Sunbury Show History

Sunbury has so much history. Being on the way to the gold fields in Bendigo, it began as a stopover for the people out to make their fortunes. It was endowed with good grazing land, which settlers soon took up. Horses were used extensively. Heavy horses pulled ploughs and other agricultural machinery. Blood stock horses pulled elegant carriages and gentry had fine riding horse. Even the children rode their ponies to school. It is not surprising that breeding, buying and selling of this commodity played a very important part in the lives of the people in the early 1900s. It was in this climate that the Sunbury Horse Show began and later became an Agricultural show, still held every year in October.

Melbourne auctioneers Messrs. Jennings and McInnes held a monthly horse sale in Sunbury at the Corporation sale yards for many years, until one of them had a bright idea. It was reported in the Sunbury News on 21 August, 1915. It stated, “Messrs. Jennings and McInnes, the well known auctioneers, whose interest in the advancement of the district has always been in evidence, have decided to hold a horse parade at half past ten at the sale yards on Thursday September 9^th, which will be followed by a horse sale. Prizes will be awarded to certain classes and the parade will include stallions and brood mares. The yarding sale will be about 120 farm horses from two to four years old, many of which are pedigreed. The parade should attract a good deal of attention.”

In fact, it was a great success with buyers coming from all Northern parts, including the Riverina and Wimmera. And so, the Sunbury Horse Parade was born.

The second parade was held at the reserve on 31^st August 1916, and although there was some controversy over the event being held on the reserve, the show went from strength to strength, eventually becoming the Sunbury Show, as it is known today with a variety of events and attractions for all the family.

The first formal committee was formed in 1916:

President Mr J. K. Jennings

Vice President Hon. W. L. Russell Clarke, M.L.C.

Secretary/Treasurer Mr F Watts

Committee Messrs F. Anderson, R. Clyne, M. Curtis, C.W. Huf, W. Dillon, J. Sloan

The show continues with all work done on a volunteer basis with people being proud to be working to give something to the town of Sunbury. The 2007 Sunbury Agricultural Society Inc Committee consists of:

Patron

Dr. Richard Cust, “Warlaby”, Oaklands Junction

President

Mr Anthony McMahon

Vice President

Mr Wally Maxwell

Secretary

Mrs Sandie Braun

Treasurer

Mrs Bronwyn Judge

Committee:

Mesdames: Nicky Beaumont, Melva Beer, Kerrie Bradburn, Sandie Braun, Eva Cambruzzi, Fran Cleland, Anne Clements, Nell Follett, Kate George, Bronwyn Judge, Alison Kavanagh, Kath Tremlett, Janette Ward, Chris Wood

Messrs: Paul Adams, Gary Beaton, Reg Cleland, Peter Free, Joe Gillespie, Alan King, Wally Maxwell, Tony McMahon, Patrick McMahon, Stuart McPherson, Edward Troutbeck, Robin Viney, Adrian Ward

Sunbury Show Defies Trend

Now into the 87^th Show, the Sunbury Agricultural Show was honoured with the Hume Council’s Community Event of the Year 2006.

While many rural shows are being forced to pull up stumps, the Sunbury Show has a firm hold on its position on the regional events calendar and continues to attract big crowds.

Show Committee President, Mr Tony McMahon, who has helped run the show for 17 years, accepted the award at the Council’s Australia Day Ceremony at the Broadmeadows Town Hall.

After the Show had started as a horse sale in 1915, the annual event has grown to attract more than 13,000 people each year, with many of the attractions similar to those you can see at the Melbourne Show, only on a lesser scale.

The Show Committee is dedicated to ensuring that the attractions are up to date and interesting to a variety of age groups and is also encouraging young people to join the show committee. This is the way the show will continue on and on throughout the years ahead.

Content of this history has been extracted from “1915 to 2000 – A history of the Sunbury Agricultural Show Inc” written by Chris Wood. A copy of the book is available through the Sunbury Agricultural Society Secretary.

Thanks also to the Telegraph Newspaper for the article “Sunbury Show Defies Trend”, published on Tuesday January 30, 2007. Extracts acknowledged. Author: Eugene Benson.