sport

Queensland’s media congregated at the Brisbane Convention & Exhibition Centre last Saturday eve to recognise their collective achievements over the past twelve months … courtesy of the MEAA and The Walkley Foundation.

Approximately 300 attended “The Clarions” and celebrated awards across the spectrum of the states media – TV, radio, online and print. As is usually the case when the media congregate – the drinks flowed rather well.

Half way through the evening I was summoned to the stage to collect the award for “Best Sports Photograph” for the image I made last year at the Mareeba Rodeo – “The Seventh Second”.  A little pleased about that!!!

Here’s the caption for the image –

“It’s The shortest ride in sport. Eight seconds is all it takes to record a ‘ride’ in the rodeo saddle bronco event.

Indigenous Bull riding specialist Elroy Josiah was a fraction of a second from ‘scoring a ride’ at the Mareeba Rodeo in far north Queensland when … at the 7 second mark … he gave his mount ‘Arrow’ a little too much respect and rein !

It was all that ‘Arrow’ needed and … sporting an dastardly evil grin … ‘Arrow’ dispatched Elroy and he was eating the Mareeba dirt.

For Elroy, who hadn’t been on a horse for 5 years as he usually is content to just ride bulls, you’d think it would have been a salutary warning. But Elroy is ‘hooked’ on the pain! “I love the riding,” he says, and adds, “I love feeling the pain, too. I’m not just saying that. Pain is my middle name.”

Then Elroy couldn’t wait to jump back on a bull … ”

The image was published as a double page spread in The Australian Weekend Magazine “Heart of a Nation” feature section with great text by journalist Ross Bilton.

The “The Seventh Second” image (© Brian Cassey) is below …