Top End Rock n Rodeo Muster to fundraise for brain tumour-battling toddler Kealii Jevdenijevic

With a line-up featuring riders, wranglers and one of the country’s rising music talents, organisers of the Rock n Rodeo Muster have thrown their support behind a special 18-month-old – and want other Territorians to rise to the challenge.

Organisers of a pioneering rodeo and music festival have said they are counting on visitors to saddle up and pitch in funds for a brave cancer-battling toddler.

One of Australia’s rising singer-songwriters will also mark his first Darwin gig at the event – with a special guest appearance from the Territory’s own ‘mullet man’.

The Top End Rock n Rodeo Muster will be held on Saturday May 11 and more than 120 rodeo riders and 3000 guests are expected to flock to the Darwin Showgrounds.

Rodeo Promotions NT director Russell Simpson said that a successful first year for the company in 2023 showed there was a “zest” for the sport locally.

“We’re hoping to bring a new culture to rodeo and give people a better understanding of what it actually is,” Mr Simpson told the NT News.

Rodeo Promotions NT directors Russell Simpson and Jodi Abella (left and right) are raising money for Zoe Jevdenijevic's 18-month-old son, who is undergoing treatment for a brain tumour. Picture: Pema Tamang Pakhrin

However, the star of the show will be 18-month-old Kealii Jevdenijevic, who was diagnosed with a brain tumour in January and is currently in the US with his father receiving experimental proton therapy.

Parents Zoe and Dennis were introduced to Mr Simpson and his business partner Jodi Abella through a family friend, who said they “felt like (they) had to do something to help”.

Kealii Jevdenijevic (centre) is just 18-months-old and fighting an aggressive form of brain cancer. Picture: Supplied

He is currently being treated in the US with proton therapy, which is currently unavailable in Australia. Picture: Supplied

Donations can be made on the Rodeo Promotions NT Facebook page or on the day, and Ms Jevdenijevic said the money would cover the cost of treatment, accommodation and travel.

“I’m hoping once he comes back he can go back to daycare and just be like any other two-year-old,” she said.

“They’ve been separated from the family, we haven’t been able to spend any time together in months. But he’s such a trooper and he won’t let any one stop him from getting better.”

Among the festival attractions are a rodeo tournament with prize money, and a swag of local and interstate music acts including ARIA award-winner Casey Barnes playing his first Darwin set.

Casey Barnes won the 2022 ARIA for Best Country Album. Picture: Music Muster

Kieryn Johnston, the NT "mullet man", was awarded Most Extreme Mullet at a Queensland mullet competition in 2023. Picture: Supplied

“He’s winning everything and he’s probably the best country artist in Australia at the moment,” Mr Simpson said.

“Darwin often misses out with a lot of stuff, but we wanted to get the best acts we can and we think it’s going to be worth it.”

Visitors can also register to compete in Mulletfest, a charity competition where contenders show off their luscious locks for prizes.

Darwin’s Kieryn Johnston, locally known as the “NT mullet man” after being recognised at another Mulletfest event last year, will compete and judge the kids’ section.

Some of Mr Simpson’s own bulls, pictured here at his Berry Springs ranch, will feature in the rodeo tournament. Picture: Pema Tamang Pakhrin

Food vans, stalls, kids’ activities and line-dancing sessions promise “something for everyone”, according to Mr Simpson.

However, the third-generation rodeo rider and cattleman said he hoped the festival’s crossover interest will introduce more people to the sport.

“My message to everyone would be: you haven’t lived until you’ve been to a rodeo,” Mr Simpson said.