Community
28 February, 2025
New approach to an iconic event
CAMPERDOWN’S Pastoral and Agricultural Society (P and A Society) is encouraging the community to put their hands up to help out as plans begin for this year’s Camperdown Show.
With the annual general scheduled for March 12, the P and A Society is planning on a volunteer barbecue to be held to thank current volunteers and speak with those who may be interested in helping out.
P and A Society member Jasmine Edwards said her biggest goal is to recruit more young people into the society, aiming to establish a youth committee.
“Anyone who can help in any fashion is better than nothing, but I want to get that youth succession planning for the future,” she said.
“I’m focusing on getting that group, then they can have their own things that they focus on.
“It’s changed a lot in 150 years, but some of it is still very much appropriate and the same – some of it is very traditional and it should stay.
“It’s very much, and always has been, where the community will come together.
“These days, we’re spoiled for choice as there’s so many different events on every weekend, whereas back in the day the show was the one day where the whole community could come together.”
One of the key plans for this year’s show is to involve more community groups through stalls, activities and entertainment options – something which proved successful when the Camperdown Motorcycle Club became involved for the first time at last year’s show with the motorcycle show and shine.
“We just want to keep getting those sorts of ideas and just developing those and our community focus,” P and A Society member Cheryl McMahon said.
“We do get good support from the local State Emergency Service and the local Country Fire Authority, but we just want to keep extending that.
“Camperdown College have a barbecue trade site – different organisations like that get involved.”
P and A Society member Jenn Downie said she agreed with the idea of involving more community groups.
“It’s rekindling through the youth in that area, and from my perspective I just keep thinking of where the show has grown and taken off in the five years,” she said.
“It’s got much better community ownership, and I think we’d really like to push more of that and have more community groups involved – whether it’s sporting clubs or other groups.
“There are so many community groups in Camperdown, so let’s embrace more of the community.”
Ms Edwards said opening the Camperdown Show to more community groups would benefit both parties.
“If they’re looking for new members, it’s a good way of getting themselves out there, and it’s also helping our show at the same time,” she said.
“There’s lots of different events, but they’re often not whole-community focus events – this is a fairly overarching event in terms of the inclusion of everybody.”
While the P and A Society are already planning for this year’s show, they are inviting members of the community to sign up to join the committee to share their ideas and help make the annual event happen.
Ms Downie said joining the committee is not a “threatening experience”, with members of the committee working well together throughout the year.
“To actually come and listen and be involved in meetings and find out what’s going on, maybe you might just grasp an idea that could be picked up and run with,” she said.
“Nobody’s required to do anything as a matter of being there but if you’re not there, you can’t get involved.”
Ms Edwards agreed with Ms Downie, saying new members who sign up are not pressured to suggest ideas immediately to give themselves time to learn how the committee works and the process behind planning the Camperdown Show.
Ms McMahon said the P and A Society is a positive environment where members supported each other.
“We’re always looking to the future – we’ve been here for 153 years, and we’re really fortunate that we’ve got a great maintenance crew who like to work together,” she said.
“Sometimes it takes a little while to be involved in an organisation to then think you can put your hand up and do things.
“There’s lots of different jobs – there’s jobs in promotion, IT work and trade sites.
“People don’t have to come to meetings, but they may have skills they can use to help us.
“We’d like to see some new faces at our volunteers’ barbecue.”
Anyone interested in joining the P and A Society is invited to contact Ms McMahon on 5593 9326 or 0419 464 567, message the Camperdown Showgrounds Facebook page, or email camperdownpa@gmail.com.
Those who would like to speak with current volunteers can do so from 6.30pm at the Camperdown Showgrounds on Wednesday, March 12.
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