EIDSVOLD Show upheld it’s strong agricultural reputation on Sunday, with close to 170 prime cattle and over 60 stud cattle entries.
However for Brisbane-based solicitor Gayle Taylor, the show held a far more poignant significance.
As a young girl from the city, Gayle was lured to Eidsvold by charming cattleman Don Taylor, who passed away last October.
“He was such a country character who just made me laugh,” she said.
While at times it was a struggle to straddle her career and a life on the land, Gayle said her love for country camaraderie transformed their marriage into a “commuter relationship.”
“As Don used to say, living rural is a lifestyle.
“We’d drive an hour just to have afternoon tea with friends!”
Rural Ambassador Sam Doust laps up the attention from 2012 Eidsvold Miss Showgirl Alexis Hindmarsh, Junior Miss Showgirl Karlea Hindmarsh and 2013 Miss Showgirl Danielle Dodd. Click on this image to see more photos in our online gallery.
Having sold their property Culcraigie, in 2002, Gayle hasn’t been back to the area in over 10 years.
She said that while the day has been filled with both sadness and nostalgia, it has provided a meaningful opportunity to honour her husband.
“It has been wonderful to catch up with such lovely people,” Gayle said.
“Country people are just super people, and so different to the city.”
Gayle was a judge at the show this year and greatly enjoyed getting to know Rural Ambassador Sam Doust, Junior Miss Showgirl Karlea Hindmarsh and Miss Showgirl Danielle Dodd.
Thoroughly impressed by the young stars, Gayle said they brought a lot of interesting rural issues to the table.
“City people just have no idea what it means to be doing it tough on the land,” she said.
While touring the newly improved showgrounds, it was evident that the memorable visit rekindled Gayle’s love for the area and its strong ties to her late husband.
She said that the trip has inspired her to become a more active member of the Eidsvold Show movement.
“I think I’ll have to promote the show to my friends down in Brisbane,” she said.
“I would love to see it continue and grow.”
Gayle said she believes that through both hardship and prosperity, rural shows provide a community with a vital sense of togetherness.
