The air was filled with excitement on Friday night as the Koondrook Barham Show celebrated its 60th show.
There was a large crowd in attendance for the festivities, which included two inductions of life members in to the Koondrook Barham Show Committee, those being Joy Maffescioni and the late Carol Sincock, husband Russell accepting the award.
Show Society secretary, Graham Minnis, said the pair had been a fantastic asset to the show over many years.
“They have been very involved for quite a number of years; Carol has been less involved over the last few years with her health.
“Both of them were robustly running the show for a number of years and both put a lot of work in.”
The night air was abuzz as the volunteers’ efforts of attracting a wide variety of attractions fired up the crowd in perfect weather. The camel rides were a great hit with mixed ages going on safari across the former footy ground.
It was the buzz of a shearer’s handpiece that drove the atmosphere to a fever of excitement as a showdown between local NSW shearers took on a Victorian team in a team event and a head-to-head fastest shear. It was a tight race as the fleeces flew from the lambs, a sight to behold as the experts glided the combs and cutters along the sheep. Blow for blow, the teams chased victory. Alas, victory remained elusive for the away side, recording a time of 6:14:84, the local team time of 6:07:22. The head-to-head battle was also taken out by the home side.
The Victorian team received $200 from Boyd’s Hardware for second place in the team shear and a Yeti drinker from Elders Barham for second in the head-to-head. The home side received $400 from Boyd’s Hardware for first in the team shear and a drinks cooler from BR&C Barham for the head-to-head win. Hat’s off to Jason Telford for calling the action, and word on the street is the man can bake a pretty decent chocolate cake!
By this stage of the night, the racing simulator had crowned champions and served up cold hard realities to the Skaife wannabes, luckily a talented magician was on hand to cheer up the bruised egos. As the night went on, the stories from the bar grew in stature and enthusiasm. Recently crowned king of the carrot cakes, Rock Reaper remained tight lipped on the dark arts of carrot cake royalty!
Show delights
If all that wasn’t enough to please the most discerning attendant, a quick lap around the pavilion was sure to change their outlook. The depth of talent and quality of produce that adorned the pavilion was something to behold, 60 years of practice has certainly born fruit, from the amazing creations of the twin towns’ school kids, to the amazing photos that showed a depth, creativity and even emotion.
The Koondrook Barham Historical Society had also once again demonstrated its love and dedication to our rich history. Walls were adorned with 60 years of historical gems, including a range of winning outfits worn by Katherine Hollingworth and a winning 1982 Country Showgirl Quest Miss Barham winning sash. A highlight for me was the fancy dress costume by Miss Carrolls (Agnes and Eileen), made of cotton and printed with a 1918 edition of The Bridge.
Stepping outside the pavilion, I was greeted with the flashing red and blues, but it wasn’t the fuzz, it was young Winston Lambert, who had found the key to the latest addition in the Koondrook CFA line-up. This pint-sized tanker was complete with lights, sirens, working hose reels and best of all, was made locally.
“The brigade had identified a need for some sort of community engagement prop,” said Koondrook CFA member Nathan Goble.
“It’s been very hard to get these props when other brigades are hours and hours away.
“With the support of our district, the CFA and the brigade we were able to, with our own funding, fund this project to get kids excited about something.
“Between myself and captain Ben, we teamed up to build this. I built the body and the plumbing, we got support from the local signwriter Marshy, he helped us out with the stickers, Jarrod Hall helped us with some aluminium work, Ray Azzopardi helped us out with some marine carpet, Ben put his electrician brain to it and wired up the lights.”
This was the tiny truck’s first outing, with the CFA providing a trailer so the attraction can delight kids around the district. You will be able to check it out at the Alexander Arbuthnot 100-year celebration on Friday.
What followed was the most elaborate fireworks display I’ve seen in my history of show attendance. The crowd oooowwwed and ahhhrrred as the display delighted attendees and residents and scattered the towns’ fur babies.
The event rolled into Saturday as hay burning horse lovers demonstrated where their hard work and dedication goes. The blending of these magnificent animals and riders showcased their abilities and bonds formed.
If hay burning wasn’t your style, the show and shine had you covered. The gleaming machines that turn fuel to happiness and tyres to clouds were works of art. From the hotted up hot-rods to nods to Carol Shelby classics and even some Aussie made machines now relegated to the history books.
Well done to all involved, and if you are keen to make your mark on the next 60 years of Koondrook Barham Show, new blood is always welcome!
See the full gallery and results from the show in the issue -buy it here.
This article appeared in The Koondrook and Barham Bridge Newspaper, 26 October 2023.
