Hinterland Grapevine - Near record crowds flock to Showgrounds

As predicted, blue skies and temperate conditions had the crowds flocking to the 68th Caloundra City Show last Friday and Saturday, producing near record attendance levels according to The Show Society. This annual event is one of the few surviving rural shows still held in the country and is amongst the biggest

events held at the Maleny Show Grounds, drawing in crowds and competitors from the Hinterland and beyond.   ?Thanks in part to the weather it was very successful,? said Ivan Hankinson, President of the Show Society and a man who has been organising the event for 15 years. ?The gate was up and the crowd was happy!?

Estimates point to a 20% increase in numbers, swelling the crowd well above an estimated 10,000 visitors who attended last year?s event.   ?We?ve actually had more, but this was one of the best yet,? said Ivan.    ?Word is travelling fast about this show, and we couldn?t have asked for better weather on the days.?

According to statistics from the Maleny Weather Centre, the two days saw temperatures approaching highs of 23 degrees Celsius, roughly 3 degrees above average highs for May 2004. And the sun shone all day long, with just a hint of high level strata-form cloud!

Given the show?s rural background it centred on beef, dairy, foul and equestrian events. More than 600 animals took part, with competitors and their prized animals converging on the township from as far north as Maryborough and as far south as northern New South Wales.   ?The equestrian events and the jumping were of a particularly high standard,? said Ivan.    ?Some of the people who took part ride on our national teams.?

And one rider scored particularly well, with the spectators loving the dare-devil exploits of 18-year-old Morgan Stevenage.    But he wasn?t riding a horse, he was thrilling onlookers in the main arena by jumping a dirt bike over a 65? gap and performing mid-air tricks at insane altitudes!    ?Morgon was a huge success,? said Ivan.    ?We haven?t had him performing before and he was a real crowd-pleaser.?

Back on four legs the Maleny Fifth Light Horse Troop showcased its polo prowess and championship-winning tent pegging skills.    Fittingly, on the first night, Troop Captain Joe Colreavey led the tent pegging charge and along with fellow Fifth Light Horseman Kevin Lowns, didn?t miss his target once during the troop?s entire 30 minute demo.   And Kevin and Joe remained locked in friendly competition throughout the two days, because in the polo match on Saturday Joe and his partner Regine drew against Kevin and his son Blake, five goals a piece.

Other equestrian action saw Guy McClean, the self-titled Man from Susan River, amaze the crowds with his horsemanship which involved bare back riding and controlling up to three animals at the same time. And with crowd levels up by an estimated 20%, profits for stall holders and exhibitors on the day also rose by as much as 40% in some cases.

Another favourite was the Wood Chop competition, which saw many competitors from state level take part, training for the upcoming Ekka in Brisbane.

So what next?

?By September we?ll begin organising the next one,? said Ivan. ?As soon as we?ve got over this one we literally start all over again.? Roll on the 2006, 69th Annual Caloundra City Show.

For all you folks hankering for the results of the multi-draw raffle made at the show on Saturday, they are as follows: Promotional video by Mad Farm Productions, valued at $650 - Nancy Fleiter. $500 gift voucher from Bold in Gold Jewellery- Westyana Lowe. $300 Maleny IGA, $100 from Mooloolah Pines Service Centre and a $100 voucher from Maleny Auto Pro ? Ian Fleiter. $300 voucher from Maleny Hardware and Hire and $200 voucher from the Bushman?s Warehouse ? Anne Mayers. $250 voucher from simply stylish and $259 voucher from Maleny Menswear ? B Clark. $250 voucher from Rosebrook Cottages, $150 voucher from Maple 3 Caf? and $50 voucher from Colin James Fine Foods ? Karen Lusk. The Maleny Show Society thanked all the above businesses for their support in this raffle.

Photos above: Morgan Stevenage entertained the crowds with his daredevil jumps on his dirt bike. Picture: Flexi School student Mayson Lyne

Side Show alley was a hit with the kids

Mathew Howard, Monica Skerman and Stan

The men once again did their thing in the Wood Chop arena.

Last Updated ( Monday, 06 June 2005 )

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