Woohaha

Taken from Bush ball forced to get a new look



Bush ball forced to get a new look


Wednesday Jan 2 12:00 AEDT

By Josephine Asher

ninemsn

The bachelor-and-spinster ball is shedding its image as a feral bush bash.
Rockhampton's annual event has matured to attract an audience that expects more than just booze and utes doing doughnuts in the paddock.
The revamped ball, now called the Rocky New Year's Festival, has drawn the biggest crowd in the last 20 years — attracting 4000 revellers from rural and urban Australia, as well as from overseas, to a four-day party in Queensland's far north.
The festival now includes a day at the horse races, a cruise, picnic on Great Keppel Island and a "bow tie and bling ball" on New Year's Eve.
A rodeo and ute show still links the festival to its country roots, but event organiser Gary Stickley insists this is a more stylish affair than B&S balls of yore.
He said his festival committee found that the rough reputation associated with previous balls began driving people away.
"They simply became feral," he said.
"The ripped shirts, coloured dye and rough tackling all came in about 10 years ago and (the B&S balls) slowly deteriorated.
"The girls didn't want to go as they didn't want to get their dress ruined, and the boys got more feral as girls stopped going."
"Then the (liquor licensing and public liability) laws came in and that finished them off basically."
Mr Stickley said this year's committee conducted surveys to find out ways to style up the event, and the result is various music stages, big screens and a formal dress code.
"We're not using the term 'B&S' at this stage but we would love to use that again in the future," he said.
Although the festival includes fun games that pair men and women, he said most ball-goers did not see the festival as a singles event.
Mick Plumley, from the UK, said: "It doesn’t matter if you're with your life-long partner or on your own. Everyone gels".
"You meet people on the first day and because it's not just a one night thing, you meet some really good people over three or four days," he said.
Brooke Cumming, 19, from Rockhampton, said the festival's tradition has undergone a change.
"I honestly think in today's society you need this, where everyone can get together and have a good time over a few drinks," she said.
"It's not about bachelors and spinsters anymore. We're having a ball, literally."
Eleanor Donovan, from Sydney, said she has been coming to the Rocky festival for six years with school friends and uni friends.
"We make it a tradition to come here every year and get together," she said.
"I'm sure there's a lot of people who do come to pick up and make that the aim of the night," she said.
"Fashions change and what people drink changes but the idea of the event hasn't changed that much."
Brett Blaquibre, 18, who flew from Canada especially to go to "Sydney, The Great Barrier Reef and Rocky festival", agreed.
"There's quite a few couples here, but it's definitely a good place to pick up some chicks," he said.
But he wasn't convinced the "styling up" of the event would prevent the rowdiness B&S balls are famed for.
"It's going to get pretty feral later I think," he said.

__________________

Running On Empty

I don't like food dye or getting my clothes ripped personally, but FFS if thats the only reason to cancel a ball and turn it into yet another rave/hippy/dreadlock festival all i can say is what is this country coming to?

__________________

bundybabe

I think it's pretty stupid, & they didn't say if the money still goes to the community or what!
Most people going to B&S Balls know what to expect so they buy a cheap as dress & buy up bulk in soap for the days after!

__________________
Wilde&bundyfull

icemagic

I went this year... It was a really good to have a variation of places to go... I had heaps of fun with my mates and we met heaps of ppl...
The ball... well there wasnt a ute in sight (everyone loves seeing good looking utes.. yeah they did have a ute show), everyone was very clean and well dressed (better dressed than my school formal I'd say), everyone was put on a bus in the early hours of the morning and taken downtown for a street party...
I like the more casual bns's
I'm really glad I went... but its a tos up between Holbrook and Narrabri this year

__________________

Kiz

What a crock of shite.

Lucky Holbrook is still a "feral bush ball" for New Years!!

If you don't want you dress ruined or expect to get a bit messy then you go to your doof doof nightclub where you belong!

__________________

Bravo Rachie

sounds like the biggest load of crap ever... what are they trying to do? update the immage of a B&S so they can attract a few dollars from the townies?!

__________________
PEEP SHOW: Dosn't mean getting to see your presents before Christmas!




BACK IN THE GAME!

Jen

I think its shite you go to a ball to see mates and drink and have fun in the mean time you get covered in food die and every one has to amit the look you get the next day is the box you toy came in but as it has been said you go to a ball knowing what is going to happen

__________________
And i hear them saying you'll never change things
And no matter what you do it's still the same thing
But it's not the world that i am changing
I do this so this world will know
That it will not change me

from garth brooks song the change

dazza

If ppl are going to Turn a BNS BALL into a city thing then u can kiss good bye to the balls and some of the town that need a bns ball to live. I would go to a bns and day over a city event, at least with a ball u know u will come home alive nt like in the city waitng for the next stabing or drug overdose. U dont see that at ball. If u cant handle shirts ripped shop at the opp shop for ur ball gear girls and guys. Riped clothes, food dye, and lots of will feral action is the way of the bns balls in todays world if cant handel the stick to ur Mc Coffees at u Mc Donalds all u bns ball haters.

