Blue Skies Bring Crowds For Fun Of The Fair

Sydney Morning Herald

Thursday April 12, 2007

Alan Mascarenhas

IT WAS the 100th anniversary of the Sydney Royal Easter Show's prize-winning Grand Parade and, as such, was a day of pomp, ceremony and more than a bracing whiff of cow manure.

When the dung had settled yesterday, organisers proclaimed crowd figures to be back on track towards the target of 900,000, after poor weather hit attendance during the Easter holiday weekend.

This week Sydney's balmy Indian summer has returned. Easter Monday was the show's biggest day, with about 100,000 people coming through the turnstiles. "As soon as that sunshine comes out, the crowds definitely pick up. Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday have been fantastic," said John Aitken, the show's general manager of events and marketing.

The attendance record of about 1.3 million, set in 1997 when the show moved to Sydney Olympic Park, is unlikely to be threatened. "We're very confident of exceeding 900,000, but the magic million is very much up to the support of the people," Mr Aitken said.

Yesterday's highlight was the parade, featuring the cream of the 15,000 livestock which have braved the drought to enter this year's show. "Sydney, it's now time to have some fun!" blared the announcer as an assortment of animals poured into the arena.

Led by handlers in blazers and Akubra hats, the beasts did their best to form concentric circles. The outermost circle consisted of horse-drawn carriages pulling everything from women in quaint hats to blocks of hay. "Nowhere else in the world do they mix the pigs, the sheep and the goats in the numbers that we do," the announcer said.

Enjoying the day's events with slightly disturbing enthusiasm were Steve Harnacke and his twin brother, Mattia. The 10-year-olds moved to Australia from Italy three months ago and are yet to miss a single day of the show.

"It is too much," their exhausted mother, Simona , said. "I think it is only because it is our first year."

Over at the NSW Farmers' Association stall, mountains were moving, with the organisation launching a "metro memberships" scheme to recruit city slickers.

For the bargain price of $90, a greater understanding of rural life is available to "even the most trenchant cafe-latte sipping eastern suburbs leftie", said a jovial Minister for Primary Industries, Ian Macdonald.

TODAY'S HIGHLIGHTS

9.30am Bookbinding and knitting, Arts Pavilion.

11.45am Steer sale, Big Top Amphitheatre.

6.30pm Wood chopping, men's international relay, followed by rodeo state of origin, NAB Arena.

© 2007 Sydney Morning Herald

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