Horse Bit - owned by Amelia Bunbury (nee Pries)

The following provenance provided by Judith Murray, Heritage Consultant :

"This horse bit was owned by Amelia Matilda Richardson Bunbury (nee Pries) (1863-1965) who was a noted horse breeder and was a successful racehorse owner at Prospect Villa, Busselton.

Before she died in 1956, she passed the horse bit onto Mr 'Frosty' Waterhouse from Busselton, who share her interest in horse racing at the time.

When Christopher and Judith Murray purchased Prospect Villa in 1987, Mr Waterhouse passed the horse bit on to the new owners. The artefact along with a description of the history of the piece as mounted on the wall in the entrance of Prospect Villa and remained there during the period that the Murrays owned the house.

When the place was sold by the Murrays in 2007, the artefact was left insitu and it remained at Prospect Villa after the place was again sold to the new owners approximately 7 years ago (2019).

The current owners (name unknown) recently returned the artefact to the Waterhouse family as they held no interest in the history of the piece and its connection to Prospect Villa. Peter Waterhouse is te son of Mr 'Frosty' Waterhouse, and he has passed the artefact back to me as he has concerns about retaining the history of the piece.

In August 2026, the 'horse bit' originally from Prospect Villa was donated to the Busselton Historical Society by Peter Waterhouse and Judith Murray"