Outstanding Individual Contribution 40 Years & Over Category Finalists

Geoff Young 

Geoff was president of the Pakenham Show for 11 years and when he took on the role the Show was in one of their most challenging periods when the Show had to move location from the Pakenham Racecourse to the PB Ronald Reserve. The new grounds had no fence and was smaller, so Geoff had to get the committee to adapt and acquire more sponsorship due to not being able to charge a gate fee.

One of Geoff’s most remarkable contributions was the introduction of the multicultural stage, which celebrated the rich diversity of the community and is now such an important part of the event. His ability to build connections between various communities and groups is a credit to Geoff’s skills in creating such an inclusive and welcoming atmosphere. As Geoff continues to stay involved in the Show his positive attitude and hands on approach has such a positive impact on all involved. Geoff is also heavily involved in the Garfield Scout Group, Rotary and the Pakenham Blue Light Disco.  

John Smith 

John has been a part of the Kyabram Show since 1968 and is still a current committee member. He was made a life member in the late 1980’s due to his commitment to the society and the rodeo event ran every March by the society. He has been Grounds Manager for the majority of this time as well and has a vast knowledge of where every pipe and electrical cable runs. He takes pride in the way the grounds are presented for every event that may be held and stays on top of any maintenance that needs to be done.

John has been the driving force behind the rodeo and has built and maintained key relationships with many of the key stakeholders of the rodeo over the many years. His efforts towards the rodeo were recognised in the late 1980’s with the Rodeo Arena named “The John Smith Rodeo Arena Kyabram”. His time and commitment to events is commended as he is the main person that works with each event to make sure the grounds are to the requirements of the event. 

Nicole Nunn

Nicole has been involved in the Donald Show for 20 years and has held every executive position as she was treasurer from 2005 to 2007 then secretary from 2008 to 2015 and now currently president since 2019. Nicole is known as a quiet achiever with great ideas and very approachable to all. The Donald Show has evolved into the online world with Nicole being a main supporter for this change with a big social media presence, online entries and this allows competitors to still enter up until the day of the show.

Nicole was one of the main volunteers who held the 2015 VAS Convention in Donald, which successfully proved that a small town could host the Convention. She is the current President of the Wimmera Group and her passion for shows has stemmed from her grandparents the late Alan & Marie Hendy. She has been recognised for her efforts with a Donald Show Life Membership in 2022 and Donald Citizen of the Year in 2023. 

Reginald Packer 

Reg has been a member of the Swan Hill Show since 2012 and has been President for the past 12 years and only just handing over the reins this year while staying in the background supporting the new executive. He was awarded a life membership in 2021 due to dedication and contributions to the society. Reg has a long list of jobs he would complete from year to year including managing trade sites, organising advertising, sponsorship coordination, liaising with staff & volunteers, acquiring grants, budgeting, organising OH&S, organising contractors and everything else in between.

When Reg took over as President, he introduced financial budgeting to secure the future of the Show and then started to build partnerships with local businesses, which are still going strong today. Reg has also been involved in the Northern District Group holding a Vice President role. Before being involved in the Swan Hill Show he was one of the founding members of the Swan Hill Field Days where he was Chairman of this event for over 20 years. 

Robbie Davidson

Robbie has been involved in showing for over 70 years where he has shown horses, dogs and cattle both locally and at royal shows. He became a committee member over 30 years ago and is chief cattle steward. He continues to show his jovial enthusiasm for agriculture and brings new and innovative ideas to the table for each show but goes away and does the hard work to make the idea happen. He is extremely encouraging to youth, and his wealth of knowledge is invaluable to the show.

Robbie has been a part of creating many competitions and attractions at the show such as the Donkey Show, Pigeon Show, Cat Show, Sheep and Goat Competitions, Giant Pumpkin Growing and the recent innovation the Calf Classic. This invigorated the cattle section again due to dwindling numbers, but the event was such a success in 2025 that the engagement will only grow into the future. He leads by example with a strong work ethic and hardly never misses a meeting and Robbie has been honoured as a life member of the society. 

