EVENTS
Lessons of the rodeo
Aboriginal author Herb Wharton, a regular visitor to St Brendan's College at Yeppoon, Qld, returned there in September for the school's increasingly popular annual rodeo. As well as enjoying the action, Herb found that practical skills and a formal education are a useful combination for any teenager.
Photos: Mark Coombe
Rodeos
are held nationwide from the remotest inland town to city centres, but it's
doubtful in any attract as many junior competitiors from so far afield as
St Brendan's College at Yeppoon near Rockhampton.
One of the highlights is the inter-school bull ride, comprising teams of three riders each.
This year the event attracted teams from Nudgee College, Brisbane in the south to St Columba, Charters Towers in the north and as far away in the west as Bindoon, WA.
After a total of 78 juniors were bucked out, it was Travis Edwards, Tod Mauger and Lloyd Davidson from Longreach Pastoral College who were crowned the teams' winner, while the individual title went to Grant Cameron.
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Add to this unique event 70 under-15 steer riders and 120 in the under-18 event, and calf scruffing which proved a popular event, with students sometimes teaming up with dad to compete.
After the dust had settled it was a couple of St Brendan's students, Clayton Bartolo from a cattle stud at Nebo and Emmanuel Koimo from the Mt Hagen area of New Guinea - attending a rodeo for the first time - who were the popular winners.
All this action plus junior barrel racing, an entertaining local fashion
show and a grand parade took place before a night program of open rodeo
events that attracted some of the nation's top competitors. 
Full story: Issue 14, December 2000/ January 2001
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And to see what's coming up, try our OUTBACK events calendar.
