Justine Elliot (Richmond, Australian Labor Party, Parliamentary Secretary for Trade) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise today to speak about a fantastic event in my electorate, the Murwillumbah Show, and to commend all of those involved with the show. On Saturday, 6 November, I had the pleasure of attending the 110th Murwillumbah Show with my family. This show is an iconic event for the area. It has been run by the Tweed River Agricultural Society since 1900. In fact, it is one of the oldest, continuous running agricultural shows in the country. One of the highlights of the show’s history was in 1977, when the official opening was performed by Prince Charles. The show is a highlight on the Murwillumbah social calendar, along with Speed on Tweed and the Tweed Valley Banana Festival. It really is a major part of Murwillumbah.

Murwillumbah is a beautiful town located in the Tweed Valley on the North Coast of New South Wales. It has the stunning Mount Warning as its backdrop. As always, this year’s show had an overwhelming array of activities and was attended by many locals and visitors. The main ring was a hive of activity with a comprehensive program of equestrian events, including showjumping and dressage, and fantastic livestock and trade displays where many great local products such as sugarcane were displayed. Another very exciting area was the woodchop arena, which had a very well-contested event program again this year. There are always many people involved in that. In the main pavilion there were many displays. Local schools had a number of displays and there were great examples of local produce—fruit and vegies and some floral displays. A local, Merilyn Gilmore, has been showing her floral creations at the show for the last 20 years and she has been the overall champion for the past three years. The highlight of the show is the grand parade in the main arena. It is no wonder the show has a reputation for having a terrific atmosphere. It really is a place where city and country come together to enjoy the very best our region has to offer.

I would like to acknowledge many of the generous sponsors of the show. Entry to the show remains free due to the support of the Tweed Shire Council and many local business sponsors. Whilst there are many people who contribute to the show, I would like to acknowledge the president, Jenny Glasby, and the secretary, Liz Chauvier. The most memorable event at the show was the presentation of life membership to Jenny and Barry Glasby, two outstanding and inspirational people who have dedicated so much of their lives to making the show the great success that it is today. I would also like to acknowledge all of the committee members who put in a huge amount of work all year in making the show a great success. It is due to the dedication of people like Jenny and Barry that the Murwillumbah Show continues its great tradition and continues to be, without a doubt, the very best agricultural show in the country.