A thirst for knowledge and a keenness to be better led to the formation of a show in western Queensland in 1962 that still maintains a reputation for excellence 60 years later.
A crowd of well over 500 came from all corners of Queensland as well as interstate on Saturday to help the small community of Muttaburra celebrate its show's 60th birthday and to relive memories of past shows.
Many of them would have known it as the Landsborough Flock Ewe Show Society, which is what it was named when it began in 1962, in an effort not to be Muttaburra-centric.
According to a history compilation displayed on the day, the Aramac district was one of the first towns in Queensland's central west to initiate an agricultural show, in 1876, thanks to the efforts of John Cameron MLA, who owned Kensington in what is now the Muttaburra region.
Muttaburra wasn't gazetted a town until 1878, but the Marathon District P&A Society encompassed the more northern region as well.
The Marathon show was first held at Muttaburra in 1882 then alternated between the two towns for a decade, until Longreach was gazetted and the railway arrived there.
A reformed Marathon P&A Society held its first show in Longreach in 1895 but that eventually changed to become the Longreach P&A Society.
According to Margie Webb, who has served the show at Muttaburra in various capacities since 1965, a cohort of young graziers in the district, building on the enthusiasm of the wool boom years, wanted to add value to what they were doing in the paddock, and so revived a local show in 1962.
"They were thinking along the lines of a field day, like the one at Hay in NSW that many of them had seen," she said.
"They were led by Rob Archer and studmasters from all over Australia - the Macquarie and the Riverina - came and judged.
"One was so impressed he left a perpetual trophy, and another commented, 'this show is unique'."
Ms Webb said the show's founders would be thrilled to see the effort that still goes into the show.
"It now embraces other enterprises but all of them embrace knowledge," she said.
The LFESS's Rob Archer, who is now 90, provides a link to the original Marathon P&A Society president John Cameron, being a descendant.
"What a gift for this district it was when the show started again," Ms Webb said, adding that while it had been decided that it would be a men-only committee, they made such a hash of the opening night cocktail party, the women rose up and formed a ladies auxiliary, eventually becoming fully integrated into the committee.
The opening show on June 30, 1962 had 48 pens of ewes and about 90 fleeces, and Ms Webb said one could trace the vagaries of the seasons and the wool industry through the entries received over the years, adding that there were only seven fleeces to judge at one stage in the 1970s.
The greatest number of exhibits were 197 fleeces and 78 pens of ewes, in an unspecified year.
Saturday's show incorporated commercial cattle judging, sheepdog trials, and plenty of entertainment, including dinosaur races and the ever-popular fashion parade.
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Sally Gall
Based at Blackall, CW Qld, where I've raised a family, run Merino sheep and beef cattle, and helped develop a region - its history, tourism, education and communications. Get in touch at 0427 575 955 if you've got a story idea for me.
Based at Blackall, CW Qld, where I've raised a family, run Merino sheep and beef cattle, and helped develop a region - its history, tourism, education and communications. Get in touch at 0427 575 955 if you've got a story idea for me.
