THE day her husband Alan conquered Curio, Australia's most famous bucking horse, Barb Woods was part of a crowd of more than 25,000.

A special train had been added to the timetable and scores of Adelaide rodeo fans had made the trip to Marrabel to see if someone could ride the horse no rider had beaten in 12 years.

Today outside the Marrabel Rodeo Museum, a nine metre statue of Alan Woods and Curio stands tall reminding all of that day in 1953.

The pair met at a rodeo in Swan Hill on the Murray River in 1950.

"I was 16 or 17,” she said.

"Alan had won the Warwick Rodeo bull ride two years earlier, so he was well known on the rodeo circuit.

"I think I had asked him for an autograph and he was very handsome beside.”

Three years later, the couple married and took off on a five year odyssey, travelling from rodeo to rodeo around the country, finding work along the way.

"We'd stop at stations and break horses, I could ride and would help Alan,” Mrs Woods said.

"Other times we were just asked to stay with people, we met many kind and generous people.

"And mostly treated like celebrities wherever we went, given Alan's standing.”

Eventually with three children in tow, as well as a goat for milking, the Woods' traversed most of New South Wales, Queensland, Northern Territory and South Australia.

"We met Slim Dusty on our travels, and became good friends,” Mrs Woods said.

"When in Adelaide we'd stay with Reg (R.M) Williams.

"He was a single dad with eight children of his own.”

In 1978 Mrs Woods scooped $198,000 in lotto and built a house on 12hA in Tullamarine in Melbourne.

"I bought a new car, sent one of my boys to America and was still left with some change,” she said.

Then in 1985 after Mr Woods injured his back and the couple moved to Warwick to be closer to their son Robert.

Earlier this year, Mrs Woods took part in the World's Greatest Shave, raising more than $700 in honour of her husband and son who both passed away from cancer.

"I really want to thanks my friends, family, the magnificent staff and residents here for all their support and help.”