General News
8 March, 2022
Next level for Garnet rodeo
MOUNT Garnet’s annual rodeo will be taken to the next level this year with a new committee, a host of new improvements to facilities, and the reintroduction after 50 years of the rodeo queen competition.
The new committee, spearheaded by president Matty Bee, vice president Darryn Barr, secretary Nicole Barr and treasurer Elizabeth Butler, has quickly got to work ensuring the completion of the upgrades of facilities at the rodeo grounds.
The works include the replacing of steel in the arena, yards, fencing and more around the grounds.
Currently, the new committee is busy endeavouring to secure grants to upgrade the dogging shoot and ageing grandstand, with plans to build another grandstand in the near future.
Mrs Barr said the committee were excited about a number of upgrades planned for the arena and all attached facilities, with the intent to make everything “pretty well brand new”.
“We went around the grounds one day, checking everything and one of us walked along the grandstand and it was all wobbly and bouncy and rotten – that needs to be done otherwise someone will get hurt,” she said.
“We’re moving in the right direction of upgrading everything that needs to be upgraded – it’s a new committee so we’re trying to get in there and do new things.
“We do want to build another grandstand – there is a shed there already and it just has a dirt floor in it.”
With the current facilities getting a facelift, there are plans to get the community, relevant clubs and more events involved with the rodeo grounds.
“We’ve already started doing extra events, we had the Des Burns riding school come up a couple of months ago and he’s doing another one in September,” Mrs Barr said.
“We also want to include the pony clubs, we want to get some kids bull riding schools, any schools that we can get that we can involve kids and adults in.
“We want to start utilising the grounds more, we want our arena to be used – we’re really community-based people and we want more for the kids in the area.”
The new committee have put a big focus on the improvement of facilities and the introduction of new events, including the reintroduction of the rodeo queen competition.
For the first time in 50 years, the Mount Garnet Rodeo will have a queen competition to complement this year’s event, with five hopeful contestants throwing their hat in the ring.
It is believed the last Mount Garnet Rodeo Queen was crowned half a century ago in the 1970s.
“We did our research, and we couldn’t find any previous queen entrants for the rodeo – once we put things on Facebook there’s been two people who’ve told us there was one back in the 70s,” she said.
“Apparently there was one, but not in my lifetime.
“Once the queen has won our competition, I want them to go around to other rodeos and maybe open up for them.”
Currently there are five Mount Garnet Rodeo queen entrants – Keely Cotton, Cody Mc- Connell, Kianna Darcey, Abbey Chester and Anastasia Theochari.
The 2022 Mount Garnet Rodeo will be held from 29 April to 2 May.
