Page 11 - The Outdoor Showman April - June 2022

200 years of history
The “Great Source of Colonial Prosperity”
The RAST has unearthed the first recorded heart beats of its own origins in 1821, in a notice contained in the Hobart Town Gazette, and the Van Diemen’s Land Advertiser, requesting permission for a meeting of “Stockholders and Gentlemen connected with the Agricultural Interests.”
“WE, the Undersigned”, it began
“Land and Stock Holders, taking into consideration the daily increasing number of persons occupying themselves in Agricultural Pursuits, and the great amount of Capital invested therein, and feeling the Necessity of encouraging by every possible Means those Interests universally admitted
to be the great Source of Colonial Prosperity....”
The notice went on to seek permission from the Lieutenant Governor for a meeting at the Ship Inn in Hobart Town on the 1st January 1822 “for the purpose of establishing a Society, on the Principle of those existing in the Mother Country.”
The Society would, according to the Notice, which was signed by 21 land and stock holders, focus on protection of property, prosecution of offenders, remuneration to sufferers, the establishment of a cattle show, the distribution of bounties to deserving servants, and for “the Protection and Encouragement of Agricultural Pursuits in general”
Two hundred years on, the cattle show has evolved into the Royal Hobart Show, one of the very oldest settler traditions in Australia.
The Society held a board meeting at the Ship Inn – now the Central Hotel - exactly 200 years to the day that the early visionaries first met to consider how best to support their industry in Van Diemen’s Land. A presentation was made to the Central Hotel’s owner, Paul Jubb, to mark the occasion.
Order your 200 years
mementos
To celebrate our 200 Years of Showing, the Royal Agricultural Society of Tasmania are celebrating this important milestone with the publication of a book to share our history as well as limited edition ties and scarves.
The book has been researched and written by Dr Dianne Snowden. It covers various versions of the society including name changes, locations, cups and trophies, Living Legends, Presidents, Life Members, Council
and Board members etc. A variety of photos are included throughout the book to illustrate the people, event and stories that make up our rich history.
The ties and scarves are limited edition mementos which provide the perfect gift for anyone with a love for agricultural shows. All three are available for purchase by contacting RAST via phone, email or www. hobartshowground.com.au.
Looking to the future
As the RAST transitions to a new era, the Board has appointed a Planning for the Future Committee.
The committee will review the Society’s current organisational structure, and make recommendations about the role and place within the structure of the RAST Council.
The new committee includes Matilda Scott, the current Tasmanian Rural Ambassador, and runner-up in the national rural ambassador program.
The Society is seeking recommendations from the Committee on how the RAST Council should operate as the Society evolves into a very different future, compared to the past.
The Planning for the Future Committee will also make recommendations on the future look and feel of the Royal Hobart Show. The Board wants to make the Show more contemporary while retaining the core and traditional elements of the Show.
THE OUTDOOR SHOWMAN 9