Where to from here for the Wimmera's agricultural shows?

Most shows in the Wimmera and surrounds have now cancelled a 2021 outing, with Edenhope Agricultural & Pastoral Society meeting next week and Horsham moving online with its 'Show Off' event.

The Natimuk A&P Society postponed its show until March 2022, combining it with a Back to Natimuk celebration, while Goroke plans to move forward with a Family Day when possible.

Correction: The Natimuk Show was not cancelled in 2021 as it was held earlier in the year, before COVID-19 numbers rose again.

Kaniva was one of the latest events to cancel, with organisers hoping that a show could go ahead.

Before the cancellation, Amanda Munn, president of the Kaniva A&P Society, said the show was a way to bring the community together after harsh lockdowns.

"If we can run it safely, it will give us that socialisation that we're all craving and that's really important," she said.

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Andrea Cross, Secretary of the Wimmera Agricultural Societies Association, said that it was a tragedy for the community to lose the events.

"Our community was certainly taking a battering when it comes to the cancellation of all our shows," she said.

Ms Cross said the emotional turmoil about whether or not the shows would go ahead had left volunteers in a lurch.

"Volunteers are reaching breaking points in two ways. There's a real element of grief and on the other side, it's an element of relief, due to the weight of planning. So the emotions are swinging one side to the other. There's a fairly big impact on our community," she said.

The staffing problems are nothing new, with Minyip holding its last show in 2018 due to a lack of volunteers and Stawell cancelling its 2021 show due to being unable to find a secretary and form a working committee.

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"A Show Secretary and more committee members are desperately needed in order for us to bring back the Stawell Show for 2022 and beyond," Stawell A&P Society said in a statement.

However, the COVID-19 pandemic has only exacerbated this issue, especially with the need to formulate COVID Safe plans, Ms Cross said.

"There are elements of shows that haven't had the need to do a COVID site plan yet. Volunteers might not have the experience in making COVID plans. There's a whole new layer of administration that's being forced upon us through the current pandemic."

Ms Cross said that the future of agricultural shows would be determined by the community rallying around the shows when they return.

"We need to be looking out for each other and looking at a way forward. What is the future of shows going to look like? Whether it be spreading the shows out more, whether we help each other more, that's yet to be determined."

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"After years in a row of cancellations, there will be casualties, but at the same time there's still a lot of passion out there."

"There are no real barriers. Everyone is welcomed at a show and there's a place for everyone at the show. That's the difference with a sporting event, a show has so much more scope to cover so many more ages and demographics and abilities."

"Shows have certain elements that people hang on to. Just yesterday I had the daughter of an 89 year old woman contact me saying, 'can mum submit these photos of some knitwear that her mother has knitted?'"

"It affects not only the organiser, but the competitors who've been showing for years and years. Here we have a woman in her eighties still wanting to compete at an online level."

Ms Cross said she hoped the return of community shows in the future would tempt even those who might not be regular attendees into going.

"I've hope that there's a level of empathy within the community to even attend if you've never attended before or if you haven't attended for 20 years. There's still that hope for sure."

The Victorian government recently announced the continuation of its Agricultural & Pastoral Society Grants Program.

The 2020 round of the program had 46 recipients, who shared in $300,000 worth of funding.

Minister for Agriculture, Mary-Anne Thomas, said the funding was about helping reinvigorate shows for their return.

"From the very young to the very old, Victorians love their local show and the pandemic has again played havoc with these local institutions... we look forward to them welcoming visitors through the gates again when it's safe to do so."

One thing is for sure, Ms Cross said, that COVID would not be the end of shows.

"We will soldier and we will be back in 2022, COVID pending. You don't lose your passion that quickly when it's been in your blood all your life."

Cancelled shows include Dimboola, Nhill, Kaniva, Jeparit, Warracknabeal, Ararat, Balmoral, Murtoa, Donald, Stawell and Goroke.

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