The Light Horse Memorial commemorates the birthplace of the First Australian Light Horse at Murrumburrah in the Hilltops Region in 1897.
Bronze sculptures of Corporal William Bradford of the First Australian Light Horse, the ‘Retreat at Romani’ with horse, ‘Bill the Bastard’ carrying five men, and a diorama of Beersheba, all by Murrumburrah sculptor Carl Valerius. The works are mounted on granite blocks, nearby is a wall of remembrance, with a number of commemorative plaques. The initial sculpture prompted a live size monument to this incredible War Horse and is located on the corner across the road from the main memorial park
On August 30 1897, the very first call up muster and enrolments to the First Australian Horse took place at Harden-Murrumburrah. Advertisements in local papers inviting men to join; they asked for competent riders who had to provide their own horses.
A bronze, life-size sculpture of Major-General, the Honourable James Alexander Kenneth Mackay CB, OBE, VD, FRGS by sculptor, Mr Louis Laumen of Yarraville, Victoria, was officially unveiled at the Light Horse Memorial in Murrumburrah on Saturday, August 31 2019. This sculpture was designed to commemorate the actions of Major-General Kenneth Mackay in the creation of the First Australian Light Horse, a cavalry regiment recruited entirely from country districts in the NSW.