It is such a pleasure to be able to report on “THE BEST PORT ELLIOT SHOW YET”. Saturday and Sunday saw superb weather albeit Saturday started with a very cold Southerly wind, dark grey skies and drizzle, but by 10.30 a.m. the skies started to clear and by 11 a.m. the weather could not have been better for the weekend.
6-7 rings for The Dog Show on Saturday saw some beautiful animals on display and involved in competition and visitors took the opportunity to walk onto the oval and around the rings to see the animals “up close” and speak to competitors about any breeds they may have been interested in.
The Horse Show on Sunday was terrific with the show jumping section this year stealing the show. The talent and power shown by these beautiful animals is amazing. The Hacks and Show Hunters were great to watch with animals groomed to perfection and riders looking equally impressive. Those youngsters in the encourage sections also put on a display they can be proud of, as I’m sure their mums and dads were on the day. It was terrific to see a harness section take to the oval on Saturday albeit as yet only small entries. The side saddle on Sunday was also another popular section for spectators to watch.
The exhibits around the grounds were terrific with a record 900+ indoor entries (excluding photography numbers). The Basham Pavilion (home to most of our indoor exhibits) with the new white paintwork and display cabinets was a pleasure to visit with room for people to move around easily to view all items, the quality of which was of a very high standard. The Michael Scott Pavilion was home to Art and Jnr Art and there were some great works on view. The Woodwork section also located in the Scott building provided a record number of entries with some beautiful pieces of a very high quality being shown. Once again the Photography on show in the Higgins Pavilion was captivating with 500+ beautiful photos on show. There is no doubt that there are some very talented photographers on the Fluerieu Peninsula and I must commend the junior entrants as well, as their work was of a very high standard.
All outdoor exhibits were equally impressive with increased numbers in beef cattle where some very impressive animals were on display. Sheep, and poultry, were also a hit with visitors as were the amazing display of Utes of all types and ages on the oval, with again a large number of entries. The scarecrow section also saw some quality exhibits. The miniature goats, at the show for the first time this year were also very popular.
The variety of goods for sale through the trade stalls on site was extensive be it food or goods, and the continuous entertainment around the grounds over both days was very entertaining.
The Southern Fleurieu Historical Museum which is housed in the Coote Pavilion was visited by many show patrons who enjoyed the displays of historical agricultural/farming equipemnt of the area and the new “Farm Shed” building housed a selection of tractors of truly historical significance, as well as other museum items. If you haven’t been into the museum area as yes, don’t miss it, it really is special with not only agricultural displays but costumes from times gone by and a marvellous dairy display. To be noted is the fact that the SFHM won the 2017 SA Legendairy title this year.
An apt description of the 2017 show: “What a Beauty!”
Gayle – Secretary, Southern Agricultural Society Inc.