White Cliffs Gymkhana and Rodeo will notch up a significant milestone this year, with their 130th annual event set for April 27 and 28.
Described as “a great fun action-packed family event” by the Committee, the two-day event begins on the Saturday with the gymkhana and flat races, and a charity auction on Saturday evening.
Sunday will see the Rodeo, with more than $20,000 in prize money up for grabs.
As part of the Rodeo, the annual Bulls and Broncs event will be held again this year, but in a clever addition, a new event – Mini Bulls – will see youngsters jump on a bull.
The Committee’s Secretary-Treasurer Honor Taylor spoke to us about the upcoming event. She confirmed free camping will be available, bar facilities, catering, plus entertainment will be provided across the weekend.
Local photographer Kate Graham has been selected to be official photographer for the event.
In announcing Kate’s appointment, Ms Taylor said, “Kate has been to many local shows and she is great at capturing the action and great memories”.
Ahead of the event, the Committee has been busy. They are holding a busy-bee this morning – Saturday – from 9am to complete a few jobs on their long to-do list.
The Committee has also sent invitations to sponsors and donors, “to help make this year big”. They are counting on support from local businesses and organisations to ensure the entire community can benefit from this year’s event.
Cash sponsorship will be the best way to support this event, Ms Taylor said, as that would help cover the costs of the event.
As the Committee is registered as a not-for-profit, Ms Taylor noted once the dust has settled on this year’s Gymkhana and Rodeo, the Committee will hold a wrap-up meeting to decide which charity will receive the profits of the event, such as a hospital, school, or other charity.
In a nod to their history, the Committee has also put a call-out to those who have photos or items from previous local gymkhanas and rodeos.
“We have a display case that will be at our event for people to have a look, [and] we also are having a slide show set up over the weekend to show old photos from our events,” Ms Taylor said.
With the annual event now only five weeks away, more information can be found on the Facebook page, White Cliffs Gymkhana and Rodeo, which also lists the upcoming event on the page’s calendar.