Outstanding Individual Contribution 25 - 39 Years Category Finalists

William Francis

William has been a member of the Society since 2018 and has immersed himself across many roles contributing to the success of the show from year to year. He contributes his time and efforts across the board including the agricultural produce section steward, helps at working bees for the livestock sections, young farmers challenge assistant steward, assists with the set up of the Kid Zone, Vice President of the Steam & Oil and has been the instigator of the Bendigo Agricultural Show Baking Showdown as well as the interactive Live Crop Display. He is also the society representative on the OH&S Committee for VAS and he is across multiple committees for the show society including program, project, livestock & parking.

William’s enthusiasm and willingness to pitch in on any task large or small has made him an integral part of the society and this shows in the commitment he has shown to growing crops for display for most of the year, so they are blooming in time for the show. He also started the Bendigo Agricultural Show Baking Showdown, which now showcases commercial bakers/bakeries across the state and this event is set to grow from year to year. His dedication and extensive involvement has such a positive impact on the society.

Jasmine Edwards

Jasmine has been involved in the show since 2014 as the Camperdown Show Chief Horse Steward. This role has encompassed a 2-day horse show as well as a summer horse show each year. She has been successful in getting a grant for 2 dressage arenas, which now supports a growing dressage competition on show day, which has continued to have increased entries. Her networking skills are to be admired as she is able to make great connections with volunteers and sponsors, and she has been able to coordinate volunteers to invigorate the Show Jumping Section again.

Jasmine has since taken on the role as Show Secretary for the last three years and is also the South Western Group Secretary since 2022. She has developed her event management skills over time and now uses a wide range of resources to produce sponsorship packages, show posters, show schedules and being able to engage new and exciting activities for the show. She is actively looking for new ideas and Jasmine is one of the few Victorians to have attended all 3 ASA Conferences. Her commitment is to be admired as she has a young family who are practically apart of the Camperdown Showgrounds as well and she continues to have a positive can do attitude in anything she does for the Camperdown Show.

Tess Runting

Tess has been involved with the show since 2013 and is the head steward of the Sheep Section, which her first task was to get the section running again after the show was relocated to the PB Ronald Reserve, which had no infrastructure for a sheep section. The Sheep Section has been successful ever since and over the years she has acquired sponsorship, grant funding as well as make the Sheep Section a highlight for attendees.

Tess has represented the Pakenham Show in both the Junior & Rural Ambassador at State Level and has been a mentor to many of her students in the way they conduct themselves at shows but also investing in their knowledge and teaching them the skills to be able to prepare and present their animal on show day. Tess is also involved in other shows within the area and has assisted with the running of their Sheep Section as well. She is always willing to have a go and is not afraid of hard work but she always does it with a smile. Tess has had an immense impact on the show and she really strives for what she believes in.

Best Marketing Campaign Large Section Finalists

Bendigo Show

In such a large town the Bendigo Show has a wide range of marketing strategies to target all demographics but the focus for their 2024 campaign was to maximise reach to families with primary school age children and 50 plus age groups. TV and radio promotion has been a main pillar of advertising with the TV with Seven Network that involves sponsorship as well this includes an additional 100% advertising placements, and the radio covers two radio channels suited for two different demographics. This is complimented with cinema advertising, and APCO Fuel Station digital ads across a 12-week period leading up to the show.

Social Media is an important part of the campaign which begins about 12 weeks out from the show and is such a cost-effective way to reach so many and be able to track the outcome of engagement, which for this campaign over the 3 months 126,900 individual views over that period. The result of the marketing was achieved with the second best attendance over the 2 days with 19,000 patrons attending.

Berwick Show

A Daily Prize Grab was the feature of the Berwick Show’s Marketing Campaign for their 2025 Show and was developed in response to the need to expand the reach within their community. The competition could be accesses through the QR code with flyers distributed across the local area and prizes included entry tickets, ride passes and vouchers for local businesses. Overall, this campaign was nearly no cost due to generous donations of time and vouchers to support the prizes.

As entrants entered the competition their details were captured and 50% of entrants requested to go on the mailing list and 22% of entrants had not heard of the Berwick Show previously. The campaign has provided a foundation for future years to develop and improve the engagement with the community.

