On Saturday the 27th February 2010, a group of Canadian visitors spent the day touring around the Texas area. The group took in a tour of the Coventry’s property near Bonshaw and the Whyalla Feedlot. These tours were thoroughly enjoyed by our international guests. A break between trips also allowed them to wander around Texas and have a look at our town. In the afternoon, they headed to Goat Rock for a hands-on shearing demonstration.
After climbing Goat Rock and getting a fantastic view of Texas and the surrounding area, they headed back to ‘The Shed’ to join a large group of locals and visitors from Toowoomba, Ashford, Yetman, Warialda & Coolatai, for a camp oven and spit roast dinner of Pork, Chicken, Lamb and Beef with vegies and Pavlova for dessert. A great evening of entertainment was provided by our resident bush poet, Jim Brown. Fats with his guitar entertained everyone with all the favourites. The Texas P&C held a Charity Auction and ran the Bar to raise funds for the school. Items for the auction came from both Canada and Australia, with credit going to the Canadians for their generosity. A fantastic evening was enjoyed by all with everyone already looking forward to next year.
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- Canadian visitors receiving a gift from Goat Rock
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- Ashlee Croft getting dinner organised at the Canadian visit.
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- Our Canadian visitors enjoying a fantastic evening of Goat Rock hospitality and entertainment.
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- Barb & Donna enjoying a great night out
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- Locals enjoying a scrumptious spit roast and camp oven dinner at Goat Rock
Goat Rock merchandise include T-Shirts, Golf Shirts, Caps, Singlets, Water Bottles and Mugs – all with the Goat Rock logo. The SIGG water bottle is made from a single piece of aluminum with an EcoCare BPA-free lining, it’s ultra-lightweight (yet rugged and crack-resistant). This makes it a great addition to the backpack when out and about taking in the stunning scenery at Goat Rock. The Goat Rock T-shirts are great for those casual bbq’s and the zip hoodies are fantastic for those cool evening by the campfire at Goat Rock. Buy some for your friends and family for gifts and make sure you bring them when you come back to visit! 
After the rain on Friday, the weather was perfect Saturday afternoon for the Bonshaw CWA’s Bush Bazaar at Goat Rock. A variety of market stalls and displays were on offer with a crowd in excess of 200 enjoying the festivities. Bush Poet, Jim Brown was our MC for the day and did a fantastic job. A large number of entries for the Texas Garden Club’s Flower Show made a stunning display. Voting for the most beautiful blooms went into the afternoon, with QLD coming out as the victorious state in the battle between NSW and QLD to see who had the best blooms. A collection of great prizes were awarded to the winners of each section. Jenny Magner (QLD) scooped the pool winning the Red Rose, Multi Toned Rose, and the Any Other Coloured Rose sections, Eva Beard (QLD) won the Pink Rose, Judy Thompson (QLD) won the Specimen of Any Other Bloom and also tied with Jenny Magner for the Multi Toned Rose Section. Nola Dickinson (QLD) won the Stem of Multi Flowered Plant Section.
A number of activities and demonstrations kept everyone busy. The Texas Line Dancers provided a great line dancing display during the afternoon. A number of teams entered the Egg Throwing Competition with Michelle and Michael Prenzler winning the event. The Rabbit Trap Throwing Competition was won by Will Phipps and the ladies winner was Amanda Anlezark. The Charity Auction in aid of the Texas P&C was a great success, drawing a large crowd of bidders. 
The organisers would like to thank the sponsors and supporters of the day especially Daryl & Dianne Rossiter, Paul Magner, the MacIntyre Gazette, The Stockman Hotel, Gooda’s Wool, Inverell, Young’s Variety, Texas Treats, Texas Wrigglers & Gigglers Child Care Centre, Goat Rock, Mick Collins and the Bonshaw Public School, Sandra Cox and the Ashford Central School, Jim Brown, the Texas Line Dancers, the Texas P&C, the Texas Garden Club, the Texas SES for providing lighting and traffic control, Kelvin Cox and Jacqui Press from “Eleven 02″, Roma Bundock – CWA Gwydir Group President, the Texas Lions Club, and the three young blokes who did all the washing up and helped clean up on the Sunday, it was greatly appreciated. Thanks to everyone who came out and supported the day and had a great time, we hope to see you at the next Bush Bazaar.
