By Margaret Maccoll
The 2021 Noosa Country Show begins today and being one of the few shows able to run in Australia will host some of its best wood choppers, best rodeo riders, the ever-favourite Monster Trucks as well as top side show attractions that may otherwise have gone to larger shows.
There will be a new ride, the Alien Abduction, and everyone’s favourite, the dodgems, have a brand new lineup of cars.
And this year it will be easier to get to with hinterland based White Horse Coaches operating a first ever shuttle bus from Noosaville, Cooroy and Cooran to the home of the show, Pomona Showgrounds.
The theme for this year’s show of “where town meets country“ will acknowledge the great many residents who have recently migrated to Noosa Shire and encourage them to embrace rural areas, learn more about where their food comes from and discover ways to connect with it.
Noosa Show Society president Charlie Pattison said the show was back in force with plenty of entertainment for everyone in the show’s 111th year, after having to cancel in 2020 due to Covid.
At the show itself, our equestrian, stud beef, and dogs sections are so popular every year, while the pavilion hosts arts and craft, cookery, horticulture, and fruit and veg sections which are perennial favourites, he said.
With a balance of exhibitions, trade stalls, demonstrations, entertainment, food options, and friendly, welcoming faces, the 2021 Noosa Country Show, will have something for every member of our broad and diverse community.
The Showmen’s Guild’s Tyrone Miller will be bringing along an array of activities including new dodgem cars, jumping castles, the Joy Whizzer (known as the Cha Cha), the most popular sideshow games and the new Alien Abduction that would have attended the country’s biggest shows in Sydney and Adelaide, had they not cancelled.
The sixth generation showman said with 95 per cent of NSW shows and almost all of Victorian shows cancelled, the Noosa Show is the last show they would be attending for the foreseeable future.
In 2020 the Showmen’s Guild was forced to shut down for about eight months, but this year was worse as operators outlayed funds to transport their equipment and staff to shows only to have them cancelled just before or even after they arrived, he said.
“It’s the hardest the industry has been hit since the war,“ he said.
“Everyone is banding together to do what they can. Hopefully everyone comes out and supports the (Noosa) show. We all need each other.“
Wood chop steward Eric Kaukiainen is thrilled with the 24 cutters registered to attend the event, many of them world and Australian champions, including Gerald Youles, a world title holder and recent Survivor contestant.
“We’ve got some good cutters,“ Eric said. “We possibly wouldn’t have this many but the Adelaide Show was cancelled.“
Among the cutters are three generations of the Hewitt family. World and Australian tree felling champion Kerry Hewitt, 75, has been chopping since he was 12 years old. His son Lindsay Hewitt, 44, has claimed eight Australian tree-felling championships and been a world tree felling finalist 21 times. Hayden Hewitt, 15, has already represented Queensland in the Under 21 tree felling championship. Also cutting will be Josh Adamson, 24, who is on the world Australian team and Bruce Winkle, 55, who has held numerous world championships.
The show will host the Honky Tonk Rodeo on Saturday night showcasing some of the best riders and stock in the business.
Rodeo spokeswoman Chris Grayson said the rodeo would bring along some top national riders including two-time Australian champion Matthew Makinson, a horse trainer from Maleny.
There will be young riders competing in the U12, U15 and U18 bull riding as well as ladies barrel races to the event that always draws a crowd.
“It’s always at capacity,“ Chris said. “It’s received well by the community. It’s good for the community and good for us. It’s a vital part of the community to bring the country to the people.
Spend your Show Day holiday at the show on Friday 10 September or Saturday and remember to buy your tickets before you go, as due to Covid, tickets to the 2021 Noosa Country Show must be purchased online.
