Tenterfield Show Society Matt Duff said he would have liked nothing more than to have to call off the show on Saturday afternoon on account of rain, but sadly it wasn’t to be.
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What the show lacked in precipitation, however, it made up for in camaraderie as family shrugged off their drought woes for a couple of days.
Drought funding gave everyone free entry this year, although some opted to donate the equivalent of their entry fee into the Salvation Army collection buckets at each entrance.
Mr Duff said gate takings vary widely and can be anywhere from $8000 to $15,000 depending on the year. The $25,000 grant money the Show Society compensated for that along with supporting the cost of running the show.
It will also pay for a few running repairs to the office and grandstand and to the flower pavilion which lost one of its walls in the lead-up to the show.
Overall he felt the show was very successful, although it’s too early to gauge how it did financially.
“It was a good crowd, although the bar and canteen takings may have been down a little, as money is tight.”
The crowd may have been a little thinner on Friday night compared to other years that featured major attractions like Rooftop Express.
“With a cost of something like $12,000 you’d expect to get a bigger crowd to those nights,” he said.
The Farmers Challenge filled the void in the main ring and provided plenty of laughs, and was a good way to get more locals involved, Mr Duff said.
“Hopefully the event will continue to grow.”
Friday night’s showgoers also got to see Stephanie Kennedy crowned Miss Showgirl 2019.
The demolition derby pulled a big crowd on Saturday night, with Warwick Johnson taking home the honours.
Mr Duff was particularly impressed with the quality of produce submitted for judging at the show, be it livestock, wool, fruit and veg or other.
“It was very high quality, considering the conditions,” he said.
The committee will debrief and consider improvements for next year, but Mr Duff doesn’t anticipate any major changes.
He said moving sideshow alley across the creek to the area beside the shearing complex, now in its third year, it working well.
We’re a small committee, but jeez we put on a hell of a show.
- Matt Duff
“It provides a bit of separation from the bar, and keep the kids more contained.”
He extended a huge thank you to everyone on the show’s committee.
“We’re a small committee, but jeez we put on a hell of a show.”