Best Marketing Campaign Medium Section Finalists

Natimuk Show

The Natimuk Show aimed to promote the Theme of Music for their 2025 Show and this theme showed in their marketing as well. With many components included in their marketing campaign from 500 printed show schedules, 200 printed posters, 4000 Natimuk Show Children Section Flyers, 2000 Natimuk Community Showgrounds Flyers, 2 ABC Interviews, Digital Signage and entrance signage into the town of Natimuk, radio advertising plus newspaper articles and ads really reached the public with an increase in overall entries and attendances on the day.

The Facebook page was used to post links to the VAS Ltd Website, where they used this resource as an opportunity to upload plenty of information including the schedule, posters and entry forms totalling over 2100 click over a 3-month period. A considerable budget was spent on the marketing, but the rewards were received with many positive comments about the show with an overall increase across the show.

Best Marketing Campaign Small Section Finalists

Koroit Show

With a new and exciting concept, the Koroit Show had to really showcase the new Koroit Show/Field Day and they engaged with the Warrnambool Standard to help with an advertising and editorial spread leading up to the event. This ended up being an 8-page spread and the Standard advised that there were over 10,000 copies of the paper were sold. Advertising spaces were sold to the exhibitors attending and a map was also provided, which contained a list of all exhibitors. The local radio network was also engaged along with some other publications locally.

A new Facebook Page was set up, which gained traction as more posts were shared, and traders were starting to engage with the page. The budget for the marketing campaign was spent to what was set out from the start and some of it was offset with advertising covering some of the 8-page spread in the paper.

Best Innovation Award Large Section Finalists

Bendigo Show – Kid Zone

The idea was to use a shed that use to offer commercial trade site spaces and the aim was to create a safe and engaging space that entertained the kids and all activities were free to attendees. The space included comfortable seating for parents/guardians, facilities for nursing mothers and also sensory area. The play areas targeted to encourage imagination, active movement and social interaction. Some of the activities included a maze, chocolate toss, animal nursey, magician, building towers, sandpit and much more. This innovation doesn’t happen without a range of volunteers to help set up, manage the crowds on show days and then pack up. The comments and satisfaction from attendees was very positive and this space will be continued to be developed to change the activities from year to year.

Bendigo Show – Live Crop Display

The innovation of a live crop display aims to bring the origins and production of food to life in a captivating and educational way. The exhibits are nearly a year in the making growing multiple crops in crates to showcase oats, canola, wheat, barley, corn, peas & sunflowers. Next to each crate on display is a bucket of the seed and also facts about each crop to engage and be informative to all attendees. It aims to bring a snippet of the production of food and what a crop looks like up close. This innovation has now been partnered together with the grain & fodder competition classes and ties in well to showcase a snippet of the agricultural industry.

Foster Show – Calf Classic

The idea of the Calf Classic was a throwback to the calf club competition of neighbouring towns from the 1930s – 1980s. The competition engaged with all ages of children, and the aim was for the competitors to get involved in the care and exhibition of the calf they have raised in the previous 8 months prior to the show. An education session was held before the show to focus on the leading and grooming of the calf in preparedness for the show. The classes on show day were Best Presented, Best Led Calf and Best handler broken into three age groups. On the day there was plenty of support with a large crowd watching and sponsorship was received for bags of feed and ribbons, but no cash prizemoney was provided as the educational component of the competition was the main aim.

Kyneton Show – Country Parkour

The Country Parkour is a dynamic outdoor obstacle course designed for children to climb, jump and move through at their own pace. It is a free activity coordinated by show volunteers that use repurposed and recycled materials underneath the shady trees that line the showgrounds. It is an activity that may not be normally seen at an agricultural show, but it provides a high energy, inclusive and creative experience for young attendees. It is one of the shows most popular and talked about attractions with enthusiastic feedback from families and kids return to it again and again. It is a cost effective attraction to the society and is a visual symbol of when local people come together can create such a positive space for attendees.

