Ex-soldiers preserve emu plume tradition on slouch hats to honour army history

Australia Broadcast Center

27-04-2025

Emu feathers on a slouch hat are a powerful symbol of the Australian Light Horse, and two army veterans are combining their skills so the tradition lives on.
Former soldier Dale Kirkman first made a plume for his own hat more than 20 years ago and now makes up to 200 plumes each year for the slouch hats of the Royal Australian Armoured Corps, veterans and re-enactment groups.
"It's all about the fullness of the plume and some of the colour," he said.
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The tradition was the darker the feather, the better the rider for the Light Horse.
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An enduring military symbol
The emu plume was made famous in World War I but has its origins in the 1890s Queensland shearers' strike when the mounted infantry were said to have plucked feathers for their hats while riding alongside emus.
The plume is still worn by members of the Royal Australian Armoured Corps and is a source of pride to Captain Henry Lindsay, who is originally from Wagga Wagga.
The emu plume has become a symbol of the Australian Light Horse.
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Supplied: Australian War Memorial
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"We've continued the tradition that as someone posts into the regiment and becomes part of the Royal Australian Armoured Corps, you don't buy your own emu plumes," Mr Lindsay said.
"They're given to you by someone else for good luck.
Captain Henry Lindsay was given his emu plume by a colleague for good luck.
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Supplied: Australian Defence Force
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"When I put on my slouch hat with the emu plumes, I feel quite proud.
"You can feel them just on top of your hat blowing in the breeze."
A careful craft
The feathers are painstakingly sorted into different lengths, glued and then carefully stitched into a pouch of kangaroo leather to represent the Australian Coat of Arms.
"I try to get feathers with nice tips on them,"
Mr Kirkman said.
"I get a number of these [different sizes] put together and that allows the feather to have that layered effect, so it falls nicely over the slouch hat."
Dale Kirkman has been making emu plumes for hats for 20 years.
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ABC News: Cara Jeffery
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To source the feathers, Mr Kirkman works with an army veteran and southern New South Wales emu farmer, Ian Marston.
The pair met when they were both working at the Kapooka Army Training Centre in Wagga Wagga and the feathers are exchanged for farm work.
Mr Marston said his emus were bred to have full, lush feathers and he was careful about their diet.
"We try things all the time to see if we can improve their shine, on their feathers and their coats, as well as improve the oil and the meat flavour," Mr Marston said.
Other countries farming emus
The 750 emus at Mr Marston's farm produce feathers, meat, leather and decorative eggs for carving but the key product is oil, which is used in healthcare supplements, skincare and cosmetics.
Ian Marston says the diverse range of emu products adds to their profitability.
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ABC News: Emily Doak
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"We get around 9.5 kilograms of fat per bird and that renders down to about 8 litres of oil,"
he said.
Mr Marston said that oil could sell for a wholesale price of up to $80 per litre.
Emu Industry of Australia president Chris Gregory said about 45 tonnes of oil were produced in Australia last year and there was growing demand in South-East Asia and in the United States.
Emus might be native to Australia, but the birds have been farmed in the US since the 1970s, and in India, China and Japan since the early 2000s.
Mr Gregory said much like the boom and bust seen in the Australian emu industry, production in those countries had declined to only a handful of farmers.
Emus are native to Australia but are now farmed in India, China and the United States.
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ABC News: Emily Doak
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Mr Marston believes Australian emu farmers have a significant advantage over their international competitors through genetic selection of birds to produce high levels of vitamin K2-MK4, which is sought after for health benefits.
"We have a little secret that most people don't realise and that is that there are five different varieties of emu," Mr Marston said.
"You can have emus in America and China but they might not be the right kind of emu for our vitamin K2."
Watch this story on ABC TV's Landline at 12:30pm on Sunday, or on
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