By Rebecca Skilton
Aware of the importance that the Berwick Show holds for the City of Casey, Gembrook MP Brad Battin is joining forces with the Berwick and District Agriculture and Horticulture Society in the search for volunteers to help keep the historical show alive and well for years to come.
“I come down here for the community, but I’ve been attending the Berwick show for 42 years,” Mr Battin said
“I came down here when I was two months old and it became a family thing, and now my kids come along.
“It’s the biggest and best community event in this area by far.”
Boasting a proud 160 year history, the Berwick Show is a vital connection for the now suburban Berwick and surrounds and a solid tie to the region’s agriculture and farming past.
However, while this year’s Saturday and Sunday event saw record-breaking crowds swarm into the Akoonah Park showgrounds, it’s a tradition that will only remain with the assistance and efforts of devoted sponsors, volunteers and committee members.
“The show was awesome,” President of the Berwick and District Agriculture and Horticulture Society, Willem Boon said.
“We had record crowds for the show on Sunday. I’m very happy. When I saw how many people came through the gates, I got a bit emotional.
“(But) this is not my show, this is our show,” Willem said.
“This is a team effort. I’m only a figure.”
Yet while his team produced an admirable 2017 Berwick Show, it is a team that Willem admits needs to be expanded to comfortably complete its work.
“The committee is made up of about 46 members, but half of them are over 75.
“We have been (at the showgrounds) since last Saturday – a week ago – trying to set up and get ready.
“We’re doing it hard. Volunteers have been here for up to 15 hours a day.
“You can’t expect people who are up to that age to do that sort of work anymore,” Willem said.
“So, it’s up to us young blokes – and I’m mid-50s – to do all the work.
“That’s our big push for the next four months, to try and find more volunteers.”
While Mr Battin is aware of the trouble in finding volunteers he believes that the show is a cause that many in the area should sign up for, offering whatever they can to an event which gives so much back to the community.
“It’s getting harder and harder to get those numbers into volunteering,” Mr Battin said.
“(People are) more time poor, but what we do need is the people who have a little bit of time.
“They don’t have to offer a lot. We’re actually saying, if you can help out during the week, let (the show society know) so you can come down during the week and help out.”
However, while volunteering for the show may take a small slice of people’s time, Mr Battin urged people to acknowledge the benefits their work will bring to future generations.
“It’s going to be a challenge in the future to keep these shows the way they are,” he said.
“But when you go and ask (kids) where a tomato comes from, and they say Coles or Woolworths, you get frustrated.
“The Berwick Show is the way to bring the farm to the local community, the way to say we’re more than Woolworths and Coles.
“What we are is that we’re actually the people that support you and your food supply.
“This is the show about people, and we have to keep that for the future or we’re going to really struggle with our community.”
While planning for the 2018 Berwick show will begin after the show committee’s AGM meeting in June, anyone who can help is encouraged to put their hand up and help out but to note that a Working With Children Check is required to become a part of the team.
“(2018 show planning) starts after the AGM which is in June so it takes roughly nine months,” Willem said.
“We have to start getting this process rolling a little bit quicker – to get volunteers on board.
“Anyone can become involved. A volunteer is someone you never say no to.”
