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Time-juggling young mum manages two children, 800 cattle and a turf club

14 August 2022

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By Darren Cartwright

When not mustering hundreds of head of livestock on a 200,000-acre cattle station or caring for her two young children, Kyrraley Woodhouse heads up the committee of Boulia Turf Club.

The time-juggling wiz became one of, if not, the youngest ever female president of a Queensland race club when she took on the honorary position no one wanted.

Kyrraley was just 24 years old and a mother of a one-year-old when she put her hand up to be President of Boulia Turf Club, 250km south of Mt Isa, three years ago.

She had never been a committee member nor not had much to do with horse racing, in general, before becoming president.

Her only encounter with the yearly Easter Saturday thoroughbred meeting was several years ago when the club needed a clerk of the course although she is adept at racing camels.

Kyrraley rode this year's winner at the Boulia Camel Races.

“I was a clerk of the course because they had nobody to do that, and no, I hadn’t had much to do with the horse racing, but I’ve raced camels,” she said with delight.

When she heard the club was searching for a president, she didn’t hesitate to offer her time as the once-a-year meeting had been a highlight for the outback shire’s population of about 440.

The race day is packaged-up with a rodeo and a Campdraft and, along with a three-day camel meeting in July, they are the town’s biggest events on the calendar.

“Being only a small racing committee and small town, they had no one else to fill the position so I decided to put my hand up,” Kyrraley said.

“You can’t have a committee without a president and being only a small committee and small town, it is one of the highlights of our year, and I thought I would have a go.”

In taking on the role, with no experience as a committee member, Kyrraley has become one of eight females, from 125 race clubs throughout the state, to be either a president or chair.

And she has fulfilled her duties while having a second child and, along with her husband Tom, continued to manage their (80,000 hectare) cattle station with about 900 breeders, 130km east of Boulia.

However, bad timing and bad luck have meant she has yet to see a race during her time as president.

Floods washed out the first meeting she had helped plan and stewards called off the second meeting about an hour before the first race because the track was too hard.

Boulia Turf Club's race track each April is a hive activity with thoroughbred races, campdrafting and camel races.

“When we didn’t race last year, but everybody still supported us and we put on foot races, wheelbarrow races, a dash-for-cash, lolly toss for the kids,” she said.

“It was a ‘what can we do moment’, to keep the crowd entertained.”

Even though this year’s meeting went ahead, she was unable to attend the five-race card.

Kyrraley travelled to Newcastle so her relatives could meet one-year-old Clancy, born during COVID lockdown, and reunite with four-year-old Charlie.

“This year we finally managed to race, but I didn’t get to attend as I went to Newcastle to see my family,” Kyrraley explained.

“None of my family had met Clancy and the only time we could go was during school holidays as Charlie is in kinder now.”

Filling in for Kyrraley on race day was vice-president and her sister-in-law Amy Woodhouse who had previously served three years as secretary.

“Our secretary and treasurer did a wonderful job and our vice-president Amy managed everything I should have,” she said.

Even with more than 230 days until their next yearly meeting, the Bouila Turf Club committee is heavily planning the Easter Saturday event.

A vet has been booked and the committee has approached potential sponsors for each race.

“The hardest thing we have found was organising a vet for the day, especially in this area as we don’t have many vets out west,” she said.

“We ended up organising a fly-in vet from Murwillumbah this year, but we have already booked a vet for next year and all of our trophies have been put out for sponsorship.”

And her advice for any female, young or old, who wants to be president or chair of a race club, no matter how small or big: “just go for it, it’s not that scary”. 

Next meeting: April 8, 2023