By Leonie Fuge
Receiving a significant injection of government funding to floodproof and upgrade the Warwick Showgrounds has bucked the Warwick Show and Rodeo Society committee into an Olympic-sized vision.
After the 2022 major flood sent a river of water across the arena scouring out the surface, flattening security fences and destroying the electric works (amongst other things), the society was disheartened.
“We have the reputation of being the most famous rodeo in Australia with the safest and best arena,“ said Terri Gilbert Secretary of the Warwick Show and Rodeo Society. “But the 2022 major flood severely damaged the arena. The Connolly Dam and Condamine River both flooded, the waters hit each other and had the showgrounds under a six-foot torrent of water.”
The outcome sent more than a ripple of concern through the rodeo society’s 400 volunteers and the extended rodeo community.
“It was a big disruption to our calendar of events. We had concerns that the 2022 Gold Cup and Campdraft could not be held, there were also concerns about the implications for the future sustainability of yearly events,“ said Terri.
Though the 2022 Gold Cup Rodeo went ahead after the arena had been resurfaced at the expense of the society, the campdraft did not.
Determined to protect the longstanding legacy of the Warwick Gold Cup and Campdraft, with a reputation to match that of the Melbourne Cup, the committee jumped into grant writing action.
“We are very serious about getting this arena right. We need sustainability,” said Terri.
In 2022 the Warwick Show and Rodeo Society were approved over $860,000 in grants from state and local government rounds.
“We applied for a variety of grants, and we were successful.,“ said Terri. “When we found out we had been approved for the Queensland Government Department of Tourism, Innovation and Sport grant for over 4680,000 we were absolutely thrilled. We got all of the money we applied for.”
“The funding is beneficial to make the Campdraft and Gold Cup go ahead each year,” said the secretary.
Feeling like a weight has been lifted from the committee’s shoulders, the release of funds also released an Olympic sized vision to take the Warwick Showgrounds into the future.
“We are the horsepower capital of Australia, so it makes sense to lift the arena to a peak standard. The aim is to raise its profile and to be better than it has ever been.” said management committee member Kate Skinner.
“With the Olympics coming, we are strategically looking into an Olympic ready arena with infrastructure ready to host Olympic events,” she said.
“We aim to have the grandstand rebuilt and also redesign the bucking chutes to accommodate the bigger rough stock being used in rodeos,“ said Kate.
“Breeding and bloodlines of bucking stock is a lucrative business, and breeders are producing more muscular more American-style stock,” she explained. “So we need bigger chutes.“
The committee also test ran a corporate event at the 2022 Warwick Gold Cup Rodeo and was astounded at how successful the event was. The society now plans to build a corporate space above the redesigned bucking chutes.
“We had feedback from the corporate event we held for a French construction company, the head consultant said he had been at corporate events all over the world, but this is the best experience he’d ever had.
“It was unique and iconic. We made sure the attendees got the full feel of a rodeo, we also had old-time cowboys come and talk about the history of the event and how it has evolved,” said Kate.
With upgrades on the way, the facility will not only benefit the rodeo community but other community events also.
“Everyone is getting excited because we are passionate and it is spreading. We can talk underwater with a mouthful of marbles because we have some much ambition and potential to see the vision come to life,” said Kate.
