They included past student handprints in the Blackall State School colours of blue and yellow on a mural, and the Barcoo Blitz 200m time trial for horses.
It was a very keenly contested event, eventually won by Charmaine Ellis from Longreach, riding an eight-year-old quarterhorse/thoroughbred mare named Anna that she uses for mustering and barrel racing.
Her effort won her a prize purse of $2500.
Second was Spice Girl, owned by Blackall’s Jaimee-Lee Prow and ridden by her fiance, Clayton O’Brien, while Cash N Chex, owned by Annalise Kenny and ridden by Brady Prow, came in third.
The fastest local in the final was Clayton O’Brien, who took home a Fender saddle.
Tania helps Blackall make history
Blackall Woolscour identity and Blackall muralist, Bob Wilson, presented Tania Kernaghan with one of his famous cigarette paper framed artworks.
A close-up of the cigarette paper art, a Cobb and Co coach ride.
Local singer, Bernice Leek, got to sing on stage with Tania Kernaghan.
Tania and her band onstage.
There were plenty of people enjoying the show at the Woolscour.
Chris and Toni MacErlean looking forward to the show.
Musician Liam Kennedy-Clark meeting up with Trethella Smith and daughter Margie after Tania Kernaghan's show at the Woolscour. Liam wrote a song about Trethella's son, Alan Smith's old home on the banks of the Thomson River at Longreach, which Alan's neice, Ella-May Hannan shot the music video for.
Musician Keith Jamieson, now of Bouldercombe, but a cowboy-gardener at local property, Listowel Valley in 1963, and his better half, Alisha Smith.
After a funny story about chook raffles, Tania Kernaghan got to present Rockhampton regional councillor, Neil Fisher, whose family came from Blackall, and Diane Benson, Toowoomba, with Blackall Woolscour number plate lucky door prizes.
Kath and Wayne Rumpf, Bajool, with Stephen Clark and Kellie Moss, also of Bajool, supporters of the Outback barrel racing series.
Some of the generous visitors who lent a helping hand to make Blackall's celebration happen - Helen and Reg Goodwin, Ballarat, and Bob and Lyn Latch, Avoca, who came for two days and stayed five weeks and 11 weeks respectively, helping prepare the plaques for the Drovers Wall.
Ex-Blackallites, Llewellyn Hillier, Ipswich, Spike Jones, North McLean, and Peter Legge, Griffith, NSW.
Arthur Jones, now of Townsville, remembers his days as a plumber and tennis player in Blackall.
Pam Hutchins, Bundaberg, taking a nostalgia trip, and Kate Duncan, Longreach.
Some of those gathered for the Blackall State School roll call.
Adding their handprints to the mural were Donna Johnson (nee Richardson), Marie Boman (nee Neville), Coral Gordon (nee Peacock), Jan Stasiowska (nee Womersley), and Anne Hauff (nee Kinsey).
QCL/NQR journalist, Sally Cripps, makes her mark on the Blackall State School mural, remembering five fun years there.
The Blackall State School handprint mural.
Harvey Rich, Emerald, and one of the Baker brothers.
Bob Baker, Wes and Sharon Blacker, and Peter Baker, remembering the good times of Blackall Freighters, when up to 15 prime movers were operating from their Blackall headquarters.
Janelle Milne from Bajool riding Dark Intentions at the sprint races. Her first run was 12.6 seconds, and the second run was 13.29 sec over 200 metres. They were supported by Rumpfs Quarter Horses who also sponsor the outback barrel racing series. Photo by Kellie Moss.
The sun goes down on the sprint races, and on B150. Photo by Kellie Moss.
Part of the money raised from the event will go to the Western Queensland Stock Feed Run begun by two veterans from south east Queensland, that arrived in Blackall last week.
There was plenty of Blackall’s wool and shearing heritage on display at the open day for the last remaining steam-driven woolscour in the world, Blackall’s living link with the past.
There were plenty of local touches at the evening concert at the Blackall Woolscour when Bernice Leek was invited on stage to sing a duet with Tania Kernaghan.
At the end of the evening, one of Tania’s musicians, Liam Kennedy-Clark sang the song he wrote while doing shows for Blackall-born Alan ‘Smithy’ Smith, who runs Aussie Outback Tours in Longreach, to strong applause.
Finally, the artist whose murals act as a backdrop to a number of Blackall’s attractions – the Black Stump and the Pioneer Bore among them – Bob Wilson, presented Tania with a memento of Blackall’s history, one of his famous cigarette paper paintings of a Cobb and Co coach in full flight.
