COUNTY LIFE
Kids from ‘Down Under’ ready to rodeo Texas-style
By BARBARA GREEN
They may be 9,000 miles apart, but when it comes to kids and rodeo, it’s one big family.
Two Australian families spent the last week in Bowie receiving assistance with horses for their children to compete in a junior youth rodeo in South Texas.
A team of 22 youth from the Australia Junior Rodeo Association were invited to compete at a Texas Youth Rodeo Association final in Gonzales this week. The children are ages 10-12.
After being selected for the team, the riders had the choice to work with the group in obtaining horses for the event or they could out-source the horses.
Jackie Priestley is mom to 11-year-old Olivia, traveling with father, Ben, and brother Jack. Louisa Hutton is mom to Thomas, age 12, with his dad, Terry.
The Priestleys live at Black Hill and the Huttons in Maitland, both in New South Wales, just north of Sydney, Australia.
They decided to out-source horses, which led them to Montague County. Priestley explains she has an “Aussie” friend, Rodney Lidgard, who lives at Nocona, so she called him to see if he could help them out.
“I rang him up,” said Priestley, “and said we need to get some good horses. He put us on to Charmie Sanders and Cindy Hedeman, and they have been terrific.”
Read the full feature in your weekend News.
Olivia Priestley Halliday runs the barrels. (Photo by Barbara Green)
Thomas Hutton learns goat-tying. (Photo by Barbara Green)
Bowie Community Development presented awards to the window decoration contest during the Candy Cane Sip & Stroll. Gaylynn Burris of the BCDB presented Rustic Wings/Belle Rose Boutique with the first place award. Second place went to Rustic Rose Furniture and Treasures. Studio 81 Tattoos and Hwy 59 Boutique were third and fourth place winners. The contest is sponsored by Bowie Community Development.
See photos of all the winners in the weekend Bowie News.
Jan. 1, 2025 is the first day of a new elected term for many Montague County officials. There will be a swearing-in ceremony at 9:30 a.m. on Jan. 1 in the courthouse annex.
The public is invited to attend with refreshments to follow.
Officials being sworn in are: Sheriff Marshall Thomas, County Attorney, Commissioner One Roy Darden, Commissioner Three Mark Murphey, Constables Jerry DeMoss and Harvey Johnson and Tax Assessor Kathy Phillips.
By BARBARA GREEN
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Captain Kent Stagg of the Bowie Police Department recalls a friend told him, “I was a cop before I was cop” looking back to a childhood where he always played the cop for cops and robbers, and his bicycle had a siren.
It makes him smile as he recalls being something of a “geek” who always knew he was going to be a lawman. More than 30 years later as he retires from a career in law enforcement, including the past 20 at Bowie PD, he looks back on a life of service in the only career he wanted.
At the age of 56, Stagg ends this part of his working career on Dec. 31, but he is looking forward to new opportunities and spending time with his dad, Lowell, who has battled some significant health issues in the last year, but is doing much better ready to enjoy time with his son.
Stagg grew up in Alvord the adopted son of Lowell and the late Wanda Stagg, who passed in October 2022. He graduated from Alvord High in 1986 and spent much of his teen years running around Bowie. Lowell worked as a purchasing agent for Southland Corporation in Dallas. This veteran lawman had various influences when he was growing up including friends and family who were in law enforcement.
“I think just seeing the officers in their uniforms and being around them brought home to me the notion of what the police did. I watched all the TV cop shows and they were entertaining but maybe not true,” recalls Stagg.
Read the full feature in your weekend Bowie News.
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