The trek was held to mark 130 years since the emu plume came to symbolise the Australian Light Horse and light horse troopers and their military service to Australia during a number of conflicts.

The Emu Plume refers to the feathers that the Queensland's Mounted Infantry would pluck from the native birds in 1891 and attach to their slouch hats before it was formally implemented as part of the uniform.

The 130km trek began at Narrandera last Saturday with the committee hosting services in each of the towns and villages they stopped at, welcoming school children and members of the community to pay tribute.

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"The response that we've got from the local towns and so on has been fabulous, it's been really amazing," said president of the Riverina Memorial Committee, Pat Leary.

"The cold hard fact is that if we don't do [this] it will be forgotten and we've already forgotten too much of our history, so we can't afford to lose any more."

Mr Leary said the journey was eye-opening and emotional, with "many a tear shed along the way" by himself and the other troops who travelled from across the country to be here, including from Queensland and Tasmania.

Donations were collected along the trek for a light horse statue in Wagga, however "a lot more" is still needed to make it a reality.

The committee hopes to officially open the statue in August of 2023.

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