A camp oven cook-off was a popular new addition to the packed 2018 Longreach Show program, kicking off on Friday evening with team penning and the Miss Showgirl and Rural Ambassador announcements.
Organisers were expecting a top of 10 teams but had to buy extra camp ovens when double that number signed up.
In an MKR of the West-styled event, teams of two were given ingredients to make either a sweet or savoury damper within a time limit.
You might expect Tom Currie to win the savoury section but it was the sweet prize that he claimed, along with Jenny Elson, making a raspberry, coconut and white choc damper.
Savoury winners, with a pumpkin Mediterranean damper, were Marcin Dudek and Casey Owen.
Show secretary, Ingrid Miller, said another new attraction that had been a hit was the poetry under the tree on Saturday morning.
Promoted through the local schools, Ingrid said around 20 children took the opportunity to recite poems they’d written.
“It was really popular, more than we thought it would be, so we’ll have to look at that in more depth next year,” she said.
A highlight of Friday night’s sponsor drinks was a thank you to local pensioner, Charlie Cory, who spent weeks restoring a timber ram crafted for the 2017 show by chainsaw artist, Matt George.
The fresh timber had split and Charlie volunteered to renovate it.
Show president, Margie Webb, said he’d done a magnificent job to bring the crafted ram, modelled on a Riverina Ram of the Year and Sydney Royal Show winner, back to ‘as new’ condition.
Close to 2500 people went through the gates on show day, which was slightly more than last year.
Ingrid said that thanks to help from Rotary, children and pensioners got in for free.
A number of them heard rugby league legend, Shane Webke, speak on the serious topic of farm safety and the danger of Australia’s “she’ll be right” attitude to workplace safety.