Cloncurry Show Society's Early Years
The Cloncurry and District Show Society was started from humble beginnings by a bunch of enthusiastic town and country folk with the idea that Cloncurry needed a show. The Inaugural Show was showcased in 1980.
Patron: Revd Dr. D Harvey Sutton MBE
President: Mr Bill Hughes
Vice Presidents: Joe Bakhash, Dave Christensen, Don McDonald, Kevin Power, Jack Powley, Bill Presley.
Committee Members : Jack Dodd, Rowan Hickson, Dr David Harvey Sutton, Shirley Powley, Isabel Hall, Cleta Mazlin, Alan Tichurst, David Brownsdon, Helen McKerrow, Noel Robertson, Gloria Hartig, Kaye Remfrey, Ruth and Nick Murray, Rob Green, Noel Yarrow, Bernie Regan, Jim Telford, Keith Douglas and Ian and Nancy Dodd.
Secretary: Jan Peach
Tresaurer: Vera Herman with the assistance of husband Ray.
The pavilion was set up in the Shire hall as there was no pavilion on the grounds. Noel Justo, Principal of the State School was the pavilion manager.
The committee made show bags and dolls on sticks for the children and they had a knitwit fashion parade.
Miss Piggy and the Teddy Bears Picnic were the main attractions in the Pavilion. Miss Piggy was escorted around the show grounds to meet the people. What excitement!
The cattle yards for the first show were borrowed portable panels. After that the old Dalgety sale yards were purchased and so began the process of using those materials to build the cattle yards. These were all made by committee members donating many weekends to build them. Rowan Hickson was the instigator of that project.
The first fireworks were an exciting finale to what was and has been 30 years of dedication and commitment from the various show committees over that period.
We would be a miss not to mention Alan Tichurst our second president who made the Cloncurry Show a big part of his and his wife Margaret's life up until he died. Alan travelled far and wide to attend shows all over Queensland and he always attended the Sydney Royal Easter Show to make contacts and find entertainment for the Cloncurry Show. The Cloncurry Show was well known in the show circle.
