Aussie blokes run scared
They’re as rare as rain in the outback and apparently as flightless as an Emu – and Fieldays organiser Vicki Annison is not sure if they still exist. True blue Aussie rural bachelors, that is.
It would appear Aussie rural bachelors aren’t all they’re cracked up to be – truth be told, they’re as rare as rain on Ayers Rock.
In fact, faced with the pride of rural New Zealand, it looks as if they’re running scared.
Entries to the Fieldays Rural Bachelor of the Year competition have had to be reluctantly extended by the organisers after a lack of suitable Australian applicants.
Entries for the competition held at the National Fieldays at Mystery Creek in June were meant to close last Monday but due to the lack of interest from Australian bachelors, the closing date has been extended until Friday May 17.
The competition sets the bachelors a number of tasks commonly (and sometimes not so commonly) associated with rural bachelor lifestyle.
Organisers of the event are not clear why there was a lack of Australian entries.
“I’m not sure if they’re just intimidated by the local competition or what,” said Fieldays communications executive Vicki Annison.
This year is the first time Australians have been invited to join the competition.
“We wanted to bring the international flavour to the Rural Bachelor of the Year contest and that’s why we are inviting competitors from Australia for the first time.”
The rural blokes will be judged on their technical skills, innovation, enthusiasm and crowd involvement.
The eight bachelors will be vying for the Rural Bachelor of the Year title as well as a $20,000-plus prize pool, including a Suzuki quad bike.
Contestants must be male and aged 18 years or older and be employed in the rural industry.
The eight finalists will be announced next week.
