Chris “Corky” Corcoran and Georgia Maclaren, from CROW-FM, swapped rock’n’roll for pumpkin roll

May 27, 2013

The Goomeri Pumpkin Festival is on a roll after 17 years … and why not? It’s always a lot of smashing pumpkin fun!

The warm autumn weather drew a good crowd to Goomeri on Sunday to enjoy a whole lot of pumpkin-flavoured activities.

There was a pumpkin shotput, pumpkin bowls, giant pumpkins, decorated pumpkins, a pumpkin pageant, a pumpkin pull … even a pumpkin patchwork challenge.

But there were also lots of other entertainment, including markets, a show’n’shine, belly dancing, bush poetry, a reptile show and live entertainment on stage.

The crowd lined Boonara and Moore streets for the Heritage and Outback Street Parade.

But the highlight of the day – as always – was the Great Australian Pumpkin Roll where pumpkins of all shapes and sizes were sacrificed on Policeman’s Hill in a bid to win cash prizes.

The roll offered a $350 first prize in the adult category and $100 in the juvenile class, plus a $1000 lucky spot prize.

RESULTS

Busker
1. Chris Treuerkauf, Murgon
2. Rowam Edwards, Murgon
3. Tori Somers, Nanango

Decorated Teatowel
1. Sheila Corps
2. Dawn Reardon

Pumpkin Patchwork Challenge Quilt
1. Dawn Reardon
2. Sheila Corps

Pumpkin Patchwork Challenge Quilt (Juvenile)
1. Peta Barkle
2. Richelle Bunt

Pumpkin Pageant – Junior
1. Ruby Cavanagh, Goomeri
2. Natasha McArthy, Burpengary

Pumpkin Pageant – Adult
1. Brenda Cavanagh, Goomeri
2. Dean & Chelsea, Tin Can Bay

Pumpkin Mash Raffle
Peter Young, Maryborough

Visitor Registration
Pam Bloomfield, Kairi

Sportsground Camping Prize
John Sanderson, Bribie Island

Dinner Dance Lucky Door
Angela Kelly, Murgon

Pumpkin Roll – Juvenile (243 rollers)
1. Meg Mason from Toowoomba
2. Ryan Leaman

Pumpkin Roll – Adult (400 rollers)
1. Dave Eiser
2. Kevin Knight, Goomeri

Pumpkin Roll – Sponsors (16 rollers)
Kayla – FoodWorks

Shot Put
Juvenile – Sophie Tiver, Woombye, 13.34m
Men’s open – Dave Arthur, Rainbow Beach, 25.18m
Women’s open – Karin Larter, Nerang, 14.14m

Pumpkin Pull
1. Steven Larter, David Eiser, Michael Larter (same team that won last year) 16.4 sec
2. Jason Tooley, Trent Osborne, Shay-mus O’Giles 17.6 sec

Pumpkin Bowls
Brook Spicer, Murgon

Giant Pumpkin
Rick Laherty, 220kg, Kingaroy

Decorated Pumpkin
Prep to Year 2 – 1. Eli Richards; 2. Connor McCouat, Connor Richards; 3. Maddison Richards, Hannah Dascombe, Kayla Dascombe
Years 3-5 – 1. Jacinta Rockemer, Renee Gillard; 2. Carissa Dascombe
Years 6-7 – Kaylee McKewen
Open – 1. Damian Green, 2. Fiona Richards

Whipcracking
8 years & under – 1. Clayton Reimers, Murgon; 2. Kadel Herton, Kyora
9-12 years – 1. Jordan Reeves, Caboolture; 2. Heath Reimers, Murgon; 3. Will Schasser, Goomeri
13-15 years – Teana Reeves, Caboolture
16 years & over – Colin Erbacher

And the Great Australian Pumpkin Roll for 2013 kicks off with the Sponsors Challenge

Daniel Villamon, 6, from Goomeri, with Sarah Hooper, from Murgon

Gwendolen Rooks-Naylor, 4, from Nanango, was ready to roll
Pumpkins come in all shapes and sizes …
… and off it goes, leaving most of its smaller cousins in its wake
Some of the large crowd that queued patiently waiting for their chance to roll
Men and their pumpkins … Gympie Regional Council’s Cr Mick Curran, Mayor Ron Dyne and Deputy Mayor Tony Perrett

Brenda Rooks, from Goomeri, was dressed for the occasion

Kiera Mickelo, 10, and Celeste Purcell, from Murgon, were having a ball
Bob Youngman, from Burpengary, was “assistant pumpkin roll judge”, helping Deryck Smith, from Boondall, who has been looking after this important task for 14 years

Cooper Dimmick, 2, from Toowoomba, was imagining life as a fireman in ‘L’il Squirt’

The Smashing Bumpkins drew a good crowd to the stage in Dickinson Park
Donna McLean, Owen Johnston and Karen and Marc Davis, from Hervey Bay, brought over vehicles for the car show
Robert Lingard, from Gympie, with his 1925 Chevy hotrod which he built 11 years ago
At the car show were Glenn and Karin Bryan, and Terry and Rhonda Mackrell, from Nanango