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No bull! Run returns

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Bull run
Cheers to the return of the great event. Photo: Matt Nicholls

Modesty went out the window and the PC brigade was turned away as a world-famous event was revived in true Weipa style on Sunday morning.

The Running of the Bulls has had more comeback attempts than John Farnham, but 2021 should be known as the year it was officially revived.

Around 30 people took off their kit and did a nude lap of Circular Way in Weipa, about a 1.5km loop.

Lit up by the moon and a few streetlights, the eager herd carried plastic bags and buckets, hopeful that enough residents had stayed up past 1am to make a charitable donation to the Royal Flying Doctor Service.

Turns out, they did. While numbers were not the same as the halcyon days of the 90s, around 100 people stayed out for a stickybeak and reached into their pockets for a lifesaving service.

More than $1000 was raised for the RFDS, with that number still rising with both current and former Weipa residents now chipping in after hearing word of the successful revival.

Traditionally held on the first Saturday night after the first storm of the wet season, organisers of this year’s Running of the Bulls had just 24 hours to get the event off the ground after a thunderstorm rocked Weipa on Friday night.

Bull run
Runners collect money along Circular Way. This group was waiting patiently for them to walk past. Photo: Matt Nicholls

“We were really happy with how it went. It was a lot of fun,” said chief organiser Sasha Busch.

“Everyone was in good spirits and no one did anything silly.

“Most importantly, we raised some money for the Flying Doctors.”

The first Running of the Bulls occurred in 1993 and became a major RFDS fundraiser, but it didn’t start out that way.

“No one really thought we were fair dinkum,” said original runner Dave Mullavey.

Inspired by a TV show that featured some men from a rural town in Alaska that ran through the streets to celebrate the end of winter, Mr Mullavey applied the same logic in Weipa.

Running of the bulls
Rattling the bucket for RFDS.
Photo: Matt Nicholls.

“The show got me thinking … here we are in a little community. We could probably do that when we get our first rain after the dry season,” he said.

“It would be great to have our own Running of the Bulls.”

While enjoying a few beers with his good mate Nigel Gould, who ended up running the show for years to come, Mr Mullavey shared his idea.

“Nigel spread the word and there was a lot of interest – everyone was talking about it, wanting to know about it.”

The first rains came and Mr Mullavey was obligated to do his nude run.

“I just could not get out of it in the end. It was too late; I came up with the idea and I couldn’t very well back out.

“I was too scared to even get on the grog.”

At 3am on a moonlit night in October 1993, 13 blokes abandoned their clothes in celebration of the wet season.

“It looked like there were only going to be about four of us run, then right at the last minute down came a crowd,” Mr Mullavey said.

The decision to use the run to raise money for the RFDS came a year later. Within a couple of years, the event became known around the world after a documentary crew filmed it.

Running of the bulls
Clothes are overrated if you ask some. Photo: Matt Nicholls.

Music icon Madonna was also rumoured to be interested in attending one year.

When key organisers left town, the Running of the Bulls died off, with a handful of semi-serious attempts to revive it since.

However there are hopes the 2021 effort will be the start of bigger things to come in years ahead.

“There was a lot of interest this year and heaps of people were keen to see how it went,” said Ms Busch, who hopes to see it return to its glory days.

Mr Gould, who now works in Western Australia, said the original runners would be proud of the 2021 crew.

“The first run is the hardest but now that’s done, next year will be much easier,” he said.

“We raised a lot of money for the RFDS over the years and they are an essential service to Cape York.”

Cape York Weekly 26 October 2021

This article appeared in Cape York Weekly, 26 October 2021.

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