Rodeo rescheduled

By Tania Martin
A SATURDAY morning deluge saw Cockatoo Rodeo organisers cancel the event for the first time in 23 years.
Committee spokesman Graham Steer said it was too wet to run, but vows the rodeo will return on Saturday.
“It belted down and it got to the stage when it was too dangerous to go ahead,” he said.
“It had to be done – when the area gets too wet to ride it’s an occupational health and safety issue.”
Mr Steer said the committee left it until the last possible moment to cancel the event but in the end it was going to be too dangerous for the animals and the cowboys.
“We had meetings at one, two and three, but in the end we decided it just wasn’t safe,” he said. “We put it off as long as we could.”
The decision was made to cancel just after 4pm on Saturday.
Mr Steer said it had also been a logistical nightmare postponing the event.
“It’s been bedlam. We have had to arrange to have the hire toilets and grandstands for another week,” he said.
“We had to set up a five acre paddock to put all the stock in for the week with most coming down from Mount Gambier.”
Mr Steer said riders from New South Wales and Queensland had turned up but understood why it had to be cancelled.
He said it was vital to get the rodeo up and running again this Saturday because it was not just about the event but supporting local groups. All the funds raised from the event go to local sporting, and community groups.
Extra money will also be collected for the bushfire appeal. Mr Steer is calling on locals to return this weekend to support the event.
It will be held on Saturday 21 March from 6pm, on the corner of Avon and Woori Yallock Roads, Cockatoo.