By RUSSELL BENNETT
PUSHING towards 170 years and still going strong … the Berwick and District Agricultural and Horticultural Show celebrated the huge milestone of 150 years of agricultural competition back in 1998.
In marking the milestone, a special publication was released titled: “Celebrating 150 years of Agricultural Competition 1848-1998”. Bob Johnson and Noelene King – both past presidents of the society, wrote it.
It outlines the history of the Berwick Show Society, which dates back through the Mornington Farmers Society to the founding body in Victoria, the Port Phillip Farmers Society, which was established in 1848.
The Mornington Farmers Society was one of the three original branches of the Port Phillip Farmers Society.
It provided a huge step forward in recognising Cranbourne as a crucial agricultural centre of the south-east. The first show under the society’s banner was held at Cranbourne in 1857, a year after it was formed.
But, as Mr Johnson and Ms King explained, “by 1960 it was felt that the society had been responsible for the improvement in the stock of the district. A second showground was acquired at Berwick and the shows were held alternately at Cranbourne and Berwick.
“In the late ’80s, it was decided to have permanent grounds for the Mornington Farmers Society, and land was obtained from Sir W.J. Clark of Narre Warren, where the first show was held in March 1891”.
As Mr Johnson and Ms King explained, there was real opposition to the choice of site from those in Cranbourne and there was even some suggestion of forming a separate Cranbourne Agricultural Society.
One of the reasons this didn’t go ahead, however, was that there were already a number of other societies operating within the district (as referred to in The Good Country Cranbourne Shire by Neil Gunson).
Jack Rae is one of the ringmasters for this year’s show.
He was born in 1928, around the time that his father George first became involved with the Berwick Show Society.
Families like the Rae family have been the heart and soul of the show throughout its existence.
Mr Johnson and Ms King further explained the Rae family’s involvement.
“George Rae was president of the society in about 1935/36,” they said.
“Jack’s mother was a horse competitor in her younger years and her family was involved in shows in the Swan Hill area.
“Jack’s mother’s family moved to Harkaway during World War I. She married George after he returned (from the war).”
Mr Johnson and Ms King said that at the time George was president the society was in debt, so they decided to run a ‘Queen Carnival’.
The community organisation that raised the most money would nominate a queen, with the Berwick RSL joining in with the show society to raise funds.
The Show Society won the competition and, as a result, Thelma Thomas was crowned queen. Jack Rae was nominated as one of the pageboys, while Rupe Richardson was the master of ceremonies.
Jack remembered riding his Shetland pony, when he was just seven-years-old, from Narre Warren North to Berwick for rehearsals on the Sunday before the carnival. That carnival raised an impressive 400 pounds for the Show Society, getting it out of debt.
The Mornington Farmers Society held its Jubilee Show at Berwick on 15 November, 1906. The Diamond Jubilee Show was held 10 years later but it was largely over-shadowed by the World War I. Then, at an annual general meeting held on 25 July 1918, the Mornington Farmers Society changed its name to the Berwick and District Agricultural and Horticultural Society.
But as Mr Johnson and Ms King describe, the society got off to “a very rocky start” under its new name.
“The annual report of 24 July 1919 records that “owing to the influenza epidemic the annual show, which was fixed to take place in March last, was abandoned”.
Since then, the society has maintained an unbroken run of annual shows.
