Lismore Showground is well on it’s way to recovery and restoration, in time for the Lismore Show, which is coming up in a months time on October, 22nd.

The Lismore App spoke to the president of the Historical Show Society, and a Poultry Breeder, John Gibson, about how things are tracking. 

John said the insurance report they had received after the floods was over 140 pages, and said despite the incredible efforts, he knows “it won’t be perfect, but like I said to someone the other day, we accept a lot less now than what we did before the floods”. 

“We've learned that's not the way it works at the moment around here and the show ground is no different. But as I said earlier, we've just got to put a show on. Let's have a good time. I think that's what it's about.

"We're trying to get as much cross sectional entertainment as we can and just forget about what we've been through for a few days. And if we can do that I think we'll all feel better with ourselves.”

John said the past few years have been very difficult time because there hasn't been a show since 2019 due to COVID-19 and then the February/March floods. 

“We didn't even think we'd have a show for 2022 but we're putting a show on, there's going to be some things that probably won't be fully completed, a lot of insurance work won't be completed”. 

“We're working on electricity now, and to get up and running but I think it's very important for our region that we have a show and a celebration of what can be achieved here. The Northern Rivers community are a resilient lot”.

“The people are moving behind it. Our show will be different, but our support from Norco in particular who has a naming rights sponsor for the show in 2022, after what they’ve been through to still say that they'd like to be involved, I think, is great for our show, and our region”. 

“I think we've got to support those organisations that have seen so many bad things happen to them.” 

“We've never seen so much water in our ground and more damage than what we've seen in this last the flood. Our office was inundated with nearly a meter of water. And never in our history have we had water in our pavilions and our office. So we're working in very restricted conditions, but we will get a show up and running and the support from some of the local business people has been great.”

“You only get one day a year because they're on a circuit and that's when it's got to happen. And because the showman, who are bringing this Sideshow rides and other things, food and canteens, that sort of thing, they've got to move on to the next show. It's the spring circuit around here and we're in the middle of that; Kyogle is having a show, Murwillimbah is having a show, then they leave us go to Alstonville then Mullumbimby and Bangalow is the last show for the spring circuit around here. So I wish them all well with that and they're all working under very adverse conditions”.

Given the adversity our farmers have faced, we asked John what the difference would be in regards to the agricultural section of this years show:

It was built around livestock and years ago, they used to walk a lot of their animals here. But we're not having dairy cattle for the first time ever this year. Farmers have been through an awful lot and lost a lot of livestock and just keeping their cattle alive has been a problem. 

We're still having a beef cattle section. And the entries haven't closed yet but they're coming in and we're expecting entries from various places. We know we've got entries coming from Tamworth and hopefully from Southern Queensland. 

So, over the years, the beef cattle section here was next to Sydney Royal Standards and how it's going to be this year I'm not sure but if you never get started, you never get finished. 

So, we had to put it back on there and we've got a lot of schools participating in that. It's great they're still coming and with their steers and their state cattle. So we're very pleased about the support. We're getting there, whether its big or not, but we've just got to put something on for everybody to see. 

We've got a poultry section, we've got a championship woodchop with two New South Wales championships in the woodchop section.

We've got a cat show on the Saturday we've got mini goats, and we've got the horses and Fine Arts pavilion, which entries are coming in now and also the Art Prize.

So, there's a fair bit of stuff happening around the ground. We've got a Lego competition for the school kids over the three days we've got a band playing, we’ve got a circus, we've got BMX bikes, and we've got a rodeo.

The Lismore Show will have a ‘free gate’ this year to allow everyone in the community to come along. In particular, John is encouraging everyone to “come along on the Friday night, where there will be a parade of people that were involved in the floods. Those people were the police and the SES and the Rural Fire Brigade and many other organisations. Plus we're asking for the people that had those tinnies, the unknown people to just turn up and be involved in the parade and come come around the ground”. 

“I think it's just something for people to come and be involved with. To talk to one another about their experiences because when I walk up and down the street, people are still talking about what happened to them”.

“And that's what the show is about this time”. 

“It's about people coming out and enjoying what they're doing. And that's why we're giving that free gate so people can come and if they choose to get in Sideshow Alley or buy showbags that's their choice, but we're not charging them to come in.”

Due to the sponsorship of the show, John told the Lismore App, this has been possible, but given the renovations still required, he is hopeful that government will pitch in to support this important community gathering. 

“Anybody that wants to come and exhibit, any retailer or something like that, get in touch with us or have a look at our website. We need things for people to see when they come to the show as well as what's still about you know. There's a lot of retailers that probably could come and have a display here and it definitely helps their business you know. It's not so much to sell at the show, it's in some ways, awareness of who's still trading. We're here to help them and try and fit them in and just to make it good for everybody to be seen to be part of the community.

John also called out for support to make the show happen, telling us “We need volunteers to come and help us to and just get in touch with us. We're looking for people that can help us run the show, there's so many different parts of that. If they've got some thoughts on how they'd like to be involved or involved with the show society in an ongoing situation we'd like to hear from them. The more volunteers we've got will make it easy for others”.

If you can volunteer or you are interested in being a stallholder, call the office on (02) 6621 5916.