Allan Drury has missed just two Taree Shows in his lifetime, one to attend a family wedding in Lismore and the other because he was in hospital.
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He has been a member of the show society for 64 years and said it was a "delight and honour" to open the 141st Taree Show on Saturday, October 12. Allan has been awarded a Royal Agricultural Society of NSW medal in recognition of his outstanding service to the Manning River Agricultural and Horticultural Society and Taree Show.
"Everybody came to the show, especially the farmers," Allan told the crowd. "Most of the shopkeepers bought membership tickets and even had a half day holiday. Women liked to dress up and it was a very special occasion."
He recalled show president the late J E Hammond from Moto with his Oakley Vale AIS (Australian Illawarra Shorthorn) stud and the late Stan Emerton from Jones Island who showed dahlias. "At that time the shows were held in March. We were having so much trouble with wet shows, so possibly in the mid-1960s we changed to hold the show in October."
The main breeds of dairy cattle being shown in those days were Jersey, AIS and Guernsey, and sometimes Ayrshires. "The quality of these three were equal to any show in Australia," Allan said.
"I've see the time when there were around 100 cattle in the parade, also 100 horses, two or three draught stallions. There have been no draughts since World War II, and we missed a few shows during warn time."
Allan showed Guersneys and while at the show the cows were milked by hand by their owners. "The town kids came with their billy cans and we gave them the milk and asked them to lead a cow in the parade. It was usual for a couple of cows to break free. No big deal and the town kids loved it."
It was then that rubber tyres tractor came into use - TEA Fergusons and Fordson Majors and Dextas, Allan recalled. "The agents had their stands with some of the implements. They could not cultivate here (at the showground) so field days on farms were arranged and were well attended."
"Two stroke engines came along giving us chainsaws and lawn mowers, so they had stands too."
With the arrival of electricity in 1956, the agents brought fridges, jugs, floor polishers and washing machines to their stands. Elwyn Fallowfield and Peter Calvin had stands with black and white television.
"(Wife) Nancy bought her sewing machine there and I bought a bedroom suite which was delivered to my bedroom," Allan said. "Hundreds of sales were made there."
Night time events including trotting events, cycle races and boxing.
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