About 250 schoolchildren from six schools visited the Maffra Show last Friday for an excursion and educational opportunity.
Kids talked to people from Ambulance Victoria and Gippsland Water, among others.
Show organiser Kath Coggan said the show has long been home to an annual excursion and educational opportunity for children from nearby primary schools.
“After the 2006 bushfires, we wanted to revitalise the community and do something regular, so we started involving the schools in and it’s been terrific every year for the kids and everyone,” she said.
With history also a major part of the excursion, students visited a vintage car collection owned by John Burley.
Mr Burley said he loved teaching kids about older technology stretching back to the 1950s
“When they hear stuff like if you’re getting into an old car in a cold morning the windscreen fogs up and you gotta wipe it with your hand because that’s how it used to work they’re surprised,” he said.
“And also they can’t believe that in those days you didn’t need seat belts.”
Another historical display was set up right next to the cars by mechanical antique collector Robert Jones, who has a 1936 Twin Stand Cooper Shearing plant as part of his collection.
“I did a little work on it and fixed it up a bit and it’s really good,” he said.
“This design is good Australian design. And these things were made to last for ages, they’re also very heavy, just look at the steel, it’s nearly an inch thick!
“It’s always good to see something old that’s still going and lasting, it’s our heritage and history.”
Another presentation was by Tinamba dairy farmer Damien Henry, who demonstrated how a cow milking machine works and took kids to meet calves.
“It’s encouraging to show kids that aspect of the farm. Kids are used to seeing pets that are trained and well behaved that it’s always interesting to see these sorts of wild animals,” he said.
“I’ve asked the question before ‘where does milk come from?’ They go ‘from the supermarket’ or ‘a cardboard box,’
“We are lucky there is a still a connection to the country here even with kids in town.”
Meanwhile, in the arts and crafts pavilion, an art competition was in the process of being judged by Anne from the Sale Art Circle.
“There’s different entries here, there’s Watercolour, Acrylic even Lego and others very different that I’m not entirely familiar with,” she said.
“When judging I look for and strongly consider how much work it took to put something beautiful out.”
Anne said it was encouraging to see young people engage with so many types of art.
“There’s a tremendous amount of talent here and some art pieces I would never even think of,” she said.
“They all deserve a prize.”
The program was assisted by local high school students, whose schools work with the Maffra Show.
On the other side of the showgrounds, returning announcers Kelly Morris and Paul Johnson sat in a small announcer’s room overseeing the equestrian events on the oval.
“It’s almost like a ritual that we all do every year,” Ms Morris said.
She has one of the most difficult jobs in the Maffra Show, pronouncing the names of hundreds of horses.
One prominent winner was a young Welsh Mountain Pony called Heath Kawana Park Peppermint ridden by Sharyn Chester and owned by Lilyanne Cooke Dennison.
He secured two first place wins in competitions and came second in another.
More Maffra Show coverage in Friday’s paper.
Robert Jones starts up the shearing machine. Photos: Ben McArthur
Vintage car collector John Burley had a number of cars on display at the Maffra Show.
Kelly Morris and Paul Johnson in the announcers room at Maffra Show.
Some of the artwork displayed in the arts and crafts pavilion at Maffra Show.
