General News
6 August, 2024
Cloncurry cowboy desperate for a dose of good luck at Isa Rodeo
Darcy Harrison-Douglas wants his fortunes to change this weekend.
Cloncurry bull rider Darcy Harrison-Douglas enters the 2024 Isa Rodeo in better physical shape than the same time last year.
Darcy arrived at Buchanan Park in 2023 still recovering from a head injury sustained at the Richmond Rodeo a fortnight earlier – and he was defying doctor’s orders when he stepped into Kalkadoon Arena.
“The back feet of a bull landed just on the side of my head at Richmond and ripped half my ear off,” he explained.
“I had just a bit of earlobe hanging on – I was lucky there was an old surgeon around and he came out and fixed me up,”
“He told me not to get on any more bulls for the rest of the year – so I couldn’t tell him I still had a few rodeos I had to get to.”
Harrison-Douglas lets off an easy laugh as he recounts the story, despite explaining that his time in the saddle at Mount Isa was also short-lived, with a testy bull knocking him down on the Saturday morning ride, giving him a swift kick that left him a broken eye socket.
Having made a rapid recovery that saw him claim the open bull ride at the Warwick Rodeo just two months later, Harrison-Douglas has shown the resilient spirit that makes the 24-year-old a rising star in the sport.
He has again followed the rodeo circuit in 2024 from Richmond to Cloncurry and now sits on fourth place in the APRA rookie of the year standings, but a good performance at Buchanan Park this week could springboard him to the top.
Harrison-Douglas will also compete tonight at the Indigenous Rodeo Championship in both the bull ride and team roping.
The Kalkadoon man said he is proud to provide an example for Indigenous kids across the North West.
“It’s good to show other young fellas that they can be part of the sport,” he said.
“I think the Indigenous rodeo could be a real eye opener for the young fellas out in the communities who are thinking they aren’t doing too well in life – they can find something in rodeo that gives them some direction.
“I have seen how rodeo has changed a few fellas in the past – given them some optimism and make them see they have a bit of courage in themselves to get involved.
“When they see other young Indigenous people having a go then it takes away some of the uncomfortable feelings for them.”
The sport of rodeo flows through Harrison-Douglas’ bloodline – he is the grandson of two-time Australian champion bull rider Shane Connolly, which meant he spent much of his childhood travelling the circuit.
The Cloncurry cowboy said while he didn’t have a specific training regime for the big events, he had spent the past few weeks focused on maintaining a positive mindset as he prepared to once again do battle in the Isa arena.
“You just have to train hard – go for a jog to get the blood pumping on the day and lift a few weights sometimes,” he said.
“If you train hard then things have to pay off eventually.”
Māori team up for the challenge
A team of nine cowboys and cowgirls have crossed the ditch for tonight’s inaugural Trans-Tasman Indigenous Rodeo Challenge.
As the finale of tonight’s Indigenous rodeo event, the New Zealand Māori team will compete against the newly crowned Australian Indigenous team, which will be made up of the winners of each of the categories from the Indigenous Rodeo Championships.
New Zealand Cowboys Rodeo Association president Bruce Thomas said that while the cold winter months didn’t encourage much rodeo training, the team was very keen to test their skill against their Australian rivals for the first time at Buchanan Park.
“I think they will be on a pretty level playing field, but having said that, a couple of the competitors we are sending over are pretty competitive and pretty sharp,” Mr Thomas said.
“We can’t wait – it’s going to be a bunch of fun and it’s going to lead to bigger and better things.”
Captaining the Māori team is Mervyn Church Jnr, who is the grandson of the man recognised with introducing rodeo to New Zealand, Mervyn Church, a legend of the North Island.