Hats off to the magnificent seven - the seven entrants in this year's Mount Isa Mines Rodeo Queen Quest.
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The seven were (with the charity they were raising money for in brackets): Aimee Sewell (Mount Isa Police Citizens Youth Club), Kate Lovett (North West Queensland Mental Health Network), Bron Myers (Mount Isa Base Hospital Auxiliary Inc. Cancer Care Unit), Kat Ufer (SES Mount Isa Group), Allison Nicholson (Mount Isa Community Ensembles), Kellie Pigliafiori (Royal Flying Doctor Service) and last but not least, the honorary male Quester, Tony "Tonka" Toholke (This is a Conversation Starter Foundation (TIACSF).
The Queen Quest hopefuls worked hard fundraising throughout the year with the help of the Mount Isa community as they prepared for Saturday's Rodeo Ball and the Queen crowning.
This year they raised a phenomenal $320,000 easily smashing the previous highest total.
As Rodeo CEO Natalie Flecker said on our live Facebook "Elevenses" on Monday, there were a lot of records broken at the ball on Saturday night.
"We had 600 people coming to celebrate at the ball with our seven entrants raising all that money," Ms Flecker said.
"We haven't seen that number of entrants since the early nineties when it was held at the Concordia Club."
Ms Flecker said the seven entrants worked so hard and so passionate for their charities and for the rodeo.
Kellie Pigliafiori won a new award called the spirit of the Queen Quest.
Ms Flecker said they had been talking about that award for some time to recognise someone who had been working tirelessly for their charity and raising awareness. Meanwhile Tonka was rewarded for a phenomenal personal effort raising over $100,000 alone with the charity queen award. As Ms Flecker said Tonka was highly imaginative in his fundraising with his videos, flocking flamingoes, a walk from Camooweal and even a boxing match.
But I agree with the judges' choice to give the Queen award to Aimee Sewell who raised $80,000 for the local PCYC and she spoke passionately about her desire to help young people in the area - Derek Barry