March 24, 2014
A small shower that fell over the Goomeri Showgrounds early on Saturday afternoon raised rather than dampened spirits at the 75th annual Goomeri Show.
Many people walked out from under sun shelters to open their arms towards the sky and soak in the cool raindrops – a welcome relief from the high temperatures as well as a hopeful sign that more substantial rain might fall soon.
As expected, this year’s Show was affected by the drought currently gripping most of Queensland, and cattle numbers were down.
All the same, the beasts that were exhibited were in superb condition and drew a lot of admiration for the hard work that had gone into preparing them for competition.
Mel Stegman, from Woolooga, walked off with five ribbons, including the Grand Champion ribbon for Prime Beef and the Jim Connolly Trophy for Champion Pasture Fed Beast.
He said conditions at Woolooga were “pretty bad at the moment”, which provoked laughter from trophy presenter Michael Connolly, who said Woolooga made the rest of the region “look like a dust bowl”.
Midge Thompson, from Thompson Brothers at Nanango, also took out a string of ribbons for the cattle he brought to the show, including the Supreme Champion sash for a Limousin cross.
He said he was fortunate to have some water on his property at the moment and to have reduced his cattle numbers before the drought really started to bite but said the situation for cattlemen was still tough.
Glen Perrett, from Glenrae Pastoral Co, echoed his success at last week’s Murgon Show by walking away with the All Breeds Champion sash for his 29-month-old Angus “Bowenfels Stainless Steel”,
After the Show Society’s main pavilion was hammered by a storm in late 2012 and then inundated in the 2013 floods – a final blow which led to it being condemned – pavilion exhibits made a comeback in temporary housing this year.
A large tent mounted next to the Show Society’s canteen contained a substantial photography display, along with smaller displays of cut flowers, woodwork, cakes, jams and scones, as well as this year’s entries in Goomeri’s famous “Dark Rich Fruit Cake” competition.
By far the biggest attraction of this year’s Show, though, was the extensive show jumping competition held on the Showgrounds’ main oval.
According to showjump competition organisers, the “great state” of the grounds (due largely to the hard work of groundsman Dave Pitstock) had attracted riders from all over south-east Queensland to take part in more than 300 show jumping events over two days
Rider after rider took to the course in the unseasonal autumn heat, putting their horses over the jumps under the keen eyes of judges.
As usual, the Goomeri Lions played a big part in the Show’s mechanics, manning the gates and working their popular chip van.
Deputy Premier and Member for Callide Jeff Seeney performed the official opening and helped hand out prizes, along with Show Society Secretary Lyle Hasselbach.
Lyle said the weather had an impact on numbers – something that would probably be no surprise to any Show Society secretary in the South Burnett this year but after last year’s floods, this year’s Show was a step back towards a brighter future.
