Showgirl Finals & all things dairy

Zone 3 Final - The Land Sydney Royal Showgirl Competition

For those of you that follow The Land Sydney Royal Showgirl Competition, you would be aware that February has been a busy month on the Showgirl calendar.

This weekend, Zone 3 hosted their Zone Final - which had very special significance for me as this was the zone I represented last year at the State Final.

Zone 3 extends from the Southern Tablelands down to the Snowy Mountains and Far South Coast and this year the Zone Final was hosted by Bega.

Bega put on a great event with the Zone Final dinner held in the Grand Pavilion at the Showground.  This building is the largest of its kind in Southern NSW - and was built over 100 years ago!

Congratulations to all 12 of the Zone Finalists - you did a wonderful job representing your local communities and I hope you gained alot from your showgirl experience.

The 2013 Zone 3 Finalists at Bega.

The Bega Valley is a gorgeous corner of NSW and is well renowned for its "Bega Cheese" and its dairy industry.

Bega is also the hometown of one of the 2012 Young Farming Champions in the Art4Agriculture program - Tom Pearce put together this video to share his experience in the Australian Dairy Industry and inspire a new generation to consider the opportunities that await in Australian Agriculture.

I think this is a great video - which both showcases the Bega Valley & also encourages young people to think about the opportunities and experiences that getting involved with the Australian Dairy industry can offer. (Thanks Tom for sharing this video.)





Tom was also kind enough to take a few showgirls on a tour of a dairy farm while they were in town for the Zone Final! Thanks Tom, Warwick Farms & the Bega Show Society for all your wonderful country hospitality!

Backdrop Fit For A Show

What A Scene

Last weekend I was invited to open the 66^th Annual Show at a little town in Southern NSW called The Rock.

True to its name, The Rock is well renowned for its signature landmark ‘The Rock’; a rocky hill that overlooks the town. The showgrounds (and golf course) are nestled almost at the foot of the Rock and provide I think the most beautiful backdrop to any country show in NSW.

Although The Rock is only a small town, it was great to see the number of families that had all come out for the day to experience something at the Show. I also believe I saw the largest number of entries I have ever seen in the “best decorated arrowroot” section, so I think this is a highly regarded title to hold in the town!

I had the pleasure of judging the junior showgirl and show boy competitions with 2011 The Rock Showgirl & 2012 State Finalist, Emma Angel. I didn’t realise just how many kids were on the showgrounds as they just kept appearing and were all very excited to get up on stage – one young boy was so keen he even joined us during the presentations of The Rock Showgirl at the Show Opening!

Congratulations to the entrants of this year’s showgirl, both young ladies were very passionate about the town they call home and the importance of having sustainable rural communities. Such great ambassadors for their town - it is great to see some young people getting involved and keen to give something back to their community. 

Making headlines in The Daily Advertiser (Local Wagga Wagga rag).
2012 The Rock Showgirl Riley Cherrey, 2012 Runner-up Ashton Yates, The Rock Show President Mr Jim Payne, 2011 The Rock Showgirl & 2012 State Finalist Emma Angel & 2012 The Land Sydney Royal Showgirl Jasmine Nixon.

One of the things I enjoy the most about helping with the junior showgirl/show boy competitions is the creative responses you hear when young kids are asked about their favourite part of the Show, or what they have enjoyed most about their day at the Show. The rides and animal nursery always normally get a few votes, or whether they got a prize in the pavilion with their entry or with their game-bird in the poultry section. 

One response from a young lad I think really epitomized what the Show movement is about – he was at the Show with his family to spend the day with his grandmother and see if she won any prizes with her knitting. Sometimes I think we can get a little caught up in all the bright lights, ribbons and prizes but not only are our shows about excellence and entertainment, but they provide an opportunity for the community to all come together and celebrate what it is that we do best. Whether that is baking cakes, growing vegetables, floral arrangements, having an eye for a good horse, or breeding stud stock the Show provides something for everyone with an opportunity for us to all come together to showcase and celebrate what we do.

Congratulations to The Rock Show Committee on another successful Show and thank you for your wonderful hospitality. Also special mention must go to Megan Coyle - it was great to see a past showgirl (& state finalist!) continuing to be so heavily involved in some many parts of their local show - very inspiring for future showgirls!

Off to the Ekka!

This week my showgirl duties have taken me north to sunny Queensland to the Ekka – the Royal Queensland Show in Brisbane.

NSW and Queensland are the only two states that still hold an annual state showgirl competition. Last year a Showgirl exchange program was started between the Royal Easter Show and the Brisbane Ekka. We hosted the 2011 Queensland Miss Showgirl, Samantha Gluer at the Royal Easter Show in Sydney this year, and this week I am here in Brisbane representing the NSW Showgirl competition.

I am already well into the jam-packed program they have lined up for us, but some quick highlights for today was the visit to the Rural Press office in Brisbane, home of the Queensland Country Life and afternoon tea at Government House with the Governor of Queensland. (More on both of these visits later). Her Excellency shared some inspirational words with us on remembering the “big picture” and the importance of our shows in helping to promote agriculture, which in her words is such a vital industry in terms of ensuring sustainability, care for our environment and most importantly food security.

The Queensland hospitality has been great so far and I am excited to see what the rest of the week will bring. I will bring you more updates on my adventures soon!

Queensland Miss Showgirl finalists, 2012 The Land Sydney Royal Showgirl and 2011 Queensland Miss Showgirl winner at the Queensland Country Life office.

Taking the plunge...!

Welcome to my first blog post!

Since being introduced to the world of blogging by my good friends Crystal Cattle and Trio Angus I've been keen to utilize "blogging" to help tell the story of agriculture and share it with the wider community. There are some great blogs out there (I will try and highlight some on future posts) which, as our world becomes more and more interactive, I think are a fantastic way of connecting with others and finding the real story about the people and places behind where their food comes from. 

University studies (and now work), helping on the family farm and my show involvement always keep me pretty busy but I've taken the plunge and finally have got around to writing my first post.

I also aim to use this blog to help showcase my adventures this year as the 2012 The Land Sydney Royal Showgirl. (more on that later!)

Please feel welcome to follow along as I share with you the stories, innovations, inspirations and personalities that make up rural Australia. Enjoy!