Bunny Basher

Heard about Greg Meech's fatal bull ride and thought I would post this article for those that are interested....sad stuff especially for his wife and kids.RIP

Champion Caboolture rodeo rider Greg Meech has died after a massive 900kg bull stomped on his chest.
The 33-year-old father of two and former Ipswich resident, Mr Meech, 33, was competing in the Brothers City of Ipswich Rodeo at Brothers Leagues Club on Saturday night.
Normally round one of the National Rodeo Association (NRA) National Finals Rodeo, with no horses allowed due to Equine Influenza, the rodeo went ahead as a showcase of the nation's best bull riders.
Every one of the NRA's top 10 bull riders were competing among a field of 45 open bull riders.
Jason Hall, who organised Saturday night's rodeo in conjunction with Brothers Leagues Club, was the event announcer and also Mr Meech's friend.

He watched Mr Meech's ill-fated bull ride from the centre of the ring and went to Ipswich Hospital where he heard the terrible news.
"About 7pm he was on a bull called Yella Terra and he basically got bucked off and landed flat on his back," Mr Hall said yesterday.
"As its hind legs came down, one of its feet came down in the middle of his chest.
Greg Meech in action. Picture: National Rodeo Association.

"I was told at the hospital he had broken ribs, a ruptured spleen and a ruptured liver.
"He was being prepared to be transported to the Princess Alexandra Hospital for further treatment but they couldn't stabilise him enough for the trip so a doctor came from the PA.
"The doctor arrived about 12am but half an hour later he came down and said Greg didn't make it."
Mr Meech was wearing a protective vest at the time, Mr Hall said.
Unlike helmets, they are compulsory for rodeo riders.
"They're low velocity, high impact vests designed to spread the impact across the chest," he said.
"They're nearly identical to the ones jockeys wear.
"This bull was 900 kilos so the impact is very significant.
"Other times it would skid off the vest but this time it came straight down and there was no give because he was flat on his back on the ground."
The incident happened in the middle of the event.
It was the second round of the competition and Mr Meech's first ride of the night.
"After it happened, he climbed up the chute to get out of the way but then he lay back down on the ground," Mr Hall said.
"We had an ambulance on site and they stabilised him and transported him to hospital.
"Then we waited until a replacement ambulance arrived."
Mr Hall said Mr Meech had family in Ipswich and he used to live here before moving to Caboolture with his partner Shellie Harrison.
"He had probably been riding in rodeos for about 10 years," Mr Hall said.
"He broke his neck two and a half years ago when he fell off a bareback horse and was in a brace for six months.
"There were questions about whether he'd be able to compete again but he came back last year and was very successful.
"He had already won the all-round title this year and would have got a trophy at the end of the night. He was the leading bareback rider and third in bull riding."
Accidents were common in rodeos, Mr Hall said, but in his 25 years in the sport, Mr Meech was the first he knew personally who had been killed.
"I was pretty stunned last night. You don't expect that to happen," he said.
"The rodeo community is a fairly tight-knit community. It's like a family. It will have an effect but it won't stop bull riding.
"The next event is next weekend and most of the people from this weekend's event will be there.
"It's an accepted part of rodeos that people are going to get hurt but being killed is different, of course. We'll have to see in a week or two what the reaction is."
Police will prepare a report for the Coroner about Mr Meech's death.