MUSTER is a word synonymous with the Australian outback and regional and rural Western Australia, its legendary status has even led to a Hollywood blockbuster, Australia, and arena spectaculars dedicated to showcasing the skills required.
Musters and rodeos go hand-in-hand, with horsemanship being a coveted skill to be a good stockman.
Over the years the name may have changed, but the events have always been part of the fabric of regional communities.
It is only fitting that the Royal Agricultural Society of WA (RASWA) has planned, organised and launched The Muster - a new, exciting and immersive festival, teased as a country music and rodeo event.
It is the first of its nature and scale to be held in Perth.
"Horsemanship is an integral part of the beef industry in WA," said RASWA chief executive officer Robyn Sermon.
"WA has more than two million head of cattle and the industry has strong connections to its past when the muster work was completed on horseback, by skilled riders, as it is still today in many cases."
The origins of Australian rodeo are in the outback with the stockmen and women and drovers who pioneered the overland stock routes and the huge sheep and cattle stations of the north, Ms Sermon said.
"Since the 1880s in Australia there have been rodeos that were initially known as bushmen's carnivals," she said.
"These events became a natural extension of the stockman's skill in capturing feral or wild cattle and traditionally raised funds for local charities.
"These events have been a large part of agricultural shows and regional life.
"This is a tradition that still carries on and it is also part of why rodeo and barrel racing and other horse riding events are so popular in regional WA.
"There used to be small rodeo events at the Royal Show in years gone by, but generally there hasn't been anything like this held in the city regularly."
Coupling an iconic event such as a rodeo with country's favourite form of storytelling - song - is a match made in heaven
"Country music tells the stories of the people living and working on the land and will bring people together to share and celebrate the community spirit of regional WA," Ms Sermon said.
The Claremont Showgrounds is by far the most appropriate venue for such an event and its status, as the home of agriculture in the city, to all Western Australians solidifies this fact.
There is nothing that can compare to growing up in the country, being part of amazing communities providing support networks that are unparalleled, is a huge part of what makes life so great in regional WA.
RASWA is also a vital part of that same rural and regional network, it is the link between those communities and the city and it has been for more than 193 years.
A not-for-profit organisation, RASWA holds a special place for farmers and other members of the agricultural industry in WA, with its co-ordination and management of the Perth Royal Show being a significant factor in maintaining positive experiences with farming practices and education for many city dwellers.
The showgrounds site is less than 10 kilometres from the CBD and has been in service to the WA community for more than 100 years.
The ability to have such a positive influence for agriculture is the basis for RASWA's plans for the future and for the amazing historical space that is its homebase, according to Ms Sermon.
"The showgrounds and the RASWA have been through some tough years," she said.
"COVID contributed to this, but there were other factors that added to the issues, such as a few wet shows, and this made things difficult in terms of being able to upgrade or improve infrastructure on a large scale.
"There have always been plans to improve and maintain the facilities, it is an amazing venue with so much potential, but as a not-forprofit organisation we rely heavily on government and corporate sponsorship just to deliver the show, which has limited what has been achievable in improving the infrastructure ."
However, in just her first year in the position there has been a noticeable shift, with the reinvigoration of the showgrounds and RASWA well underway.
Ms Sermon is the first female CEO in 193 years, giving her the incentive to show how much faith and confidence she has in the agricultural industry and prove the industry's relevance to everyone in the State.
"I am a proud country person from WA and have some beautiful memories of the show and so I really love the advocacy RASWA does for WA agriculture," she said.
"I have had the amazing opportunity to speak to hundreds of people over the past year and everyone has a story of their own relating to the showgrounds and the Royal Show.
"Last year we brought more agriculture back into the show and it was really well received.
"We have this amazing opportunity as a society to showcase regional WA and agriculture, and we are going to try and do a lot more of that throughout the year, not just during the show.
"It is a real privilege to be a part of bringing it back to life."
It is this drive to more fully utilise the showgrounds for the purpose of showcasing regional WA, country and ag, that led to the concept of The Muster and its eventual manifestation.
RASWA commercial manager Michelle Carey said she was also excited to be a part of all that was happening at RASWA and the showgrounds.
"The Muster has taken about three months in total to organise from concept to fruition," Ms Carey said.
"When we started we wanted the focus to be more on country themes and food, but the idea evolved.
"We are proud of what we have achieved in this amount of time and the event that has been planned."
Ms Carey said the colossal popularity of television series Yellowstone and resurgence of country music, through the currency of artists such as Keith Urban and Taylor Swift, who have taken on the mainstream pop world, has proven the country theme is at peak relevance in 2023.
