Tiny royals, a ‘mad cow’ ride and metal sculptures were all key to the Tingha Tin Festival’s success last weekend.
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The annual event drew an enthusiastic crowd, eager to try out the rides and fill up on fairy floss.
“It continues to improve, so that’s a good sign,” Tingha Citizens Association chair Colleen Graham said.
This year’s Miss Tin Princess Samantha Kenny Bates and Little Miss Tin Princess Layla Cruickshank were joined by the town’s first ever Tin Prince, Javaree Grills. With a cheeky grin and upbeat attitude, the young man took the special role in his stride.
“I asked him the question ‘How does it feel to be the very first Prince of Tingha?’ and he thought about that for a little while and then said ‘Oh, maybe in the olden days there was one!’” Colleen said with a laugh.
Javaree and the princess entrants were escorted down a red carpet by Tingha’s previous princesses. Colleen said the judges had a difficult decision on their hands.
“I don’t envy their job because they all deserve to win. We do try to emphasise really that it’s not so much about the winning, it’s about being made to feel special,” she said. The youngsters take part in a high tea with their mothers and grandmothers each year, and are encouraged to keep entering in each age category to make the most of the festival.
Local poet Esther Gardiner and her nephew Josh helped officially open the festival on Friday night with a poem and didgeridoo performance, ahead of the main event on Saturday.
New to the area, Bess and Peter Sandral were quick to get involved, introducing dog trials to the festival for the first time.
The new addition was thoroughly embraced by locals, and will return again next year.
The ‘mad cow’ ride, which mimicked a rodeo bull, was equally popular, and proved a challenge for both children and adults.
“They (Bess and Peter Sandral) actually put one of their kelpies up with the cow, and that kelpie became pretty confused because she’s thinking ‘why won’t this cow do what I want it to do?’” Colleen said.
The ride will be back again in 2019, with the addition of a competition to see who can stay on the longest.
The four-way bungee jump and the jumping castle were also a huge hit with the youngsters. Live music set a comfortable mood throughout, and the Sports and Recreation Club was packed full for the evening.
Local police officer Geoff Weller once again created a mixture of corrugated iron animal sculptures for the weekend, including a selection of multicoloured pigs – one featuring sergeant stripes, and a group of four geese sold as one lot.
“Tingha is renowned not just for cattle and rocks and sand, but geese. We have so many geese, and during the dry period, they actually came into all of the resident’s houses. They were in our backyards, they were everywhere. They were amazing to see, but four stand out. They were almost like the four elders,” Colleen explained.
“It didn’t matter where those other geese were, they came and followed those four. They stopped traffic.”
The funds raised from the sale of the sculptures will go towards next year’s festival.
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