Page 30 - The Outdoor Showman JAN-MAR 2020

BIGGEST THINK TANK
From its 1992 start, this year’s Show
‘Think Tank’ has turned into the most important annual meeting of Show people, Australia-wide.
On January 16th, they came from all parts of Australia, even New Zealand, for all-day seminars, meetings and socialising.
Guild Delegates, Show Society officials, guest speakers, performers and circus proprietors all mingled informally and with obvious friendship.
Angus Lane, OAM, honoured for his service to show societies, opened formal proceedings, paying tribute to Showmen’s Club founder, Noel McGregor, OAM.
Showmen’s Guild of Australasia President George Pink officially welcomed the estimated 160 guests.
Mrs Estelle Drynan, President of Queensland Agricultural Shows, thanked the Queensland Government for its annual support.
“We are extremely grateful for those grants,” she said. “Of the 118 shows that applied,manyreceivedbadly-needed support.”
Mrs Drynan introduced General Manager Trevor Beckingham, who took part in later seminars, and Samantha Ackerman.
“We’re an extremely big organisation,” she said.
In Queensland’s Brisbane Valley, Somerset Regional Council has named long-time Show movement leader Estelle Drynan
its 2020 Citizen of the year.
At the Australia Day ceremony, Mayor Graeme Lehmann described Mrs Drynan as a “pillar of the Esk Community.”
Rs Drynan was Esk State School P&C President and Esk Campdraft Association Treasurer, Both for ten-plus years, Jockey Club Assistant-Secretary for 20-plus years, and volunteer for Meals on Wheels for
25 years: QCWA nominated her.
Mrs Drynan, State President of Queensland Ag Shows, said she had no plans to slow down.
Benefits
A bushfire-smoke-delayed plane from Perth, via Melbourne, failed to stop Australian Agricultural Shows Chairman and NSW veterinarian Dr Rob Wilson AM, from making a last-minute car dash to address the meeting.
He reflected on the benefits of combining Australia’s then-two governing groups together, three years ago.
“It brought all organisations together for representation,” Dr Wilson AM said.
“State Parliaments are picking up on the many benefits of local shows. Shows are handling social media well.
“But we need to get better representation at Federal level.”
Veterinarian Dr Wilson AM listed achievements as gaining official recognition of the educational benefits
of shows, particularly to city families;
$20- million in Federal Government infrastructure grants, structured to make iteasierforcountryshowstoapply, and making them conditional on the shows’ being members of their State, and through them their Federal, organisations.
He said there were 445 applications (totalling $69-million) for the $20-million available.
Show societies should make strong efforts to tell their communities of the grants’ benefits, Dr Wilson AM said.
Awards
SGA Delegate Terry Nilon presented his 50-Year Membership Badge to Bluey Welks, to much applause.
He then paid tribute to Show Society officials who had served more than 30 years:
Maleny Show President Ivan Hankinson, unable to be present through Ill-health, Kyogle long-time Secretary Wendy Piggott, (Maleny 18-Year President Richard O’Neill, OAM, accepted on behalf of both), and Lismore President John Gibson.
Judge bias
In a lively later segment, ASC President
Tim Capp and Trevor Beckingham named ‘Judging Bias’ and ‘Perceived Conflict of Interest’ as major criticisms that competitors levelled at Show officials. Another session saw Angus Lane and Lindsay Douglas outline future developments.
Summarising, Mrs Drynan and Jasmine Bethel (North Coast Show, Nambour) listed three main jobs for show societies in the next year: educating local communities
on the benefits of shows, ‘Listen to your community and respond to it,’ and engage the whole family throughout the year.
Applause and cheering as the session finished showed that delegates considered ‘Think Tank’ a big success.
Grants
Mr Warwick Agnew, Director-General, Queensland Department of Local Government, Racing and Multi-Cultural Affairs, opened the after-lunch session.
RepresentingtheMinister,hesaidhewas authorised to confirm that the grant program would continue. Applause followed.
Privacy
The session on Developments in the Ring uncovered some societies’ fears of how the new Privacy Act was working.
Angus Lane said “As Ringmaster, I like to do my homework, so I can give the audience a preview and better understanding of events and competitors, and to fill in, to keep the program running and cut down the effect of delays.
“Do you know? In some shows now, I can’t even get a list of the competitors in an event, they’re so worried about the Privacy Act,” he said.
Lindsay Douglas said, “Our job as Ringmasters is to get the background and tell the story behind it. “It’s best if we chat with competitors beforehand. It makes it difficult if you can’t even get their names.”
By John MacDonnell
Ben Drynan from Esk Show
Rowan O’Hara
Chad Morgan - Still able to wow an audience, in his early nineties, Chad Morgan met a lot of old show friends at the Think Tank
Big Top Circus - Big Top Circus, run by Cindy and Simon Bowdler, one of more than a dozen exhibitors at the Think Tank.Background Clown is Eric, best-known as Boris, The Black Knight, on Brisbane Channel 7. Cindy is in the extravagant gold lame wings, on stilts.
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