![Taking it to the streets: In the early days of Wingham Beef Week a competition was held in Central Park followed by a street parade in Isabella Street. The community would come out in droves to support the parade. Taking it to the streets: In the early days of Wingham Beef Week a competition was held in Central Park followed by a street parade in Isabella Street. The community would come out in droves to support the parade.](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/cTB2ZP3ceAYfwnXYSxpCH6/deef417a-0394-4a44-9c91-d717bd54c4dc.jpg/r0_0_1200_675_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
School children from around NSW have gathered in Wingham for the 31st Wingham Beef Week.
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Wingham Beef Week attracts hundreds of students statewide and attracts the support of sponsorship from such organisations as Meat and Livestock Australia, Wingham Beef Exports and Bootoowaa Pastoral Company.
![In the beginning: An early photo of founding secretary of Wingham Beef Week Pam Holmes being presented with flowers by founding president Eric Richardson. In the beginning: An early photo of founding secretary of Wingham Beef Week Pam Holmes being presented with flowers by founding president Eric Richardson.](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/cTB2ZP3ceAYfwnXYSxpCH6/1b9d0700-2c47-4faf-ba65-230cb793b130.jpg/r0_0_2217_3020_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
But the week-long festival started from very humble beginnings, said vice president Denis McKinnon:
“Thirty-one-years ago a small group of beef cattle producers got together to stage a carcass competition for producers to be able to benchmark the quality of the beef they produce compared to other producers and their industry peers.
The idea originated following a very successful cross breeding and beef yield field day, conducted by founding president Eric Richardson, on his Dingo Creek property some years prior.
![Home: Beef Week is now held each year at Wingham Showground although the inaugural competition was held on vacant land where Wingham Newsagency now stands. Home: Beef Week is now held each year at Wingham Showground although the inaugural competition was held on vacant land where Wingham Newsagency now stands.](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/cTB2ZP3ceAYfwnXYSxpCH6/5966eb0a-a16d-4da8-ab42-9f9ccb89ab13.jpg/r0_0_1200_677_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
The original concept was to produce a competition for progressive cattlemen and women to pit their beef producing skills against the regions best.
It was then in 1987 that Beef Week was born with the foundation executive committee of Eric Richardson, Bruce Scrivener, Paul Holmes, Gloria Hayes, Tony Gaudron, Helen Scrivener and Lesley Summerville (nee Penfold).
The following year, 1988, the inaugural Beef Week competition commenced with a carcass competition and an all breeds bull competition held on vacant land where Wingham Newsagency now stands.
Beef Week continued to grow with each new committee bringing with it new ideas, innovations and change.
Beef Week progressed to Central Park and then to it’s current home at Wingham Showground.”