pavilion throughout the Show, except for the few hours it is used for official duties.

It was constructed by coach-builders named Schuurman in Brussels (Belgium) between 1860 and 1865 for a Dutch Baronet and was purchased by the RAS in the Netherlands in 1968. The colourful livery and beautifully finished saddlery were also brought out with the caleche and the first time they used it was to carry Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth, Prince Phillip, Prince Charles and Princess Anne to the Main Arena where they opened the 1970 Easter Show.

The coat of arms that appears on the caleche, is the longstanding emblem used by the RAS. Royal ascent was given to the Society in 1891, and from this time the Society adopted the royal coat of arms used by Queen Victoria. In this coat of arms the shield is quartered, depicting in the first and fourth quarters the three passant guardant lions of England; in the second, the rampant lion and double tressure flory-counterflory of Scotland; and in the third, a harp for Ireland. The dexter supporter is a crowned English lion; the sinister, a Scottish unicorn. According to legend a free unicorn was considered a very dangerous beast, therefore the heraldic unicorn is chained. In the greenery below, a thistle, Tudor rose and shamrock are depicted, representing Scotland, England and Ireland respectively.

There are two mottos depicted on the coat of arms. Both are written in Old French, dating from the period of Norman rule in England, when French was the primary language of the English Court. One is the motto of the Order of the Garter: ‘Honi Soit Qui Mal Y Pense’ – Evil be who evil thinks. The other is the motto of the British monarch: ‘Dieu Et Mon Droit’ – God and my right.