Retiring A&P Show secretary reflects on changes after 31 years
Long-time A&P official, Brian Reilly.
Traditionally held on the third Saturday every January, Golden Bay’s Agricultural and Pastoral (A&P) Show has been going for 112 years. Nowadays the all-day affair reliably attracts crowds of between 2,500 and 3,000 people, with kids under 15 always free.
Running the biggest annual happening by far in the Bay is no easy task for the currently 18-strong committee; the organising starts in August and the tidying up of loose ends goes on until nearly May. This year the team will work without Brian Reilly, who has retired after 31 years as cornerstone secretary of the association.
Brian’s marathon service was done in two stints, one from 1961–73 and another from 1990 until this year. Last June he officially handed over the reins to incoming secretary Jean Wedderburn.
Brian says the biggest changes in the show during his years of organising have been about the growing emphasis on entertainment and amusements.
“This has happened with A&P Shows right across New Zealand, so we’ve just been going with the trend. But we’re pleased we’ve been able to do some major upgrades, like to the inside of the produce shed, and building a new shearing shed.”
A reduction in cattle entries is evident. This is thought to be caused by transport considerations. Sheep, and more later goats, have always been big in the Bay, and they have not declined much in showing numbers. Just how much the A&P Show is a true representation of our community was shown in the Grand Parade of 2007, when the town’s boy racers were encouraged to join in, chugging behind at walking pace. They got plenty of cheers too.
The mostly volunteer committee meets monthly, with the action building up to the first week of December when the entries close. The secretary’s job has a paid honorarium because of the extra workload expected. This includes things like ensuring all the judges are keyed up and events organised early, particularly for the horses and riders, who routinely travel from Canterbury and further south to attend. The actual week leading up to the show can be bedlam, and the week after can be just as busy, writing up and posting all the results. When that’s all sorted, there’s the final cup presentation, usually one night in March, before everything is finally wrapped up for that year.
Beyond everyone’s control is the weather, which has proved fine or settled for around 90 per cent of show days over the years. Brian jokes about the notable exceptions: “I recall a couple that were complete wipeouts, then we had one like last year where it dawned absolutely beautiful in the morning but by 3pm the place was awash. Generally though, I reckoned I enjoyed a bit of a hot line up to the maker for show days!”
A&P Society President Duncan McKenzie says that 31 years of service, plus the fact that Brian was secretary at 86 years old, is a real tribute to the man who basically kept the whole thing ticking along without even the slightest of glitches.
“He’s a man that knows how to make a long list that includes absolutely everything, then he methodically goes through it until everything is ticked off.”
It should be said Brian is hardly retiring. He has taken over the job of A & P treasurer from his wife Noleen. They are exactly the sort of selfless people who have made Show Day so successful for everyone.
Gerard Hindmarsh
