Preceding the show on February 20th was the Miss Showgirl Dinner held at the Golf Club. This event was again very ably organised by Sue Wilson with the assistance of Donna Tanner and a number of other people. The Jinghi Valley CWA members again did a quality job of catering for the crowd in attendance. Kay Grundy introduced the girls on the night.
The Junior Minor section was won by Sarah Jane Creighton, the Junior Princess section won by Jade Parkinson and the Junior Showgirl section was won by Hannah Mandall. We had two entrants in the senior Miss Showgirl section with Jodie Bowman being awarded the Jandowae Show Miss Showgirl crown for 2010. Jodie went on to the regional finals at the Toowoomba Royal Show where she represented our show with distinction, winning the runners-up award.
Prior to the show it was decided by the committee to redesign the toilet block at the showgrounds to incorporate a disabled section. This idea had been tossed around for a period of time and approaches had been made to the relevant council authorities. Following uninspiring preliminary replies that included a ridiculous possible price tag and associated ‘red tape’ we decided to go it alone. Ivan and Kay Grundy took on much of the responsibility for this work and Ivan with his band of helpers completed a fine job with costs incurred negligible and certainly nowhere near to the amounts that were bandied around originally. This case is typical of many situations confronted by local committees these days and I believe that if people are not prepared to make practical, cost effective decisions we run the risk of spending ourselves out of existence.
The 62nd Jandowae Show was held on March 20, 2010. Weather was good and the show went ahead in its traditional format. It was a pleasure to have Angus Lane return as the voice of the show, taking on the job of ring announcer. Angus began his career as a show-ring announcer at Jandowae and has gone on to feature at many of the royal shows in the country. Visitors to our show certainly appreciated and enjoyed listening to Angus imparting his knowledge of competitors and the show movement at our 2010 show.
The main ring was busy with the largest number of horse exhibits for some time. As a result the competition did not finish until late in the afternoon. Due to consistent falls of rain prior to the show the ring was in very good shape. Thankyou to those who gave of their time in the months leading up to the show slashing etc. to have it looking at its best.
The pavilion was again the centrepiece of the show. As is the case every year, a lot of hard work to clean and prepare the pavilion for the Show was put in by our dedicated volunteers and we are most grateful for their efforts. Stewards responsible for each section once again did a fine job of pulling the pavilion into shape for the show. It was satisfying to see the pavilion full of exhibits. A feature of the exhibits was the Swaggie competition with a large number of exhibits scattered throughout the pavilion. The satisfying aspect of this was the enthusiasm with which the Jandowae School supported this competition, as they did with the scarecrows in 2009. All sections were strongly contested which was very satisfying and a credit to all concerned.
The Stud Cattle section attracted a few less entries than in 2009, a trend which is typical of shows in our area. A feature of our show was the involvement of the local school children who through the Labrie Family’s Kobblevale Lowline Stud, once again exhibited cattle and competed in both the Young Paraders and Young Judges classes.
The Prime Cattle section, which has been a feature of the show for many years, was cancelled this year prior to the schedule going to print. With dwindling support for this section in recent years and a negative response from potential exhibitors being received during a number of phone calls, this decision was made. Hopefully the future might bring an increase in interest and the Prime Cattle section may come to life again. The Fashion Parade always attracts a crowd and was a success once again. Thanks must go to Kay Grundy for her organisation.
Following the Fashion Parade a much deserved Life Membership of the Jandowae Show was presented to Ivan Grundy. Former Show Patron Mr Neville Schumann performed this task on behalf of the committee and gave a glowing tribute outlining Ivan’s involvement in the show. Ivan has been an exhibitor at the show since its inception and in latter years has been instrumental in the organisation of the Show. The feature of Ivan’s involvement that stands out to me is his willingness to take care of the ‘behind the scenes’ jobs in his ‘we’ll just go and get it done’ attitude. It was particularly satisfying to show our appreciation for Ivan’s passion for the show and hard work by awarding him Life Membership.
Like in 2009, there were a large number of stall holders that attended the show. This, along with a number of side show attractions made for a real carnival atmosphere. With a larger number of food stalls set up this year we saw takings spread a little thinner, but on the flip side, visitors to the show were catered for in a timely manner.
