In her 10th year of being a member of the Deniliquin Pastoral & Agricultural Society committee, Trudy Fanning has taken over the role of president from Chantelle Shevels.
Mrs Fanning said planning to date has centred on locking in and improving on show favourites.
But with more planning to come, she has not ruled out exploring new events and ideas for the 144th installation of the popular annual event in March.
“We are always open to suggestions from the community who, as a not-for-profit organisation, we encourage to get behind us,” Mrs Fanning said.
“We’ve already had some discussions about building on traditional favourites, particularly the sheep section.
“We also have some new stewards coming on board in 2025.
“For the pavilion, we’ve had some discussions about how we can do things differently to give people more time to get their entries ready.
“Instead of releasing the full schedule at once, we’ll release sections separately based on how much time our entrants may need.”
Mrs Fanning said the committee is also planning to host an open day-style event in spring.
This would allow potential show entrants to learn more about the competitions and talk to stewards about their planned entries.
Mrs Shevels stepped down as Show Society president after four years at the helm but remains on the committee as treasurer.
She said she was proud to have lead the organisation through what ended up being a tumultuous but still very positive experience for everyone.
“My first show as president was in the middle of COVID, and we faced the challenges associated with that. We adapted to the environment and changed the event to a one day show to accommodate.
“Deniliquin then experienced a major flood event.
“The event has still gone from strength to strength with a leadership change, and has bought a new found enthusiasm to the committee in the past few years.
“I want to thank the committee for their support over the past four years - the tremendous and always reliable effort does not go unrecognised - and the public for their support. This is the very reason we all put our hand up for these positions.
“I started this role with a two year-old and a four year-old, and I must say thank you to my husband, Matt, for all the support he has provided over this time.”
As well as organising and running the Deniliquin Show each March, the Show Society is in charge of the annual Mother’s Day Market at Memorial Park in May.
Joining Mrs Fanning and Mrs Shevels on the Deni Show committee’s executive this year are Tabatha Byers as vice president, Haydn McKay as junior vice president and Jess Thomson as secretary, while Kathy Smits will be in charge of catering, Amelia Seignor will be in charge of sponsorships and Shelby Davis Taggert will be in charge of communications.
New committee members are always welcome, and can attend show meetings held the first Wednesday of each month from 6pm in the show rooms at Memorial Park (upstairs). Please note there will be no meeting in July.
Mrs Fanning said community members who cannot attend meetings but wish to take on support roles are also encouraged to reach out.
For more on the Deni Show, and how to contact the committee, go to www.deniliquinshow.com.au or by following the Deniliquin Show Facebook page.
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