ROLL ON THE BNS BALL ITS PART OF AUSTRAILA"S LIFE STYLE WITH THE HOLDEN UTE< VICA LAWN MOWER AND THE HILLS HOIST CLOTHES LINE.......

__________________

Burgs

I have been to many B&S Balls and had a fantastic time im of the older generation and couldnt give a damn if dye came my way.I have never left with ripped gear neither has my partner.You can have fun and get pissed at any event but the b&s has an expectation of fun and lasting friendships.It seems that when something becomes so succesful the city slicker organisers get on the band wagon and style the events to get maximum people maximum dollar and throw the tradition out the window.Long Live B&S

__________________
You can ride a horse to water but you cant drive a UTE to petrol when shes empty

Red Country

do you guys realise this ball was founded a very long time ago, do you also realise it used to be an 11 day kamakazee bns ball??

also the money raised does go to charity and cancer??

if you dont like th eidea of a cleaner ball then fair enough but many of you are making assumptions about this ball when you know nothing about it or its histpry

__________________

Peta23

its bascilly not a BNS anymore. if you read the article about it, it says it a festival now and it states that they a throwing a "bow tie and bling ball" on New Year's Eve.. its doesnt state thats its a bns in that title doesnt it.
bascilly its just like the ball that rural youth throws in WA, the Pre-Harvest ball

__________________

Cowgirl Ally

MATE "FERAL AND PROUD OF IT" WOT NOW THEY WANT TO TURN BNS INTO A CITY DO MATE GO THE DIRT AND DUST THE FOOD DYE AND NOT TO MENTION THE CIRCLE WRK I THINK THEY NEED TO GET A LIFE" ITS JUST A BUSH THING"

Burgs

i would love to see the balance sheet to see what percentage dollar wise actually goes to charity and cancer .Not past history this new format.

__________________
You can ride a horse to water but you cant drive a UTE to petrol when shes empty

Red Country

Burgs they are non profit....

and I do see your point Peta about this article, clearly its not giving the event or the committee justice in any way and it doesnt give you a real look at the ball or the rest of the events over the festival period, to do that you should call the founder and have a chat to him them make up your minds..... i just spent over an hour on the phone to him the other day and have been in close contact for years, they are wonderfull people and do a massive amount for the local community and are trying to do posative things for balls on a whole

__________________

Peta23

well if this isnt doing them any justice, why dont they release a press release then

__________________

Beaut_XH

righto, so heres the thing, im a townie, even tho i spent a bit of time in Drouin, i was raised with the outlook of a bushie, to work hard, enjoy life and respect the fellow man.
now, we've cleared that up so i dont get flamed, im 17, nvr been to a BNS in my life, but im hangin out to attend at the end of this year, rock up in the ute, lay down some circles and cut sick with current and new found mates, but if this is what iv got to look forward to, ill say stuff it, ill go up the local padocks, rips some skids out there then come home and get drunk in the comfort of my lunge chair =]

bundyliscious

the article itself has noted that they are nor calling themselves a bns ball atm. which is fair enough because with four days of various events it is better described as a muster or festivel. Many people from the bns scene would go to this type of event for a change, and at the same time it is aimed at a broad market - well done, if it all goes to charity the more the merrier. bns balls are not the only events that are charity events - its jus the trend with balls are the charities are generally localised to their area.

However - The thought that the average "feral" bns scene will change its appearance to attract the city market I do not agree with. I'v seen a few good balls drop in numbers as the tried to tightent the strings on ball goers and had to change back to a more relaxed setting or they wouldnt survive - this is saying that the average ball goer is wanting and or willing to have this type of event and its working so far with a tweak and a twist on the rules as time goes on and laws change. Any regular bns ball'r will gladly give pointers to the un-educated on dress code. what to take and what to expect.

Leave the balls as they are - so many people from the city escape the city to the rural areas to experience the rural environment and culture - so why change our culture?? we would b ripping ourselves of many years of history and ripping the not so country cultured person of a chance to witness it.

COME IN MATE, PULL UP A HAY BALE, SHARE A BUNDY OR TWO AND HAVE A YACK ABOUT THE FOOTY! - YOU HAVE THE RIGHT TO LEAVE ANY TIME YOU LIKE BUT IF YOU COME IN HERE TO CHANGE WHAT WE'VE GOT - WE GONNA BOOT YA AR$E OUT THE BLOODY DOOR!

__________________

2wayChat

__________________

homer

__________________


www.ballsinthebush.org
www.myspace.com/homerv8
homer@ballsinthebush.org

NO BNS STICKERS ITS NOT A BNS UTE