A highly successful rodeo was once again staged by Honky Tonk Rodeo Promotions. Their professionalism is first class and they always put on a good show and certainly pull in the crowd. In regards to the crowd, it was down on our 2009 event with rodeo bar takings falling. A couple of reasons outside of our control possibly contributed to this. Included would be the fact that the local farmers had a window of dry weather (with the threat of coming rain) to catch up on their farming. Cattle for the steer and poddy rides were kindly supplied by Col Budden. Marshalls Transport has happily supplied a truck for a number of years for carting cattle and for bringing the seating to and from Dalby. This is most convenient and appreciated by us all. The input of manpower to handle the seating both before and after the show is also much appreciated. Lester and Jan Mittlestadt must be congratulated on their organisation of the staging of the rodeo.
Terry Arnold played his live music into the night. This was well received by the crowd. The large crowd was a happy one and easy to manage when we got to the end of the night. A big thankyou must go to Lillian Krog who organised and oversaw the running of the bar. Many people helped with food late into the night, and while tiring for those who had been on the go all day, it was enjoyable due to the cooperative crowd of people.
The financial success of any show is not possible without its sponsors and we certainly had a large number once again, representing local and out-of-town businesses and families. Thankyou to all people and businesses who donated trophies – your support is very much appreciated. Margaret Atkinson once again did a sterling job in contacting sponsors and the response was very satisfying.
Support from government bodies was once again significant. We received grants totalling approximately $9,500 in the form of approximately $6,000 from the Queensland Government and $3,500 from the Western Downs Regional Council (of which $1,000 was for insurance and $2,500 for entertainment). We endeavour as best we can to utilise these funds in a way that will put our show in a position of benefiting the community.
No show is possible without a dedicated committee and the support of members. I would like to thank you all sincerely for a job very well done once again. Once again our secretary Margaret Atkinson has put in more time than most of us put together and done a magnificent job. In combination with treasurer Donna Tanner and Heather Gall (who took on the treasurers position during the show period) they made a great team and the show ran very smoothly due to their organisation.
Vice President Celie Jeitz has moved into retirement in Toowoomba after many years of association with the show. We wish her all the very best and thank her for her time. Other vice presidents from 2010 Marie Cameron, Sue Wilson and Carolyn Sherrard have also been very supportive in many ways in the different fields they were involved in. I thank you all for your contributions. Phillip Atkinson must also be thanked for his work on the website which details the attractions, classes and results from the show.
I would also like to particularly thank all of those members who do not have official roles at present but turn up time and time again at meetings and/or to help out preparing for and cleaning up after the show. It certainly gives you a sense of achievement to be part of this team following a successful show that brings the community together. I must also mention those dedicated Rotary members who arrive so early to man the gate. This is very much appreciated and the show would not be possible without the help and support of all of you.
Following three years as show president I have decided to not stand for re-election for this position. I have been involved with the show, through my family’s involvement, for my entire life and for the past 14 years have been the Chief Steward of the Stud Cattle section. I will continue in this capacity and cannot see my involvement in the show changing a lot in the near future. While I will be here to support the new committee in many ways, I think it is important that new people with new ideas see this as an opportunity to become involved and bring with them a sense of adventure.
Over the past few years there has been much talk about getting more young people involved in the show. While this seems obvious, it is difficult however to find young people that have the time (especially those with young families) to commit to committees such as the show, for an extended period. In my experience I believe we must welcome the input of anyone who shows an interest in our show. It is great to have experience to draw on and we should try build on this through the new ideas that are thrown our way.
I would particularly like to thank Margaret Atkinson on behalf of all show members for the huge contribution she has made to the show as secretary for the past four years. She has been super efficient with all that she has done and has devoted a huge part of her life to the show during this period. I have had total faith in her ability and judgement and thank her very much for taking on more than her share of the responsibility for the running of the show. As President of the show I feel that I have given my little bit back to a community that has and continues to give so much in the way of opportunity to my family. I very much enjoy being part of a team that includes people from a wide range of persuasions and ages – where there are no hidden agendas – just a desire to do something special for the town. Above all, I thank you for your friendships and I hope there are many more to come.
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