Isa Rodeo must get back in the saddle by returning to roots
KAP Member for Kennedy, Bob Katter, has called for the Mount Isa Rodeo to return to its roots and reconnect with the authentic spirit of the event, which has been integral to the local community for generations.
In a passionate statement in the last sitting fortnight of the year, Mr Katter told Parliament his concerns over the iconic event, highlighting that the rodeo is "in very serious trouble".
"I have absolutely no idea how it ended up being run by three people based in Brisbane. They tell me they're quite nice ladies and I don’t denigrate them, but I don’t know how anyone can run a rodeo when they've never really been on a horse much—and one lives in Brisbane and the other in Townsville. It’s not really surprising."
As [i]administrators held meetings with creditors this week, Mr Katter compared the current state of the Mount Isa Rodeo to the success of the Curry Merry Muster, a neighbouring rodeo in Cloncurry, which remains strong and continues to honour the spirit of rodeo.
He pointed out that the Curry Merry Muster was the first rodeo in the area, co-founded by his father, and was once the second-largest rodeo in Queensland.
"My father was President of the ARRA, the Australian Rough Riders Association. He wasn’t a roughrider himself, but he was very active in rodeoing. As a little kid, I had to run the water over because they built all of the chutes and grounds themselves. That was the spirit of rodeo. You had 12 or 15 blokes carrying all the big logs, putting them together and building the rodeo grounds, and I had to run the water over from our house, which was about 400 metres away, to all the workers," Katter said.
Bob Katter shared his vivid memories of the Curry Merry Muster, and the unique sense of community.
“This is my father's song:
‘Curry’s merry muster,
Pride of the great north-west;
Owners and managers are in the show,
Together with their boys to make it grow;
One big family to strike a blow
That’s the way we do it at the Curry rodeo.’”
Reminiscing about the atmosphere at the event, Mr Katter recounted the good times spent in the shade of big trees, enjoying the company of friends and family, and participating in the vibrant community spirit that defined the event for so many years. He explained that the rodeo grounds were originally a place of connection, camaraderie, and shade for the community, which is now missing.
"Now we just have a barren brick wall and nothing—not a tree, not an ounce of shade cover. No one can drink at the bar and talk about old times; no one wants to, because of the incredible heat and barrenness. If you had anything to do with the town, you would know that. You would know that you need trees and maybe a shade shed there. You would know that," Katter said.
ENDS
