2024 hALL OF FAME iNDUCTEES
"The Lights from our Past Illuminate our Future"
- Austin Brownridge - Manitoba - 1888 - 1966
- Gregory F Gallagher - Saskatchewan - 1940 - 2016
- Elmer R Terry - Nova Scotia - 1922 - 2005
- Gerald Wismer - Ontario - 1942 -
nOW LETS READ ALL ABOUT THEM
AUSTIN BROWNRIDGE - MB - 1888 TO 1966
Austin Brownridge was born February 12, 1888 at Ashgrove near Georgetown, Ontario. From 1903 until 1912, he helped his father on the farm and showed horses at all the nearby fairs in Halton County. In 1912, Austin’s father bought a farm several miles north of Brandon, Manitoba. Austin helped his father become established until he bought his own farm in 1915. Horses were a part of Austin’s life both on the farm and in the show ring.
He first showed horses at the Royal Winter Fair in 1932 and continued to show there until the early 1960’s. Austin competed in the halter and hitch classes and his “Bloomsbury” prefix was synonymous with winning horses. One of his major victories at the Royal was winning the Clydesdale Horse Association of Canada Memorial Shield in 1957 with Bloomsbury Perfect Lady. He showed extensively throughout the 1940’s and 50’s when the draft horse industry was in rapid decline. Despite others abandoning the draft horses, he continued to breed and show his beloved Clydesdales. He won many awards and championships at the Brandon Summer and Winter Fairs, the Calgary Stampede and many other shows throughout Western Canada.
Austin judged at all the notable fairs in Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Alberta as well as at the CNE in Toronto and the PNE in Vancouver. He served on the board and as president of the Manitoba Clydesdale Club. In 1955, he was granted an Honorary Life Membership by the Clydesdale Horse Association of Canada for his contribution to the Clydesdale breed.It is through the efforts of Clydesdale breeders and showmen like Austin Brownridge that the Clydesdale breed survived the decimation in numbers of the 1930’s, 40’s and 50’s to where it is thriving today.
Austin passed away in Brandon, Manitoba on December 22, 1966. He was 78.
He first showed horses at the Royal Winter Fair in 1932 and continued to show there until the early 1960’s. Austin competed in the halter and hitch classes and his “Bloomsbury” prefix was synonymous with winning horses. One of his major victories at the Royal was winning the Clydesdale Horse Association of Canada Memorial Shield in 1957 with Bloomsbury Perfect Lady. He showed extensively throughout the 1940’s and 50’s when the draft horse industry was in rapid decline. Despite others abandoning the draft horses, he continued to breed and show his beloved Clydesdales. He won many awards and championships at the Brandon Summer and Winter Fairs, the Calgary Stampede and many other shows throughout Western Canada.
Austin judged at all the notable fairs in Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Alberta as well as at the CNE in Toronto and the PNE in Vancouver. He served on the board and as president of the Manitoba Clydesdale Club. In 1955, he was granted an Honorary Life Membership by the Clydesdale Horse Association of Canada for his contribution to the Clydesdale breed.It is through the efforts of Clydesdale breeders and showmen like Austin Brownridge that the Clydesdale breed survived the decimation in numbers of the 1930’s, 40’s and 50’s to where it is thriving today.
Austin passed away in Brandon, Manitoba on December 22, 1966. He was 78.
gregory francis gallagher - sask - 1940 to 2016
Gregory Francis Gallagher was born on June 30, 1940, the youngest child of Fergal and Mary Alberta Gallagher, near Yorkton, Saskatchewan. He completed his elementary andsecondary schooling at St. Joseph’s College in Yorkton. He enrolled at the University of Saskatchewan for one year and then entered the Congregation of St. Basil, an order of Roman Catholic priests dedicated to teaching.Upon completing his B.A. at the University of Toronto, Greg taught for three years in Ottawa and then returned to Toronto for two years of Theological Studies. In 1968, Greg withdrew from the St. Basil and returned to teach at Yorkton Composite High School. He also bought a farm and began to raise Clydesdale horses, giving them the prefix name “Donegal”, a tribute to his grandparent’s Irish heritage from Donegal County in Ireland. Greg’s earliest memories were of horses being used on the farm. He would ride on top of a wagon loaded with hay, oats or other supplies they would need showing their horses at the Yorkton Fair.Greg was a skilled salesman and for many years earned part of his income travelling throughout the province selling a battery carrier that he had developed. He also served as president of the Liberal Party of Saskatchewan and, for a short time, as interim leader.Greg had many good pedigreed horses but one line in particular, those that traced back toJennie of Wallace, worked very well for him, including the 2011 Supreme World Champion Stallion, Donegal Dr. Pepper. Greg sold horses all over North America and two fillies to Scotland. He was also a director with the Saskatchewan and Canadian Clydesdale Associations.When his health deteriorated, Greg held a herd dispersal of sixty-one Clydesdales, markingthe end of Donegal Clydesdales. Greg passed away peacefully at his home at Crystal Lake,Saskatchewan on November 8, 2016. He was 76
