{"id":373650,"date":"2026-06-25T15:14:45","date_gmt":"2026-06-25T05:14:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/southburnett.com.au\/news2\/?p=373650"},"modified":"2026-06-25T15:14:45","modified_gmt":"2026-06-25T05:14:45","slug":"murgon-pair-are-off-to-the-ekka","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/southburnett.com.au\/news2\/2026\/06\/25\/murgon-pair-are-off-to-the-ekka\/","title":{"rendered":"Murgon Pair Are Off To The Ekka"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Mayor Kathy Duff with the Sub-Chamber winners and runners-up … from left, Rural Ambassador runner-up Jordan Wilson (Nanango) and winner Matt McCauley (Murgon); Mayor Duff; Showgirl winner Steph Simpson (Murgon) and runner-up Kaitlyn Barber (Proston)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

June 25, 2026<\/strong><\/p>\n

Murgon Show Society scooped the pool at the recent South Burnett Sub-Chamber finals dinner, hosted by the Nanango Show Society.<\/p>\n

Murgon’s Showgirl winner Steph Simpson and Rural Ambassador Matt McCauley will be representing the South Burnett at this year’s Brisbane Exhibition.<\/p>\n

The pair was selected after a day of activities – and speeches on the night – assessed by three independent judges.<\/p>\n

They were competing against entrants who had taken out the local titles at the Proston, Kingaroy, Nanango and Goomeri shows.<\/p>\n

(The Murgon and Goomeri entrants had been judged locally despite their actual shows being postponed earlier this year by rain).<\/p>\n

The gala evening, held at the Nanango Cultural Centre, also featured the on-stage judging of the Dark Rich Fruit Cake and Next Generation Anzac Biscuit competitions (see below).<\/strong><\/p>\n

The winners of these competitions will also be heading off to the Ekka.<\/p>\n

Also recognised on the night were the Sub-Chamber winners of the Young Paraders and Young Judges competitions, announced after the Blackbutt Show, who will be representing the South Burnett in Brisbane; and the winners of the local Top 5 cattle competitions.<\/p>\n

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Showgirl finalists … Steph Simpson (Murgon), Lillian Davey (Kingaroy), Violet Black (Nanango) and Kaitlyn Barber (Proston)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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Rural Ambassador finalists … Matt McCauley (Murgon), Breize Kelly (Kingaroy), Cam Griffin (Goomeri) and Jordan Wilson (Nanango)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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Nanango Show Society president Les Schloss with the three Sub-Chamber judges for the night: Tanya Pratten, Jack Fogg and Aleacea Nixon<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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2025 Showgirl’s Choice awardee Shanika Tappert (Gympie) read a speech from 2025 South Burnett Rural Ambassador Kristen Corfield, who was on maternity leave, about her experience representing the South Burnett in Brisbane\u00a0<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

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Cattle Presentations<\/span><\/strong><\/h3>\n

Young Judges and Paraders:<\/strong><\/p>\n