Rodeo kings take charge | The Express Newspaper Mareeba, Atherton, Cooktown, Kuranda, the Tablelands and the Far North.

BEAUTIFUL weather, exciting action, a huge parade in the city centre and thousands of people streaming through the gates of Kerribee Park last weekend made the 2024 Mareeba Rodeo a resounding success.

The iconic annual festival kicked off on Friday evening, with huge crowds lining Byrnes Street to watch the parade through the city centre, which featured a record number of floats and vehicles.

The highlight of the evening was the coronation of Jordana Giacometti as Rodeo Queen of 2024 and Caitlyn Parsons as
Princess.

The young women were both shaking with excitement at the announcement.

“What an honour it is to be crowned the 2024 Mareeba Rodeo Festival Queen. It is such a privilege to stand alongside nine other amazing rodeo queen competitors – I can definitely say that friendships have been formed,” Jordana told the crowd.

“I’m shaking, I’m elated – I’m very happy and excited and honored and I’m very proud of the other girls – they’ve done such an amazing job,” she said The Express.

“I came back to Mareeba three years ago and this was always something I wanted to do.”

Caitlyn was thrilled to be chosen as princess.

“I’m crying and shaking. It’s a bit surreal. It’s been an amazing experience, I’m really looking forward to the year ahead,” she said.

Although Mareeba Rodeo Association chairman Peter Brown did not release official attendance figures on Monday, he was pleased with the number of people who streamed through the gates on Saturday and Sunday.

Saturday night saw plenty of action for the big crowd, with a thrilling State of Origin competition that kept spectators on the edge of their seats.

It remained a draw until the final bull ride, when two champion bulls – Warrior and Slide Out – entered the arena.

“They were about 29 in total, and you had the guy from New South Wales on Slide Out, who was the Great Northern Bullriding Series bull of the year, and then the guy from Queensland on Warrior, who was the ABCRA bucking bull of the year,” Brown said.

“Luckily Slide Out did his job and threw the NSW rider off, while Lane (the QLD rider) covered Warrior and won the State of Origin.”

Savannah Bites was also a huge success on Saturday night, with award-winning country artist Max Jackson as the headliner.

Her cover of Slim Dusty’s “Mareeba Rodeo” was an absolute hit and did the iconic song justice.

The Melville’s Duck Race drew a “larger crowd than expected,” with thousands of people packing the arena to cheer on their favorite furry duck as they raced across their pool in preparation for the big rodeo events.

A busy Saturday night didn’t stop hundreds of rodeo-goers from filling the stands on Sunday for the championship finals.

The discounted tickets allowed families with children to enjoy the rodeo action at a reduced rate and witness Brayden Wellby and Jolene Kallus being named All-Round Cowboy and Cowgirl.

The new layout of the campsite proved popular, so the organisers had to free up more space on the landing to accommodate everyone.

According to Mr Brown, all campers behaved well and only minor incidents occurred during the night.

“It was a very peaceful rodeo, with hardly any incidents in and out of the arena,” he said.

The Ute Muster show and shine on Friday afternoon also saw some quality vehicles. In the Street Ute category Jason Lukic took first place, while Paul Haisel finished in second place.

Businesses and other organizations once again showed tremendous support for the Rodeo theme during the annual competition, sponsored by The Express.

The award for best western dress went to Mareeba Hospital, which also won the award for best foyer and window display.

Mr. Brown thanked everyone who attended and supported the rodeo weekend and said he couldn’t wait to see everyone again next year.

“Without the people who support it, we probably wouldn’t have the best rodeo in Australia,” he said.

“That’s why we organized the discounted family day… and I’m grateful that people took up that offer and came to watch the championship rounds.”