Ground announcer Len Jansan, from Maryborough, with Francis Crawford, from Murgon

March 25, 2013

“The aim of the game wasn’t to make money, it was to lift everyone’s spirits” … and the 2013 Goomeri Show on Saturday definitely did that!

The annual show was always going to be a tough proposition for the Goomeri Show Society to pull off.

The show pavilion was badly damaged in a storm in late 2012, and then flooded and condemned in the January floods this year.

The showgrounds also suffered other damage.

But the show must go on, and it did!

There were no pavilion exhibits, no equestrian events or cattle, but there was a well-contested dog show, a popular motorbike barrel racing challenge and a spectacular fireworks exhibition.

There were also non-competitive flower and produce displays, a mini truck show (with massive prime movers), and an exhibition of flood photos to remind visitors how the Goomeri – Tansey area was battered earlier this year.

Show Society secretary Lyle Hasselbach said that ironically, the weather for show day was the best that Goomeri had enjoyed for eight weeks and if the society had only known this would occur, perhaps more of the regular features could have been organised.

“But we had to make a decision and, anyway, the name of the game this year wasn’t to make money but to try to lift people’s spirits,” he said.

A highlight of the afternoon’s events was the barrel racing in the sand arena.

Local resident Peta Barkle attempted the timed event on a horse while local men did it on motorbikes … and the winner? The horse.

A mechanical bull also attracted a lot of attention.

“Everyone just converged on it,” Lyle said. ‘And after they saw our celebrity bullriders they all wanted to have a go.”

The “celebrities” included past-president of the Goomeri Show Society Rob Atkinson and ground announcer Len Jansan, who had travelled from Maryborough to help out at the show.

Mr Hasselbach said no decision had been made yet on the future of the damaged show pavilion.

“It’s a work-in-progress. We are still waiting on the insurance company to make a final decision about what they want to do,” he said.

Joan Crawford and Edna O’Neill, from Murgon; Edna was competing in the Goomeri Show’s famous “Dark Rich Fruit Cake” competition

Margaret Woolrych, from Tansey, posted photos of flood scenes from around the Goomeri region 

Canteen Convener Pam Euler and Chief Steward Phyllis Hopf
Karen and Bertil Olsson, from Caboolture, with Dobermans “Arne” and “Lilly”; seven-month-old Arne, left, won “Best Minor Puppy In Group” while 19-month-old Lilly was named “Best Intermediate In Group” 

Patricia McLeod, from Morayfield, with “Australian Champion, American Champion, Mexican Champion, International Champion, Imp USA Seramar Aztec Gold” or “Razz” to her friends; the six-year-old Lhasa Apso won “Best In Non Sporting Group” at the Goomeri Show 

Roslyn Seare, Kumbia, with “Riki”, a rare two-year-old Finnish Lapphund, and “Myah”, a six-year-old Siberian Husky; Myah was named “Reserve In Group” during the competition; Riki was “Best In Group” (and hoping to do even better as the day continued)  
Trucker Steve “Hat” Detlefson, of Goomeri, with his children Shania, 12, Savannah, 10, and Sam, 5, and his bright yellow Western Star prime mover