NRCA Chairman set to announce at this weekends National Rodeo Finals in Dalby.

Photo courtesy EB Photography

Chairman of the National Rodeo Council and rodeo announcer to many a rodeo committee, Pat Staines has long been involved in the world of Australian rodeo.

Having attended his first rodeo in 1974 at an SEQRA event (South East Queensland Rodeo Association) held at Brymaroo in Queensland, Pat at this point was relatively inexperienced in rodeo riding other than mustering horses. It was here when he decided to enter into the junior steer ride and was hooked from that moment on.

He moved on to ride saddle bronc horses and steer wrestle in the early days and only ever competed in the amateur circuit. Pat admits he was no great cowboy, but enjoyed the rodeo scene and the people involved.

Pat later went into the timed event side of the arena and started competing in the rope and tie event. He lightheartedly recalls having an old mate who used to go to quite a few rodeos and watch him compete and only just recently, he had a laugh to Pat and said, “I’ve only ever seen you catch your calf once!”

During his years in rodeo there was one particular cowboy he thoroughly enjoyed watching ride, Ray Herman. Pat commented, ‘Every time I saw that man ride, he just blew me away!”

In 1992, Pat’s keen interest in the sport moved him into another role in rodeo and while trying his hand at rodeo announcing, he found he had the gift of the gab, which has kept him connected to the sport for the past 23 years.

With Pat’s increased involvement, he later moved into the executive side of rodeo, which saw him take the position of Vice-president of the Queensland Rodeo Association for 8 years, moving on to take the President’s role for a further 5 years.

With his experience in the industry Pat progressed onto the esteemed role of Chairman of the National Rodeo Council of Australia having held the position now for the past several years.

When asked who his idols were in the sport, Pat recalls, “The most talked about cowboys around the dinner camp were the McPhee boys. Back in the early days the only literature we got on rodeo was the old Hoofs and Horns magazine and every time we opened this up the McPhee boys were in there.”

Fresh back from a stint of announcing and promotions in the Northern Territory Pat is keen to get back to this week’s National Rodeo Finals to be held in Dalby 30^th October – 1^st November.

When asked What does the National Rodeo Finals bring to the rodeo industry, Pat responds, “The event helps bring together competitors from a number of different rodeo associations to compete in the one arena. An example of this would be competitors from the NCA up in the Northern Territory, this would be the only time of year we would see them and it is great to have them come down and participate and hopefully walk away with some buckles.”

Pat’s role during the finals will be to announce the timed events alongside Aaron Ryan who will be announcing the rough stock events. Pat will also be announcing for the Unique Horseman Colt Starting Challenge and will assist with the management of the event over the weekend.