Meet the cowboy & cowgirl behind

Double Barrel Entertainment

Lifting the profile of rodeo, one bucking bull at a time

Mark & Jo Kestel rodeo’d together for years – travelling up and down the country, riding rough stock, judging events, bull riding, barrel racing and donning clown outfits. They sat on both sides of the rodeo fence – as spectator and competitor. They know what works and what doesn’t.

Their combined experience results in events that appeal to a broader audience. Their aim is to introduce rodeo to the wider WA community.

Mark Kestel

Mark Kestel

Jo Kestel - Rodeo Queen
Jo Kestel – Rodeo Queen
Their first event was at the Beerfarm in Metricup in WA’s south-west. Selling out the 3000 tickets 2 days before the event was a great result for the first-time event promoters. And the feedback across social media and the web was extremely positive.

From here, Double Barrel Entertainment stepped in to take over the running of the Harvey Dickson Rodeo, and they haven’t looked back.

Plans are well underway to make this event at Boyup Brook, one of Western Australia’s largest and best family festivals of rodeo, country music and camping.

 

Why does DBE make their rodeos a music and camping festival as well?

You’ll be hard pressed to find a cowboy that doesn’t enjoy a sing-a-long to their favourite tune or a sleep out under the stars. And if you’re heading off to watch a rodeo, chances are you’ve got a little bit of cowboy running through your veins.

That’s why a DBE event combines rodeo with music and camping – it’s a chance for you to embrace your inner Jack or Jillaroo, watch some A-grade entertainment and enjoy a festival of fun.

A DBE event isn’t just about watching the action in the arena. It’s also about you, your family and your friends creating life-long memories.

We know that music brings people together; that camping gives you the opportunity to meet people from all walks of life. So, we bring the two together for truly unforgettable events.

You can either watch the live bands to get your toes tapping or you can sit around your campfire with your radio or guitar. Either way, DBE provide the venue to make music and camping the soundtrack and backdrop of your life.

Double Barrel Entertainment | Family friendly rodeo events
Hunta
Double Barrel Entertainment Country Music Events

How does a DBE event help the host town?

Double Barrel Entertainment is all about community. One of our earliest events was to help keep the rodeo community together in Boyup Brook. And when we hold an event, we want the local residents to be an integral part of it and share in the day. Wherever possible we use local suppliers for the event, including:

  • Food Vans
  • Beverages
  • Ice
  • Equipment hire
  • Support and security staff
  • Market stalls

Our events are coordinated with the local shires to help showcase the region and provide benefits to local business and the district, as a whole.

Meet Mark Kestel

How did you get started in rodeo?

I grew up in Carnamah which is about 300 kms north of Perth. I’d always loved horses and stock animals but had absolutely no intention of ever riding bucking ones.

The first rodeo I attended was in 1977. Much later at the tender age of 28, I was attending a rock festival at Bindoon where I watched spectators from the crowd getting on bulls after the main bull ride. I thought they were absolutely nuts! I had to see who these lunatics were and headed to the chutes for a closer look. The rest is history.

 

The next thing I know I’m behind the chutes and on my first bull. I may not have made the 8-second requirement, but I was hooked. For the next 10 years, I travelled this great country, meeting a huge cross-section of the community and having an absolute blast! I met my future wife, the love of my life, and I married the Queen of Rodeo, my darling Jo.

What’s the best thing about rodeo?

You can’t deny that there’s something addictive about the adrenaline and endorphin rush you get riding rodeo. If it wasn’t, we wouldn’t put our bodies through it every competition. But what keeps us riding longer than we probably should is the friendships and levels of respect that form amongst the competitors. Sure, we’re trying to beat each other, but you honestly want your mate to do their best. And you really want your mate to do well against their head of stock.

Why is rodeo important?

For me, rodeo is more than a competitive sport. It’s much more than the winning. I think rodeo is important today because of the community spirit it evokes for everyone involved. Traditionally Rodeos were great opportunities to bring together people who were used to living in relative isolation on their stations. It was an opportunity to catch up, swap stories and settle arguments about who was the best in the arena. That sense of community is still alive today in the regions that hold a rodeo event. It provides an avenue for young men and women to channel their energy and focus into a positive event. It shows them there are no limitations in your life, except the ones you place on yourself. Because if you have the guts to get on a bull or a bronc and buck out of that chute, then you have the courage to do almost anything you can dream of.

Meet Jo Kestel

Jo Kestel with Clancy & Cash
(pictured with Clancy & Cash)

Childhood Memories

I grew up loving horses. Horses are the sunrise of my life..

I was lucky enough to have the best parents in the world – they accommodated my need for horses… I was inspired at an early age of growing up on a farm, my Dad loved horses. Mum and Dad use to go to the Northam rodeo many yeas ago now, I loved it…

I couldn’t talk about my life in rodeo without mentioning a few very special people, Harold Adkins, Bud Crockett, Sharon McCarthy and Sharon Piggott the ones that helped me with competing, helped me reach goals I’m forever grateful for. I love the ones that inspired me. These people instilled courage and taught me to have fire in my belly and to grace an arena with professionalism and to encourage and to show others to love the sport of rodeo..

My first encounter with rodeo was through my parents and then I met Harold Adkins when I was 16yrs old, at the old Stampede Arena in Bullsbrook – the rest is history …

I loved everything to do with rodeo, rodeo was alive and pumping back then.. Some of the best New Years Eve Rodeo’s were held at Stampede arena!!

Competing in Rodeo

I was competing for sometime before I ran for WA Rodeo Queen, I won and so then a year later I travelled to QLD to compete on a National level for Australian Rodeo Queen, won that in 1998/99, feels like back in the 1800’s now haha..

It made me grow as a person, I travelled to CANADA and into the USA, to represent AUSTRALIA..

I loved it, it was a whirlwind of magic time in my life…

Rodeo gives back to you through the rodeo family an invisible thread of loyalty between us all towards the sport we are all so passionate about.. we care about it you live and breathe it, and to love the fans that just keep coming back for more and keep rodeo alive in the state of WA, I personally thank you …

I Meet my husband at a Rodeo

I met my husband in the rodeo arena and still to this day I love and adore him.

We care about rodeo, we live and breathe it. And we love the fans that keep coming back for more and keep rodeo alive in the state of WA, I personally thank you.

What’s the best thing about rodeo?

What I love most about rodeo is the community. Everyone always looks out for each other, helping you and encouraging you to always do your best. There are friendships formed on the rodeo circuit that last a lifetime.

Why is rodeo important to you today?

Rodeo is a great opportunity to get the whole family together and to do something out in the open air, away from screens and social media. It’s a chance to see cowboys and cowgirls doing what they love and for people to see just how much they love their animals and stock.