MISS Rodeo Australia Danika Boland will set foot on to the hallowed arena of Buchanan Park in Mount Isa for the first time this weekend.
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Mrs Boland will be competing in the Breakaway Roping contest at the 2015 Mount Isa Rotary Rodeo, as well as riding around the arena to the national anthem to represent Australian Rodeos.
Having previously visited Mount Isa to support her husband - Matt Boland, who was the 2013 Professional Bull Riders Innisfail Touring Pro Champion - Mrs Boland is looking forward to competing in the rodeo capital.
“I am so grateful to be able to have the opportunity to go to Mount Isa,” she said.
“It is such a massive rodeo and to be able to carry the Australian flag around that arena when they sing the anthem is going to be one of the moments I will treasure forever.”
Having dreamt of being a Rodeo Queen since she was a little girl, Mrs Boland said she had now reached as high as she could go, but looked forward to the future.
For her final act as Miss Rodeo Australia, Mrs Boland will travel to America and Canada to represent Australia in the Canadian Finals Rodeo in Canada and the National Finals Rodeofinals in Las Vegas for five weeks.
“I have always wanted to promote rodeo in a positive light and portray my personality to the world, and Rodeo Queen has given me that opportunity,” she said.
“We are the ones that see the spectator and promote it to them. It is important because spectators are the ones that are going to keep the sport alive and growing.”
Rodeos in small towns such as Cloncurry or event Mount Isa is important to keep a part of Australian history alive, according to Mrs Boland.
“I 100 per cent believe that rodeos are a great way to bring tourism town,” she said.
“I think that having rodeos in smaller country towns is definitely a way to get tourist, people and attractions to the town themselves.”
“The bigger we can get rodeos in towns like this the better they are going to be.’’