Touted as a rodeo and country music extravaganza set to spark the Claremont Showgrounds and Perth city's pulse in a surprising and action packed format, the inaugural installment of The Muster is set for Sunday, May 13.
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So hold onto your hats and enjoy the ride.
The Muster will bring together some of Australia's best country artists on the same bill as a wildly exciting rodeo, that is part of The Australian Bushmen's Campdraft and Rodeo Association's official competition circuit.
Headlining acts and stars of the stage include national legends Lee Kernaghan and Kasey Chambers, as well as Melbourne country stars Kingswood touring their sixth album, Home.
Aria-award winner Casey Barnes and super-exciting star-of-the-future Amy Sheppard are all part of an outstanding roster of artists bringing their own brand of contemporary country to the city.
There will also be local acts via a country music battle of the bands, hosted by The School of Rock.
Presenting the thrill of rodeo to the showground for the first time is Double Barrel Entertainment, one of the country's foremost rodeo promoters.
The Muster promises to be an eye-opening, adrenaline-charged spectacle for aficionados and newcomers to the sport alike.
"Not only will people enjoy a line-up of some of Australia's best known and loved country music performers, but they will get to watch about 150 competitors compete in rodeo qualifying events over seven hours, battling toward a nail-biting final heat to be staged just as the sun sets," Ms Sermon said.
The Muster embraces a complete entertainment package including:
Mechanical bucking bulls for those wanting to chance their arm
Ute muster - with a People's Choice priz for the day's beaut ute
Fire shows with eating, twirling and burning hoops
Silent wild west disco to tempt your boot scooting skills or for a fun hoedown
Full roster of food and licensed refreshment trucks
Carnival rides and
Spectacular fireworks display to conclude the event.
The first round of tickets were offered to those who registered for the early bird offer, with initial teaser emails sent to RASWA members and Perth Royal Show email listings.
This ingenious twist saw The Muster bathed in mystery, with recipients given snippets of information that left them wanting to know more, setting a tone of anticipation from the outset.
"This marketing was all done by our own team," Ms Sermon said.
It certainly worked as the early bird allocation of tickets sold out in two days, as did the VIP allocation.
"The ticket sales have exceeded our expectations, the uptake has been unbelievable," Ms Carey said.
"With the VIP selling out in the pre-sale, we have had to make some logistical changes to be able to offer more."
The Muster is very different from the events that the showgrounds usually host, other than the Royal Show, because while events such as the caravan and camping show utilise the venue - they are essentially other groups hiring the space.
"The Muster is our event, we are running it, so all proceeds return to RASWA," Ms Sermon said.
"We will employ 250-300 people specifically for the event."
This new approach to marketing and maximising the use of the showgrounds, infrastructure and facilities has had the added benefit of expanding the permanent employee base for RASWA.
"Previously our show model would see us ramp up about two to three months prior to the show and we would hire specifically for this short-term,'' Ms Sermon said.
"Our new approach has allowed us to get great people onboard, full time, all year, with even more opportunity to expand in the future."
While there are plans to continue RASWA planned and run events, such as The Muster, annually, the team has plans for upgrades and changes to allow the showgrounds and its venues and pavilions to be hired for anything from weddings to corporate events.
The Showground Redevelopment and Improvement Plan was announced by the WA Planning Minister Rita Saffioti in January.
RASWA had been considering redevelopment of the showgrounds and welcomed this small, but important, step.
The improvement plan enables RASWA to continue progressing the future redevelopment directly with the State government.
Publishing the Improvement Plan does not commit RASWA to any specific development projects but paves the way for more detailed planning and community consultation.
The RASWA team is working on a detailed concept plan with a focus on the continued operation of the Perth Royal Show and community infrastructure, and that plan will be used as the basis for wide consultation this year.
Naturally, with such an iconic site there has been extensive interest in the site's development and working with the State and the community will be RASWA's key focus in the formative stages.
The Claremont Showgrounds is WA's biggest multi-purpose event venue, sitting on more than 13 hectares of land.
The vast grounds offer a plethora of venue hire options for countless events from international conferences, corporate events, a variety of dance competitions, trade expos, weddings, food and beverage events and more.
There are endless opportunities and it is great to see the innovation and enthusiasm RASWA has embraced to raise its profile and actively maintain the viability of the country heart of the city.
Tickets went on sale Thursday, March 16. The admission price includes public transport to and from the event and people are encouraged, when buying their tickets online, to also purchase drink tokens, parking and merchandise as there will be no ATMs at The Muster.
