by Alyssa Fritzlaff
The Warragul Show has been rescued from the verge of folding by committed community members.
Last Monday the show's remaining committee came together for what they feared would be the last time, due to a lack of existing members and an inability to fill executive positions.
Before the meeting, the group campaigned for more community members to put up their hands, and luckily their hard work paid off. A number of people attended and signed up to support the continuation of the 130-year-old agricultural show.
Existing members have now stepped down from their previous roles, making way for fresh, enthusiastic people ready to get the show up and running next year.
Former secretary Tonnie Schipper said she was "quite surprised" by the number of people who attended the meeting, and all five of the remaining committee members were very pleased with the outcome.
Ms Schipper said the new executive committee has a lot of new ideas, and she feels "hopeful for the future."
Taking on the role of committee president is Sophie Crooke-Lay, a longtime member of the Gippsland community and an experienced show organiser.
Mrs Crooke-Lay is a former vice president of the Sale Show and was awarded the national rural ambassador award in 2019. She is very passionate about making sure the Warragul Show becomes bigger and better than ever in March 2023.
"It's got so much potential," she said, citing the size of the surrounding agricultural community and the rapidly growing population.
She said the committee is hoping to get some new exhibitors and add to the popular night festival.
"I'm going to look into getting some monster trucks, and fireworks... but my main focus at the moment - for the next six months at least - is to get some grant applications and sponsorships."
Mrs Crooke-Lay was excited to be working on the show with the rest of the new committee.
"We've got a really good team on board," she said.
"Natasha Byrnes is our vice president... she is a really valuable asset and knows all the right people."
"We've got a new secretary and treasurer, who haven't been in those positions before but are really keen to learn."
The committee will be working on getting the word out to community members through fundraising events and social media.
Mrs Crooke-Lay said the sustainability of the show was another priority of hers, as well as ensuring that the committee can share executive roles around.
She also wants to set up a template for the show, making it easier to run each year.
"If you've got a really good solid template and contact list, and floorplan... that's pretty valuable," she explained.
The next Warragul Show will take place in March 2023, giving the committee just under a year to get everything sorted.
"We hope to see everyone there supporting the show," Ms Crooke-Lay said.