The outbreak of equine influenza in August 2007 was as unexpected as it was savage. The overnight unraveling of the racing industry and scenes of distraught Pony Club members led news bulletins around the country.

The man at the centre of this maelstrom was former Minister for Agriculture Peter McGauran, and on Thursday, Oct. 30, from 6:00-7:00pm, he will deliver a free public lecture, “The Equine Influenza Story and its Aftermath,” at the University of Melbourne. Attendees will hear him talk for the first time on the view from the inside of the worst exotic disease outbreak in Australia’s history.

For weeks on end it captivated the public’s interest as the economic losses totaled hundreds of millions of dollars. All the while the largest disease response ever undertaken in the country was in full swing.

The ban on horse movements crippled the competition horse sector and deprived many pleasure horse clubs and events of essential revenue. Service providers, ranging from farriers and vets to equine transport companies and saddlers, were hit hard and turned to the government for financial assistance. Then the Melbourne Cup was threatened