Geitz taps into country spirit for horsing around at Ekka

SHE may be a champion Queensland Firebird on court but netball queen Laura Geitz prefers horsing around in her down time.

Growing up on a cattle and grain property out of Allora, Geitz ( pictured) has the country in her blood and next month’s Brisbane Ekka on her mind.

“I lived the existence of every country kid with every animal you could possibly have on our family farm – I absolutely loved it,” Geitz, also the Australian Diamonds skipper, said.

Her first memory of the Ekka was during a Year 5 school trip to Brisbane for the show.

“I remember picking out which showbag I wanted and loving all the animals that were there,” she said.

“That was a massive drawcard for me even though the Ekka just resembled what our backyard looks like at home.”

According to Geitz bringing the country to the city is “exceptionally important” for regional Queensland.

“Unless you’ve come from a rural background you don’t understand what the country lifestyle means and sometimes you can’t understand the struggles of making life off the land,” she said. “People’s livelihoods are based on seasons and that’s a hard concept for city people to grasp but I think the Ekka is where that is put on show.

“It’s an opportunity for people to see what a day in the life of a farmer looks like.”