Fireworks and nostalgia as cattle breeders miss out on EKKA show
As the cattle industry mourns the suspension of the Ekka, one agricultural scientist will be looking upwards to watch tonight’s fireworks and prepare for a new career. WHERE TO GET A STRAWBERRY SUNDAE IN LOGAN
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It will be a nostalgic time for the state’s cattle industry when tonight’s EKKA fireworks are lit.
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The fireworks, which will be seven times higher and brighter than ever before, will also signify the first time since 1942 there has not been a cattle parade at the showgrounds.
As the sky lights up, it will also herald a milestone in the career of agricultural scientist and PhD student Stephanie Samms, who has been showing cattle and attending the Show since 2009.
This week, Ms Samms resigns from her role feeding the cattle and animals at Beenleigh State High School’s farm, which sends cattle for judging to the EKKA every year.
The former Beenleigh High student, who was the school’s Cattle Show Team Captain in 2011, took on the role a year after finishing high school while she was studying her degree at The University of Queensland’s Gatton campus.
Every weekend since 2013, she has gone to the school to feed, water, wash and groom the schools cattle, chooks, geese, lambs and calves.
“The Ekka was always a highlight in the agricultural calendar even when I was at school,” the 25-year-old said.
“I will watch the fireworks on TV tonight and it will be a time of nostalgia – the agriculture industry is very tight-knit and the Show is always the main event of the year for many.
“Everyone is friendly and I’ve made many contacts and associations within in the industry through the EKKA. This will definitely go down in history.”
Ms Samms, who will finish her PhD in cattle nutrition and feedlots this year, said the industry had been knocked around by the coronavirus but there were still many jobs available.
“It’s a great industry and kids should really look into it as there are not enough graduates to keep up with demand and there are jobs available,” she said.
Beenleigh State High School principal Matt O’Hanlon said he the school and the animals would miss Ms Samms after she resigns her post this weekend.
“She’s been an amazing ambassador for the school and to go on and become a PhD student doing something that she has always loved is what education is really all about,” he said.
“Beenleigh has always been a leader in agricultural science and we are one of the very few schools in the southeast equipped with the farm for students to get a hands-on learning experience.”
TONIGHT’S FIREWORKS
■ The fireworks, which start at 6pm, will be let off at the showgrounds at Bowen Hills.
The area has been locked down as an exclusion zone to allow for the fireworks to e shot up to 250m into the air.
The event will be simulcast on Channel 7 at 6pm and will be the biggest and longest fireworks display in the show’s history.
STRAWBERRY SUNDAES AT HYPERDOME
■ Those who love the Ekka’s Strawberry Sundae don’t have to miss out either with the special sweet treat being served up this month at Logan’s Hyperdome.
A pop-up sundae stall will open at the centre as part of a popular project run by The Common Good, a Prince Charles Hospital Foundation initiative which funds innovative and groundbreaking medical research into chronic disease.
Logan Hyperdome is among select retail and hospitality sites across the region to participate in the stall for a week from August 7 to August 16 with all proceeds from the purchase of a dessert donated to The Common Good.
Logan residents will also be able to pick up a sundae on the EKKA public holiday in Logan which has been set for Friday, August 14.