Many of us have seen and marvelled over the huge picture displays of regional produce at the Sydney Royal Easter Show.
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This year, producers from Central District, which ranges from Gosford up to Macksville and out to Wee Waa, can take a big, long, well deserved bow. Not only did Central District win the District Exhibit Display competition at the Sydney Royal, but came second overall (which includes quality of produce plus the display), only missing out on overall first place by seven points.
Individual producers from Taree, Gloucester and Port Macquarie/Hastings also came home with blue ribbons for their produce.
In Gloucester, Bob Tebbett and Gloucester High School won first place for their cattle pumpkins, Sally Andrews won first for mixed flora honey, Central District president Alison Kernahan won two firsts for green maize and forage sorghum, and her son, Michael Harris, won first prize for knobby marrows.
Other first prize winners were Taree's Trevor Maurer with pie melons, Todd Barnes from Wauchope for mangoes, and Kenny Little from Port Macquarie for his garlic chives.
"It was brilliant. We tried a few different things this year," Alison Kernahan said.
"We had a working bee in Gloucester in February, and about 25 of my team members all came to Gloucester and we had two days. And I think that gave us the head start because we got to Sydney this year a lot more organised.
"And I had the best team behind me this year.
"To put my head out on the chopping block and try something different, and then to come out with the win on the other end, it was brilliant."
Alison is thrilled with Central District's results.
"Last year we were 300 points behind the winner, and to come together this year - and it has been a tough year this year with bees and everything, and a lot of people's crops have come on late so they weren't ready, and because the Easter Show was early this year - so to miss out by seven points, to me, that's winning anyway," Alison said.
Prize winning display
Central District's prize winning display, designed by Kristine Moore from Sydney, was centred around the theme of the career journey of young people in agriculture.
Alison said Ms Moore's design was brilliant.
"It is about how young people take their careers and get to where they are, some get set back and others don't so it is like a board game," Alison told The Land.
A large part of the design was created to represent a board game within a map of Australia.
The Royal Agricultural Society (RAS) in NSW is divided into five districts, which compete against each other in the district produce exhibitions each year.
Each district gathers produce from around their area to be judged, and all produce that is being judged must be included in the display. It's a process that takes many, many months before the big competition in Sydney.
Taree's champion pumpkin bowler
There was an extra trophy on display in Central District's exhibit - the trophy given to the winner of the Pumpkin Bowling competition.
Taree's Dominique Wyse was crowned Young Woman of the Year at the Royal Easter Show. As the winner of the title, Dominique took part in the pumpkin bowling competition, and took out that competition as well.
"She won the pumpkin bowling and because she was from Taree, we got the trophy and put it in our display because it was from our area," Alison explained.
Julia Driscoll
Julia Driscoll has worked as a journalist for the Wingham Chronicle and Manning River Times since 2014. She values the deep connection with community that being a rural and regional journalist brings.
Julia Driscoll has worked as a journalist for the Wingham Chronicle and Manning River Times since 2014. She values the deep connection with community that being a rural and regional journalist brings.
