Country shows across the State are on uncertain ground this year, with the news that the Wingham Show, Wallamba District Show at Nabiac, and the Comboyne Show have been cancelled due to COVID-19, while the Gloucester Show is proceeding.
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The 2021 Wingham Show has been cancelled for the second year.
Wingham Show Society president Elaine Turner issued a statement on Thursday, January 14 saying the decision to cancel had been made at a show meeting on Wednesday night.
"After much deliberation by the Wingham Show Society Committee, consultation with the Agricultural Societies Council, our Federal MP Dr David Gillespie's office and our local police, the Wingham Show Society has made the difficult decision to not go ahead with our Annual Show," Wingham Show Society president, Elaine Turner said.
The Wingham Show was scheduled for Friday March 12 - Sunday March 14.
Elaine said it was not an easy decision to make as the committee had been filled with hope when COVID restrictions on numbers at large gatherings, was lifted late last year.
However the current, constant changing NSW Health requirements regarding crowd control, social distancing, the two metre square rule, and cleaning and sanitising made proceeding with the show a "mammoth task."
The Wallamba District Show committee announced the cancellation of the show at Nabiac on Facebook on December 4, 2020. The show was to be held on Saturday, March 6.
"With the Show's long tradition of running for 108 years this was a difficult decision to make. Rest assured it was taken with the health and wellbeing of the community being our primary concern," the announcement said.
"In light of the conditions the committee was not confident that we could comply with the extensive health and safety protocols required to keep all parties safe."
However not all agricultural shows have been cancelled. Gloucester show organisers are determined to proceed with the show, to be held on Friday March 19 and Saturday March 20. According to Gloucester AH&P president Greg Channon, the committee has voted to give the 2021 show the green light.
As has been the way of life in the past 10 months, the constantly shifting goal posts of government regulations around COVID is something the Gloucester Show committee will keep abreast of. However, at this stage, there will be a somewhat-normal show, the Gloucester Advocate reports.
There is no word as yet on the status of the 2021 Taree Show, usually held in October.
