Following our very successful (sun-wise and financially) 2011 show, we have been able to improve our facilities.
A new wing has been added to the pavilion, financed mainly through a very generous grant from the Premier's Department. This is hoped to become a dining area for the next show - much brighter, with big picture windows and more SPACE! Work is ongoing with upgrading the kitchen area to give us a more streamlined and also larger area for food preparation. The pavilion itself has gained additional space with the relocation of the dining area and it will be a wonderful challenge to reorganise the layout of our displays. Every year the Society tries to improve our facilities somewhere in the showground - in the last few years the lighting and the poultry pavilion have both been significantly revamped, with smaller improvements in the cattle washing areas and roads. Hopefully we will be significantly upgrading the amenities and toilet block in 2012 with the assistance of the Showground Trust and the Junior and Senior Rugby League Teams. This is greatly overdue but has been held up mainly because of lack of finances and also because of the new sewerage system - no point having to do the plumbing twice!

I was very proud to receive on behalf of the Show Society the award 'For Excellence In An Event' at a glittering presentation night of the Southern Highland Business Awards in October. This was for the staging of the 2011 Robertson Show and thanks go to Judy Fisk for her nomination. The Committee, Volunteers, Members, Exhibitors and indeed everyone who attended or had anything to do in making our show such an excellent event, are to be complimented on this achievement, but it really only confirms what we already know - Royal Robertson Show is THE best show!

As 2012 is the International Year of the Farmer we are working on making the show even better and keeping it an agricultural show rather than a fair. For the first time, Robertson will be hosting the Junior Judging of the Fruit, Grain and Vegetables at the show in 2012 on Friday. Junior Judging is an integral part of the show movement throughout NSW, incorporating judging of many elements - beef cattle, meat breed sheep, poultry & waterfowl, vegetables, fruit & grains, to name a few. Each Group (we are in the South Coast & Tablelands Group) holds a competition and the winner then at the Royal Sydney Show. In past years Group 5 has had quite a few successes at the Royal with our Junior Judges.

On a sad note, one of our Pavilion Stewardesses and long time Auxiliary members, Joyce Menzies passed away in November 2011. Joyce was a very hard working, no nonsense member and encouraged her family to join in many show activities, each generation (almost from birth!) contributing to various sections in the pavilion, with her guidance. You will be sadly missed Joyce.

I would like to thank the Committee for their ongoing support and hard work during the year; they attend meetings in all sorts of weather and help out despite having farms and businesses to run. The volunteers are of untold value to our show and come out of the woodwork at showtime, work like mad in sometimes awful conditions - hot, cold, wet, foggy! - and then disappear again. Without our Secretary, Leesa Stratford (who also works full time) we would be in a big hole. Thank you all!

I look forward to seeing you all at the Show,

Rosemary Turner,
President