Rocky road for Newman rodeo

A number of issues, including the resignation of members of the organising committee, contributed to the cancellation of the 2015 Newman Rodeo.

Newman Campdraft and Rodeo Association secretary Jacinta Ronchi has been heavily involved in the organisation of the event, which usually runs in April, for the past six years but took time out last year to focus more on her family.

However, after a number of the new committee members, including the president, resigned in December, the same month funding for the event had to be finalised, Ms Ronchi stepped up again in an attempt to make the 2015 event viable.

"To run a rodeo you have to be locked in and have your fundraising, signed, sealed and delivered by December to run in April," she said.

"We couldn't run in April because there was nothing that had been done, so we decided we would try to run by possibly moving the date to later in the year."

In February, the plans that Ms Ronchi and others had put in place came undone when Ms Ronchi suffered a life-threatening allergic reaction.

"We had a look at running around September but then it started clashing with a rodeo down south and the stock contractors were worried it would be too hot for the stock," Ms Ronchi said.

"So we thought we would run our campdraft as normal and then go back to our normal time slot for the rodeo next year."

Disappointed the rodeo, which boasts crowds of thousands each year, had to be cancelled, Ms Ronchi said more people needed to put their hands up and become involved.

She said the committee needed some fresh blood to offer assistance with organisation and fundraising, which had become more difficult since the downturn in iron ore prices.

"It's the same people all the time who do all the committees across town," she said.

"People don't have to be horse people to go on the committee - to run an event takes all types of people."

For more information about getting involved in the organisation of the 2016 Newman Rodeo, contact Ms Ronchi on 0447 918 441.