’It’s too soon’: post-shooting tensions in Borroloola result in rodeo being postponed

THE Borroloola Rodeo, which was set to kick off on Thursday, has been postponed following an incident where a family was allegedly shot at on the Carpentaria Highway

The annual Borroloola Rodeo and Campdraft has been postponed due to safety concerns

TENSIONS arising in the remote community of Borroloola following a “terrifying” incident where a local family was allegedly chased and shot at have resulted in the decision to postpone the upcoming annual rodeo.

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It comes after two men were charged for their alleged involvement in the incident on Sunday, but were then released on bail.

A third man, who an NT Police spokeswoman said was a bystander to the incident, was released without charge.

In a Facebook post made late last week, the Borroloola Amateur Race Club (BARC) announced they had made the “tough” decision to postpone the The 2020 Borroloola Rodeo, Campdraft and Gymkhana – which was set to kick off tomorrow.

The event has been rescheduled to September 17 to 20.

Nicholas Fitzpatrick, the brother of the alleged victims, said the decision to postpone the rodeo was made because of escalated tensions in the community.

He said the two accused men were believed to be from a nearby station and here was concern about conflict between Borroloola and station residents.

“They (BARC) don’t want bad beef between station mob and local mob,” Mr Fitzpatrick said.

“At the end of the day it’s just too soon. A lot’s been building.

“I guess everyone’s just worried about having everyone in one place, with alcohol.”

Mr Fitzpatrick said there was also concern in the community about the handling of the incident by police and the decision to grant the two men bail.

A protest involving about 50 local residents took place outside the Borroloola police station last Saturday when those allegedly involved had still not been charged, and the car suspected of being involved was sighted around the community.

Charges were laid on Sunday with a 31-year-old man and a 19-year-old man each being charged with aggravated assault, dangerous driving and firearms offences.

Borroloola resident and alleged victim Lisa Watson, who was in the car with her partner and children, said the men forced their car to stop and then started approaching it, yelling at them to get out.

“I yelled at my partner to drive. Their vehicle chased us for 20 minutes down the highway, firing shots and aiming it at the car,” Ms Watson said.

“We saw them hanging the gun out the window on the passenger side. My partner slammed the breaks and turned into the McArthur River Mine Site, where we approached their security guards for assistance and waited for police to arrive.”

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BARC did not respond to the NT News’s request for comment, but Club President Chris Bateman told the ABC’s Country Hour they decided to postpone the rodeo because they “didn’t think it was safe to call 600 Territory residents into Borroloola”.

“So, we postponed it for four weeks and hopefully we can go ahead then,” he said.