THE recent article regarding the cancellation of the 2016 Goulburn Show (GP, Nov 18) has failed to recognise the actions taken by the Goulburn AP&H Society since they decided to change their 2016 Show date in early March 2015.
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Goulburn, along with all Southern Tablelands show societies, is a member of the Agricultural Societies Council of NSW Group 7.
Among other things, the Group 7 Executive hold a meeting in May each year with show society representatives to plan future show dates.
The 2016 Goulburn Show was originally forecast (by the Goulburn AP&H Society) to be held on April 16/17 at the May 2013 Annual Group 7 AGM and planning meeting.
At these meetings each show society submits preferred dates for the next three years. We discuss the dates, and compromise where conflicts occur.
We then agree on a schedule, which is submitted to the Agricultural Societies Council for publication. Make no mistake, it is the individual societies who set the dates and, as demonstrated by Goulburn AP&H Society in May 2015, the individual societies can change those dates whenever they wish.
However, according to our constitution, any changes should be made and ratified through consultation with other Group 7 Show Societies. At our 2014 Group meeting, Goulburn AP&H Society again forecast their 2016 Show on April 16/17, but the Goulburn president stated: I feel our show gets the rough end of the stick when it comes to picking dates … each year as lots of other shows have it set as the first/second weekend of the month, so we are looking at holding our show on the third weekend in March each year, unless it’s not possible (Group 7 AGM Minutes 2014.1).
In 2015, according to Facebook, the Goulburn AP&H Society booked the Goulburn Showground in early March for a Show on March 5/6, 2016, without consultation with any Group 7 Show Societies.
Instead the Goulburn Committee sent a letter to the Group 7 Executives stating they were now going to hold their Show on March 5/6, 2016.
When I heard of this decision I initiated a number of emails with Group members, all of whom raised concern over the Goulburn Committee’s actions.
Goulburn committee never answered any of the emails. Goulburn executives then attended the May 2015 Group planning meeting and officially announced their decision, without any intention of compromise (they had already advertised the new dates in the media) and despite opposition and condemnation by all of the Show Societies of the Southern Tablelands Group 7 Group.
They showed no remorse to the smaller shows impacted by their decision except to say, sorry, but we are going ahead with the new dates anyway. Boorowa, Braidwood and Tumut had forecast their Shows, since 2013, to be held on March 5, 2016 and Tarago (37kms from Goulburn) on March 6, 2016.
Braidwood and Tarago have held their shows on this weekend for the last five years. These shows cannot compete with Goulburn and in fact Tarago (with agreement of Group 7 Societies through a consultative process) has changed our date to March 13, 2016 where we now conflict with Taralga, but have no alternative. Goulburn AP&H Society has now stated they are going to book the first weekend in March for the next 20 years, again without consultation with any Group 7 members.
The problem is not what Goulburn AP&H Society has done, it is how they have gone about doing it.
They are now using the same bullying tactics and spin doctoring on the council and harness racing when, with some compromise on their part, the problem could be solved.
If they hadn’t changed their dates this issue would not have arisen. Instead they accuse others of doing exactly what they have been doing all year.
It is time the Goulburn AP&H Society committee woke upto themselves and realised the world does not revolve around them.
Congratulations to Goulburn Mulwaree Council and the stance they have taken. Harness racing has also compromised by delaying their starting time.
Keith Hunter, President, Tarago Show Society.