Isa Rodeo Hall of Fame honours Lees and McCarthy
The Isa Rodeo Hall of Fame will induct Terry Lees OAM and Neville McCarthy during the Mount Isa Mines Rodeo at Buchanan Park Events Complex from Friday 7th August to Sunday 9th August 2026.
After a one-year pause, the Hall of Fame Inductee Dinner returns to the Mount Isa Mines Rodeo in 2026. The event highlights people whose service and results helped shape the outback show.
Organisers describe Mount Isa as the largest rodeo in the Southern Hemisphere. Over decades, volunteers, competitors and community leaders helped turn a regional rodeo into a national tourism and sporting event.
In 2026, Lees is being honoured for service and community leadership. McCarthy is being recognised for elite saddle bronc riding on the Australian Professional Rodeo Association circuit.
Terry Lees OAM
Terry Lees OAM first became involved with the rodeo in 1976. He later served as chairman of the Mount Isa Rotary Rodeo during a period of growth and change.
At that time, Rotary members and other volunteers built fences, ran working bees, welcomed competitors and managed logistics. Their work helped keep the Mount Isa Mines Rodeo operating and expanding.
Lees has described his “three great passions” as rodeo, radio and Rotary. That mix made him part of the volunteer backbone behind the event for years.
During Lees’s era, the rodeo strengthened ties with the Australian Professional Rodeo Association. It also expanded its reach and continued raising money for local charities and community projects.
Lees said: “I am deeply honoured and genuinely humbled to accept induction into the Isa Rodeo Hall of Fame… The Isa Rodeo has always represented far more than a rodeo to me, it reflects the spirit, resilience, and generosity of the Mount Isa community.”
Neville McCarthy
Neville McCarthy joins the Hall of Fame as a champion saddle bronc rider and three-time APRA Australian Champion. His best years came in the late 1970s and early 1980s.
McCarthy’s consistency, control and competitive instinct lifted him among the leading names in Australian saddle bronc riding. He competed when Mount Isa already drew many of the nation’s best riders.
During that period, Mount Isa had firmly established itself as the largest rodeo in the Southern Hemisphere. As a result, the arena became a major proving ground for top rough stock riders.
McCarthy competed in an era that demanded toughness, precision and courage. His record placed him among the standout riders of Australian rodeo in the late 1970s and early 1980s.
The 2026 Mount Isa Mines Rodeo, presented by Akubra, will run at Buchanan Park Events Complex on George Street and Sutton Street, Mount Isa, Queensland 4825.
Daily entry passes are listed at $50 for adults, $35 for pensioners and $20 for children aged eight to 17. Meanwhile, a three-day adult pass costs $120.
