HISTORY
How it all began ....
(taken from 1977 Compass Cup program)
The idea of the Cow Race came into being early one morning on a stud property just outside Mt Compass. Bet, the house cow, a 12-year-old Guernsey, was down the farm end of the paddock. On being called in for milking Bet headed full stretch for the milk shed. This action fired the imagination of a Rural Youth Adviser; and so the seed of the first Compass Cup was sown.
The idea was put to the next meeting of the Mt Compass Rural Youth, and was received with great enthusiasm. The first Compass Cup committee was formed and consisted of Peter Barker, Tom Giles, Phil Mott, Bill Epps, James Bond, Frank Novy and Brenton Ekers.
All, in their various ways, helped make the event what it is today. With very little money but a lot of confidence the first motion passed that this event was not going to be a rip-off, there would never be a charge for anyone to see the running of the Compass Cup. (Of course in 34 years that fantastic idea has had to be changed, they didn't have such high insurance premiums back then!!)
On February 24th, 1974 one thousand people saw eight cows lined up at the starting point and run the first ever Compass Cup. Getting the cows to the starting line was a feat in itself. The set course was about 40 yards. The winner of that first Cup was a cow with the racing name of "Dayana". She was a 12-year-old Guernsey cow.
The 1975 Compass Cup was run along the same lines as the previous year, only on a bigger scale. About 3,000 people attended - the Cup itself had 15 entries. "Frostbite" (ridden by Michael Scott) won, with "Dayana", winner of the first Cup, coming in second.
The day raised $1,300 for St. Mary's Home for Children. Most of this came from a barbecue that cooked five steers, and a booth.
The 1976 Compass Cup was held on a magnificent summer's day attended by 3,500 people. The event was won again by "Frostbite" (ridden by Michael Scott). The day raised $1,000, which was put towards improvements in the community.
The Compass Cup has enjoyed the support of the local community. Being such a large event almost every person in the district has helped in some way - this help was given freely, which speaks volumes for the event. (To this day, everyone on the Compass Cup committee volunteer huge amounts of time to run a fun, exciting community event that also raises money for charity.)
The Cup has now established itself as the town's event of the year. Its future looks bright, thanks to its originality and the community's support.
Proceeds from the Compass Cup go towards Mount Compass projects and community groups