WITH 160 years of the Coleraine Show, the belief could be that it keeps going no matter what, but with the ripple effects of COVID still reverberating, the 2022 show cancelled due to the grounds turning to mud from record spring rain, and cost of living steeply rising, the first show in the small community since 2019 is in danger of being its last.

Agricultural shows have been part of regional towns across the world for centuries and the Coleraine Show is one of the oldest in Victoria; to put things into perspective - the oldest P&A society in Australia is the Van Diemen’s Land Agricultural Society established in 1822.

The opportunity for locals of all ages to gather and enjoy a day out is a tradition Coleraine P&A Society president, Jessica Sutherland, would hate to see disappear and she’s doing all she can to make the rebound show something to remember.

One of the key features of the show’s return will be an expansion of the shearing competitions in conjunction with the wool handling.

“This year for the first time there’s actually going to be a women’s shearing section,” she said.

“Women have always been welcomed to enter, but not in a section of their own - mostly they would enter the wool handling side, which is dominated anyway by women in the sheds.”

With $700 up for grabs for the new competition, alongside $1000 in the Open section, as well as more cash incentives to win in the Senior, Intermediate, Novice and wool handling events, people will have plenty of expert and emerging talent to watch.

“We’re also … having a car boot sale at the same time,” Jessica said.

With “50-odd acres to fill” she’s looking for anything possible to make use of the space at the Coleraine Showgrounds and give the show a boost in terms of looking busy.

And busy it will be, with the police, fire brigade and ambulance again bringing various vehicles to take a closer look at, and - for the first time, the army cadets will also be there - with an impressive Unimog sure to be the centre of attention.

That’s not the end of it for petrolheads - there will also be classic cars and ‘Beaut Utes’.

Jessica said she also expects the various horse and pony competitions to be a “very, very big” attraction that draws a lot of people - with jumping, topsy ring and novelties there’ll be a lot to watch.

“They are one of the things that has kept us going over the years,” Jessica said.

“Basically, we’re broke. Any money that we do make has to go straight back into fixing up the sheds and things like that.”

With market stalls including produce and flowers, a cookery competition (open and junior), displays of homecraft, needlework, photography, preserving, knitting and crochet, there will be a plethora of things to experience and learn about.

There will be carnival rides, a grand parade, also magician Dan the Magic Man captivating crowds with two shows in the afternoon, and musician Wade Northcott will be performing at 6pm too.

That’s just the start of the evening entertainment with the traditional eel races taking place, and games for the young - and young at heart; Jessica said, “good food, good company and a good time”.

Then when the sun goes down and it gets dark enough (generally after about 8.30-9pm depending on weather conditions), the day will be topped off with the traditional fireworks display; it promises to be a spectacular and engaging event.

“I’m looking forward to seeing massive crowds of support,” Jessica said.

“There’s a lot of work to be done, but I’m also excited to see us make up for the years the show has been cancelled. We’re so keen to see the community come along and have a great time.”

The Coleraine Show starts at 8am and will run until 10pm on Saturday, November 4 at the Coleraine Showgrounds.

More car boot sellers are welcome and the show is still looking for people to help as volunteers with a variety of tasks available such as gate keepers, stewards, bar staff and more - please contact them via email at colerainepandasociety@gmail.com or visit coleraineshow.com.au