The rodeo will be held on Saturday at the St Arnaud Race Course.

Last year, after an almost 10-year hiatus, the St Arnaud Rodeo organising committee, led ably by Christine Flanagan and her partner Daryl, was reinstated with a bang on the St Arnaud sporting calendar.

Ms Flanagan said the St Arnaud Race Course provided many advantages, including space and versatility in regards to the provision of entertainment options after the excitement of the rodeo had finished.  She said there was also camp sites on offer with the track surrounds for those who wanted to soak up the ambiance of a rodeo for a little while longer.

“The rodeo timing is ideal for this type of event, as the weather last year was perfect and is shaping up to be much of the same this year,” Ms Flanagan said “A 1pm start leaves most of the heavy competition for later in the day when things have cooled off for both rider and beast.”

The St Arnaud Rodeo would never have eventuated without the input of St Arnaud's own rodeo family, the Flanagans.  Their contacts within the circuit was instrumental in the organisation of what is thought to be one of the best around. 

Jim and Lorna Flanagan's children and grandchildren have all excelled in arenas around the country. To say that Rodeo figures highly in the Flanagan lifestyle is a major understatement. 

Eldest son Ron won the Southern Cross All Round Cowboy of the Year in 1985. While being semi-retired, he still managed to mentor and team up with his nephew, Dallas, to place third in the team roping championships at Tamworth in 2016. Dallas is in the record books as the youngest competitor to ever win something of this magnitude. 

Cousin Kenny, who spent two years in America on a rodeo scholarship, came away with a degree in agricultural science. 

On Saturday the junior breakaway will be of particular interest, as it is a memorial event commemorating the lifelong commitment  of Jim and Lorna Flanagan to the sport. 

One of the prizes on offer is very ornate belt buckle and with there being anything up to four junior Flanagans all vying  for the honour, it should be well worth watching.  There is a whisper however that young Lachie Flanagan has been in some very good form lately. 

Gates open at noon Saturday and a shuttle bus will run from outside St Arnaud's Royal Hotel.

The rodeo will be fully catered, with stalls and activities for the kids, as well as entertainment from cover band Trunk, allowing the evening’s hard fought competition to give way to a good old fashioned "ho down".