Riharna Thomson, the young horsewoman who tragically died after a trackwork accident at Thoroughbred Park earlier this month, was someone who always made people feel happier after speaking to her, a memorial in Canberra on Thursday was told.
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A miniature Parramatta Eels football and a bottle of Pure Blonde beer, two of her favourite things, were positioned near a photograph of Riharna on one of her beloved horses at the service at The Chapel at Gold Creek.
Riharna, 22, died at Canberra Hospital on March 3 after the accident riding her favourite horse for trackwork on February 28.
Thoroughbred Park Chaplain Bob Prior said he regarded Riharna as a friend, seeing her often trackside at Canberra, Goulburn and Queanbeyan.
"She'd be leading a horse and as she went past, she'd give one of those big smiles and say, 'Hello'. If she was working, she'd keep working, if she wasn't she'd have a chat," he said.
"And whenever I left after speaking to Riharna, I always felt better than when I stopped. She was special because she had a knack of making other people feel special."
People at the service were asked to share their memories of Riharna.
One man stood up and said he knew her from the Goulburn races.
"She certainly had an impact on the community at Goulburn," she said. "She was a lovely young lady."
Another young woman, Christine, worked with Riharna at the Statesman Hotel in Curtin when Riharna was 18 or 19.
"Riharna was always so gracious with the patrons. She had just immeasurable patience and was a passionate young woman.
"We always had to remind ourselves she was 18, she was beyond her years. Every time I went in to a shift, Riharna was already there, happy, with a grin on her face and just made it a pleasure to go to work."
A photo tribute to Riharna's life, "Our Riharna", showed her growing from a beautiful baby to active toddler to teenager and young woman who loved horses.
"She lived her life to the full," Bob Prior said.
His son, Pastor Steve Prior, spent time at the hospital after Riharna's accident and said the sense of community within the racing industry was clear then.
"Make the most of it and continue to look after each other," he said.
Riharna was laid to rest in Tamworth on March 10.
