By KATRINA BRANDON
SOLD out and boots kicking, the Australian Rodeo Queen Quest 2025 event in Maffra was a hit.
Traralgon local Grace (Gigi) Griffith is in the running to be named Australia’s Rodeo Queen.
On Saturday, August 2, more than 250 people enjoyed a good ole country night at Maffra’s Maffco Brewery and Distillery.
Activities such as line dancing, barrel racing and ring toss played out.
The event was sparked by Ms Griffith’s selection to represent Traralgon and the wider Gippsland area in the Australian Rodeo Queen Quest (ARQQ) 2025 – a national competition celebrating horsemanship, leadership, and the heart of rural Australia. Within the Quest, Ms Griffith chose to fundraise for Rural Aid.
Ms Griffith, 29, is one of nine young women selected nationally to compete in the Rodeo Queen Quest, and one of just two entrants from Victoria. While Ms Griffith was born and raised in the High Country, she has a passion for the local area.
“Saturday night was simply incredible,” Ms Griffith told her Facebook followers after the event.
“When I set out to do this, I never dreamed of a sell-out event with 250 people. You were all amazing, from our vendors to the venue staff, to our incredible volunteers and our wonderful mix of attendees. This event is exactly what it’s all about – celebrating and supporting our rural communities.”
Before the event even started, a long list of people began lining up before the gates opened at 5.30pm. Excitement roared as the gates opened, people grabbed their activity passes and were welcomed by DJ Yeehaw as they entered the door.
Walking into the warm establishment, activities jumped up and out at the audience and were hard to miss.
Officially starting at 6pm, the barrel racing competition sparked the evening, with blow-up horse costumes for participants to wear as they ran the barrel racing course. Up and around, the barrel racing section of the night drew excitement from young children and older adults alike.
As well as it being hard to miss, it was hard to avoid being in the middle of the excitement of the course, with the room getting rowdy and tight as more people arrived.
Jumping out at people next, it was either the bar or the chance to rope in a “bull”. Those who dared to rope a beast (barrel) got the opportunity to learn how to rope.
Spilling over to 7.30pm, Queens Country & Line Dance Events teacher Christine Saviane took the stage. Putting all other activities to rest, Ms Saviane sparked excitement with learning how to line dance. A large majority of the crowd joined in with the boot-scooting and heel-clicking section of the night.
More competitions and activities continued late into the night.
Established in 1992, the ARQQ is the longest-running national Rodeo Queen competition in Australia. It exists to honour the sport of rodeo and elevate ambassadors who can represent rural values and Australian rodeo culture both nationally and internationally.
The winner is crowned Miss Rodeo Australia, gaining the opportunity to represent the country at events across Australia and internationally, including in the United States.
Entrants are judged across several areas, including horsemanship and riding ability, public speaking and media presentation, community engagement and charity work, rodeo knowledge and rural awareness, as well as personal presentation and leadership skills.
The Quest spans several months of preparation, fundraising, event attendance and public appearances.
For more information or to support Grace’s campaign, visit Grace “Gigi” Griffith – Australian Rodeo Queen Quest 2025 Entrant on Facebook.