ELMER ROSS TERRY - NOVA SCOTIA - 1922 TO 2005
Elmer Ross Terry was raised on a hilltop farm in North River near Truro, Nova Scotia with ten siblings. Horses were used on a daily basis in the fields and the woods. Elmer was always the horse enthusiast in the family.As a young man, Elmer worked horses in the woods and did some lumber contracting and some trucking. In the late 1940’s, he made two road trips to the Calgary Stampede and was exposed to the larger hitches. He began showing and pulling teams in Nova Scotia.In the early 1950’s, when a highway was being rebuilt in the area, Elmer went to work inhighway construction with Latimer Construction and he remained with them for 35 years.His first venture into breeding horses was in the early 1950’s when he bred a grade mare to a Clydesdale station owned by the Nova Scotia Agricultural College and raised four foals by him. He began in registered Clydesdales with the purchase of Surmount Dollar, a Peter Graham bred mare. Thus began his true passion as a Clydesdale breeder and exhibitor. Because he worked long hours in construction, his wife Lena was often relied upon to feed the horses.Once retired, Elmer became a full-time breeder. His horses carried the Terrytime prefix. Over the years, Elmer stood stallions of his own but also bred mares to stallions around the Maritimes. He was considered a “mare man”, preferring them to geldings. He exhibited his horses mainly in Nova Scotia, but also occasionally in Prince Edward Island and New Brunswick. Many horses were sold to other exhibitors and although Elmer never exhibited at the Royal Winter Fair, horses that he raised were shown there.Elmer had three children, daughter Darlene and sons, Grant and Kelly. He was a foundingmember of the Nova Scotia Clydesdale Club and a longtime member of the Clydesdale Association ofCanada. Elmer passed away in 2005. He was 83.
gerald wismer - ontario - 1942
Gerald Wismer was born on April 21, 1942, on a farm in Amherstburg, Ontario. He was the youngest of four children born to Theodore D. and Aleatha Mills Wismer. The family farm was a mixed cash crop operation that included hay fields to feed the livestock.Gerald’s grandfather, who refused to drive the first tractor when it arrived on the farm, continued working the land with a team of draft horses. Gerald naturally gravitated toward his grandfather and learned to drive the horses.A graduate of the Western Ontario Agricultural School in Ridgetown, Ontario, Gerald began his career with Chipman Chemical Inc., living in Hanover, Ontario. In 1963, he purchased the farm where he and his wife, Barbara, still reside. The following year, the couple married and together they raised four sons: Rusty, twins Randy and Ricky, and Ron.In 1967, Gerald partnered with his brother, Darwin, and together they formed what would laterbecome the family corporation, Wismer Brothers Ltd. When Gerald and Darwin retired from farming in 2007, Gerald’s sons took over the operation while Gerald kept his beloved horses.Gerald’s love for draft horses never faded. In 1979, he and Darwin were introduced to Bill Taylor ofGrand Valley, Ontario, who sold them their first Clydesdale horse. This marked the beginning of Wismer Clydes, a breeding program that now spans three generations with Gerald, his son, Ron, and grandson, Nicholas, all involved.Over the years, Gerald gained a reputation for his champion stallions. Maplewood Levi, SBH Phoenix, and Iron Horse MM Steele all have been U.S. National Champions and Royal Winter Fair Champions multiple times. Iron Horse MM Steele claimed the prestigious World Clydesdale Show Champion Stallion title in 2018. Gerald also bred Cedarlane Royal, a homebred stallion who won Champion and Supreme Clydesdale at the Royal Winter Fair as a two-year-old. At the 2007 World Clydesdale Show, Gerald’s breeding program produced both the Reserve Grand Champion Stallion and Gelding, along with the winning Junior and Open Produce of Dam, and Junior and Open Get of Sire classes. Wismer Clydes have successfully shipped semen to destinations as far as Hawaii, New Zealand, Australia, Scotland, and across North America. Additionally, they have exportedstallions to both Scotland and Germany.Gerald also became actively involved in leadership roles in the Ontario Clydesdale club and theClydesdale Horse Association of Canada, serving as provincial director and president. He was also a member of the board of directors for the 2015 World Clydesdale Show held in London, Ontario.At 82 years of age, Gerald is still the cornerstone of Wismer Clydes. His primary goal has always been to breed better Clydesdales, surpassing the quality of their parents. He once told his son Ron, “When it’s all said and done, I hope I was able to make a positive impact on the Clydesdale breed” and he certainly has.Gerald Wismer, an exhibitor, promoter, breeder, exporter, respected judge, and a family man. A real testament to the Clydesdale breed.