A couple of big cats, after visiting the Nanango Arts Society tent … Isaiah and Alex McCracken (Photo: Clive Lowe)

October 7, 2014

Nanango was the place to be on Saturday with huge markets, a race meeting, the King and Queen of the Mountain foot races plus the annual Heritage Mardi Gras Festival.

This year’s Mardi Gras was shifted forward a week to coincide with the South Burnett & Cherbourg On Show long weekend promotion.

It was also moved later in the day to allow spectators to visit the markets in the morning as well as take in the Heritage Mardi Gras Cup race meeting.

It all made for a very busy Saturday in Nanango …

The changes may have confused some people but even so, a reasonable crowd turned out to watch the start of the King of the Mountain footrace.

Numbers then steadily built up as the time for the street parade drew close.

The parade was led by Mardi Gras princess Richelle Bethke in a white Ford Mustang.

She was followed by pipers, Army Cadets, soccer players and lots of interesting motor vehicles.

The focus of the entertainment then shifted to Pioneer Park where there were stalls, rides and live music topped off by fireworks.

[Photos by Clive Lowe Photography and South Burnett Online]

And they’re off … the start of the 2014 King of the Mountain foot race
The guys and gals from the South Burnett Gas Guzzlers had lots of entries in the parade
(Photo: Clive Lowe)

The parade featured everything from fire engines to alpacas and this friendly panda

Mardi Gras Princess Richelle Bethke and runner-up Thea Applebee led the parade
The junior soccer players from the Panthers took the parade theme of “Farming Families” literally … becoming cattle, sheep, ducks and pigs  (Photo: Clive Lowe)

Hatz for all tastes … Barry Goodwell was kept busy (Photo: Clive Lowe)

Gabby Wooler, from Yarraman, is a cracker with a whip (Photo: Clive Lowe)
 The taekwon-do team limber up before the parade (Photo: Clive Lowe)

Garry Sippel, from Dreamtime Reptiles, with one of his friends (Photo: Clive Lowe)

Graham Rattledge with his model biplane (Photo: Clive Lowe)
“Boney Bones” with his three new friends … Sam, Ben and Alex King (Photo: Clive Lowe)
Clarissa and Natalee Taylor and Madeline and Darryl Zipf, from Nanango, were enjoying some hot snacks as they listened to the music on stage 

Hill 60 entertained into the evening
(Photo: Clive Lowe)

Cherbourg band Deadly Wayz kicked off the entertainment in Pioneer Park

King & Queen Of The Mountain

There were some familiar faces on the winners’ dais after the running of the traditional King and Queen Of The Mountain footraces.

Like the parade, the races were also shifted to the afternoon, but the change didn’t seem to effect the times that were recorded.

2014 “King” is Andrew Cross, from Nanango, who won in a time of 9 min 07 sec. Cross was runner-up in both 2012 and 2013.

Katinka Von Elsner-Wellsteed, who was Princess of the Mountain in the past two years, won Queen of the Mountain.

Katinka formerly lived in the South Burnett but relocated to Brisbane this year so she could attend school at Sheldon College, Australia’s first designated “Triathlon School of Excellence”.

Another “old face” was Nanango runner Robert Andress, who won the  Veterans class in the King of the Mountain. This was Robert’s 30th King of the Mountain event.

An innovation in the competition this year was the “Litlin Dash”, races for children aged 7-8 (400m), 9-10 (800m) and 11-12 (1000m).

Race organiser Rod Morgan, right, congratulates King of the Mountain winner Andrew Cross; second was Hamilton Andrews, left; and third, Jack Andress; all three runners are from Nanango

7/8s girls … Abbie Renouf-Dowdle, 1st, right; and Maleah Roberts, 2nd

7/8s boys winner
was Liam Brown

9/10s winner Kaitlin Brown ran the 800m course in 4 min 33 sec

KOM Veterans’ class was won by Robert Andress, right, in 11 min 30 sec, from Peter Gray

11/12s placegetters … Macey Roberts, centre, 1st in 4 min 30 sec; Georgie Pascoe, 2nd, and Chloe Ludlow, 3rd

Prince of the Mountain winner Hamilton Andrews, centre, won in 9 min 35 sec from Trey Cazaly and Brock Mathews
Katinka Von Elsner-Wellsteed, second from left, won Queen of the Mountain in 9 min 34 sec; Princess of the Mountain was  Meg Roberts (Nanango) in 10:44;  Jude Andrews won the Women’s Veteran category in 12:15; a special award was presented to Carmen Burnett for her effort in the race 
Aaron and Rebecca Burnett helped Carmen (“Carmie”) Burnett in the Queen of the Mountain race

Mardi Gras Parade

Winners:

  • Humorous – The Flying Peanut (Endeavour Foundation)
  • Schools – There were no schools so prize went to the Cadets
  • Farming – Panthers Soccer Club

Overall:

  • 1. Gas Guzzlers
  • 2. Waterhole Rocks