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The Eva’s – Grit, Guts and a Family-Run Festival of Endurance

When your family hosts a massive off-road motorcycle event, attracting riders from across the country, there is no such thing as a quiet weekend.

For the Eva family, the Brookton Pony Express Series was a shining example of what a rural family can achieve together, with everyone rolling up their sleeves to make something remarkable happen.

For Year 10 boarding student Claire, it was also a hands-on masterclass in leadership, teamwork and community spirit.

A Family-Led Festival of Grit

From 26 August to 1 September, the Eva’s hosted the final round of the Brookton Pony Express Series on their property east of Brookton. It was the third and final event in a prestigious three-round series that drew more than 2,000 attendees per round, including top-level riders like a seven-time national enduro champion.

It was a huge undertaking for the entire family.

All Hands on Deck

Across all three rounds of the series, the Eva family worked together to support every stage of the event. Claire, her brother Charlie (Aquinas College, Year 11), and their parents each took on a wide variety of responsibilities, including:

  • Pre-event support: Collecting supplies from Perth (sound system, trophies, custom stickers, machinery parts), catering for volunteers, and assisting with logistics and planning
  • On-site roles: Installing signage, fencing and infrastructure; assisting communication, sweep riders and contracted medical teams; and providing hands-on support to organisers and fellow riders
  • Pack-down: Dismantling infrastructure and ensuring the site was safely returned to farm use

Despite the workload, Claire also competed in the junior division, completing 2.5 hours of endurance racing, pushing herself each round and steadily improving her lap times.

Meanwhile, her brother Charlie, racing in the Senior Expert Class, achieved 2nd place with his partner in Round 3 and 3rd overall – an exceptional result in his first year racing seniors.

Claire Eva racing
Complete Pony Photos Final (optimized)[70] (dragged) 2
Complete Pony Photos Final (optimized)[70] (dragged)
Claire Racing 4

The Event in Context

The Brookton Pony Express Series was made up of three unique rounds, each hosted on a different property. It was fitting that the final round, the largest and most anticipated, was hosted by a Santa Maria family so deeply committed to making it a success.

Real Learning, Rural Style

For Claire and her family, being part of an event like this was not just about motorbikes; it was about showing up for your community, solving problems on the go, and sticking with it when things got tough. It is the kind of learning that happens out in the dust, boots on, doing the work.

The Brookton Pony Express became a celebration of rural grit, collaboration and leadership, thanks to the Eva family’s quiet determination and community spirit.

They did not do it for recognition. But what they achieved speaks volumes about the strength of families who lead not with fanfare, but with purpose.

  • BoardingStudents, Brookton, BrooktonPonyExpress, CommunityEngagement, CountryFamilies, FamilyEvents, Featured, MotorcrossEvents, RegionalWA, SantaMariaCollege

Author: Santa Maria College
Santa Maria College is a vibrant girls school with a growing local presence and reputation.  Our Mission is to educate young Mercy women who act with courage and compassion to enrich our world.  Santa Maria College is located in Attadale in Western Australia, 16 km from the Perth CBD.  We offer a Catholic education for girls in Years 5 – 12 and have 1300 students, including 152 boarders.

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