Sunbury Show – Battle of the School Choirs

The Sunbury Show has an entertainment stage, and the aim was to attract more attendees to the show, and it was noticed when one local school came to perform and then a dance school came to perform it attracted so many people to the grandstand full of family members watching on. So, it was decided to start a Battle of the School Choirs and after a couple of years nine schools competed in 2024 totalling 360 students involved plus all the family members in attendance were able to experience the show and it created more engagement with the community to get them to the event. A Bunnings sausage sizzle was done to raise money for the prizemoney for the competition as reasonable prizemoney attracted more schools. There has been so many positive comments from the schools and how the students look forward to the event every year.

Best Innovation Award Medium Section Finalists

Lexus Melbourne Cup at Nathalia Show 2024

The objective of the innovation was to bridge the gap between metropolitan and regional communities by giving the 2000 residents of Nathalia the chance to directly engage with an iconic piece of Australia’s sporting and cultural heritage the Melbourne Cup. The show also had the privilege of hosting Melbourne Cup winning ex racehorses Prince of Penzance and Twilight Payment along with leading Australian female jockey Jamie Kah. It sparked a new way of engaging with the community, which attracted them to the annual show. The show also themed sections in the pavilion and had an increase in entries, such as horse themed Lego, floral arrangements and much more. The innovation has left a positive impact on the morale within the society after running such a successful event, which has effectively built new partnerships and sparked an exciting positive engagement with the community.

Best Innovation Award Small Section Finalists

Koroit Show – Koroit Field Day

The societies future was in doubt and attendances falling so the society recognised they needed to go back to their roots of an agricultural show and engage with the local community again. The aim was to fill a space of 200m x 200m with agricultural machinery and trade stands. Local businesses were approached but word of mouth worked its magic with over 65 exhibitors attending. Demo Dairy Foundation supported the event, which ended up delivering guest speakers and demonstrations throughout the day. The feedback from all attendees was very positive and moving forward the Koroit Field Day will be a 2 day event. The field day approach now compliments the livestock and homecraft competitions and ensures the future of the society with a positive outlook for the future.

Pakenham Show – Make & Wear Competition

This competition is for the sewing section and the aim is for the exhibitor to plan and make an outfit and these garments need to be able to be worn. Every year the show has a theme, and this competition uses that theme. In 2025 the theme was Bees so entrants used bee printed fabric and previous entrants are already waiting for the 2026 theme so they can start their entry. Local businesses have come on board as sponsors of the event offering monetary or vouchers and have been apart of the judging process as well. This initiative was started by a Junior/Senior Ambassador due to her studying a diploma in Fashion Design & Technology.

Yarram Show – Honeyeater Trail Showbag

The trail showbag was introduced to attract more attendees and engage with the community plus create a different way of seeing the show. Starting off with 100 showbags in the first year the show partnered with local businesses to donate products for the bag such as water bottle, toothbrush, cheese, a hat just to name a few and these products were collected around the show at trade stands and as they collected, they had a number stamped off on their passport. Once the trail was completed then they could return to the office and complete the form to go into the draw to win a gift card supplied by a sponsor. Great feedback was received, and comments were made like “I have never seen the whole show before” and this innovation also creates a little extra revenue for the society. This innovation was started by a Junior Ambassador and she built great partnerships with local businesses.

OUTSTANDING INDIVIDUAL CONTRIBUTION AWARD - Finalists Announcement

Congratulations to all who have been made finalists of the 25 - 39 years section & 40 years & over section. Below is a listing and we can't wait to feature these finalists in the coming weeks for you all to see. Full results will be announced at the VAS Ltd Convention 12th July.

25 - 39 Years Finalists

• Bendigo Show - William Francis

• Camperdown Show - Jasmine Edwards

• Pakenham Show - Tess Runting

40 Years & Over Finalists

• Donald Show - Nicole Nunn

• Foster Show - Robbie Davidson

• Kyabram Show - John Smith

• Pakenham Show - Geoff Young

• Swan Hill Show - Reginald Packer

BEST MARKETING CAMPAIGN AWARD - Finalists Announcement

Congratulations to all who have been made finalists of the Small, Medium & Large Sections. Below is a listing and we can't wait to feature these finalists in the coming weeks for you all to see. Full results will be announced at the VAS Ltd Convention 12th July.

Small Section Finalists

• Koroit Show

Medium Section Finalists

• Natimuk Show

Large Section Finalists

• Bendigo Show

• Berwick Show