Peter Thorndike
Australian Champion Whipmaker and Plaiter
Welcome to the official site of
The Man From Snowy River Stockwhip
​
Of all the whips I have made, this was the most difficult and is my favourite. It is based on "The Man From Snowy River", the iconic Australian poem written by AB Patterson and has 32 strands in the thong and 72 strands in the handle. The patterns on the handle are all inspired by a line in the poem, each telling a part of the story, with the title plaited into the thong. It took around 300 hours to design and make. This whip won several awards in 2016, including Champion Stockwhip at the Australian Plaiting Championships and Most Outstanding Entry at the Australian Plaiters and Whipmakers National Plaiting Championships.
​
Pictured with the Doohan-McMaster Trophy for the champion stockwhip at the Australian Plaiting Championships 2016.
Pictured with the Doohan-McMaster Trophy for the champion stockwhip at the Australian Plaiting Championships 2016.
Plaiting the name title of the poem into the thong was the most difficult plaiting I have done.
The Colt from Old Regret was the original idea I had for the whip and the first pattern I designed for it. With the brumbies, I wanted them to all look a bit different so made sure they were all in a different part of their strides and that their tails and manes were flowing differently. From the Poem- "the colt from old Regret had got away, And had joined the wild bush horses..."
The Man From Snowy River with his prized mountain horse. The mountain scene wraps right around the handle. Snowy River country. The night sky also shows off the Southern Cross, which was the only pattern in the whip I had seen somewhere else and I included it as a hat tip to Chris Barr for inspiring this type of work. From the Poem- "He was something like a racehorse undersized, With a touch of Timor pony - three parts thoroughbred at least - And such as are by mountain horsemen prized."
The famous ride had to be on the whip. Of all the patterns, it was strangely the most difficult to design and took ages to work out how to make it work. Not including it wasn't an option though and I was glad to be able to make it happen. From the Poem- "And he never drew the bridle till he landed safe and sound, At the bottom of that terrible descent."
I signed and dated the whip by plaiting BYPCTMMXVI around the handle. From the Poem- "And the Snowy River riders on the mountains make their home..." "Where a horse's hoofs strike firelight from the flint stones every stride..."
The reverse side of the brumby mob, each one being a little different. The Man From Snowy River cracking his stockwhip. I very much enjoyed and found it quite satisfying to plait a stockwhip on a stockwhip! From the Poem- "And he swung his stockwhip round and gave a cheer..."