Royal Adelaide Show cancelled, but you can still get showbags. Here’s where
Covid might have cancelled the Show for the second year running, but the showbag tradition lives on. Here’s where to find them.
Lifestyle
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While this year’s Royal Adelaide Show may be cancelled, the age-old showbag tradition continues on as companies scramble to offer families a showtime experience outside the Wayville gates.
The Royal Agricultural & Horticultural Society of SA pulled the plug on the Show on Thursday, three weeks from opening day, after SA Health advice limited the Show to 10,000 people a day.
The shock decision means for a second year running, punters will miss out on Show staples such as rides, wood chopping, animal compeitions and showings, sampling produce and fireworks.
But the popular showbags will still be available, with distributors offering showbags for sale online or at retail outlets.
Phil Sims from Robern Menz of FruChocs fame, said his company would move the showbag experience online.
“Of course, we’re devastated with the outcome of the cancellation, but we are absolutely supportive of SA Health directives and the difficult decision that the Society has had to make,” he said.
“We’re in the process of setting up an online Showbag Stand and we’re very fortunate to be able to have our retail outlets to have our FruChoc, Violet Crumble and other Robern Menz showbags available for all South Aussies to still enjoy,” he said.
After the Queensland EKKA was cancelled over extended lockdown, organisers offered a drive-through experience, complete with show bags, dagwood dogs and sundaes for motorists.
The Royal Show Society asked people to be patient as it “unravelled Show preparations”, but has made no indication as to whether it will host a similar small-scale drive through experience.
“If you are interested in contributing to the Royal Agricultural & Horticultural Society of SA in some way in 2021, please let us know and instead of issuing a refund you can choose to donate this money to the Show Society Foundation,” the society said in a statement.
A spokesman from OTR said the group had already been planning to sell showbags outside of the Show before Thursday’s announcement.
“A range of iconic showbags are available at 50 of our stores, thanks to a partnership between OTR and Bensons Trading’s Showbags, one of Australia’s leading showbag suppliers,” a spokesperson said. A Foodland spokesman said the company was assessing its options to move showbag distribution online.
Show staple the Merino ram sale will go ahead behind closed doors, with President of Merino SA Joe Dahlitz saying the sale would run externally as it did last year.
“I don’t know if we’d be able to hold the sale in the Adelaide ram shed, we’ll have to speak to the Show Society, but I’d think if not we’d set up a marquee just out of Adelaide somewhere and do it there,” he said.
“We’re very disappointed with the announcement, it takes the wind out of your sails a bit but the sale will go on, its very important for our genetic pool that it occurs, the top animal fetched $70,000 last year.”
Show bosses pin hopes on 2022 surge
By Michelle Etheridge
The Royal Adelaide Show’s directors will take a huge financial hit from its cancellation – and they need families to come out in force next year to secure the event’s future.
Royal Agricultural & Horticultural Society SA chief executive John Rothwell said over the coming weeks, the non-profit group would analyse its losses from the Show falling victim to the Covid-19 pandemic for a second consecutive year.
“We’re talking millions – it could be $5m or something in that order that we’ll have incurred (this year),” he said.
“Last year we lost 95 per cent of our income overnight.”
The society’s board this week decided to cancel the event after SA Health said it could host only 10,000 people at once, including Show staff, making it unviable.
“We’re very resilient and we’ll be working to find ways that we come out the other end and work out how we can deliver a Show in 2022,” Mr Rothwell said.
“As South Australians, we tend to take our Show for granted and assume it will always be there.
“Our generation now needs to step up and be supportive in future years. That will make all the difference for the Show to be here long-term.”
The Show, which was to run from September 3–11, is the state’s largest event, injecting $170m a year into the economy.
Last year it was cancelled in April, allowing organisers time to develop the virtual “Show at Home”, but Mr Rothwell said that could not happen so late in the piece.
“We’ve also incurred so much cost that we really have to immediately stop otherwise we’ll just bleed money,” he said.
“We’ll look at all measures possible to offset the major financial impact this has had including seeking (state) government support.”
The SA Country Women’s Association usually raises about $60,000 at the show to help pay for programs helping people including drought-affected farmers, disadvantaged new mothers and domestic violence victims.
President Davina Quirke said to help plug that shortfall, the organisation wanted to set up a shop in Adelaide to sell crafts made by hundreds of volunteers.
It’s also looking at establishing a Central Market stall during Show Week, to sell its famous scones.
The organisation has been heartened by the public’s support, including organisations offering to help connect them with shop space and people keen to buy jams and crafts.
“Third time lucky is what we’ve been saying all around,” Mrs Quirke said.
“I think we could blow up a few of our own fireworks next time, we’d be so relieved.
“The state needs the show – it shows that normality.”
About 25 SA-based rides were expected to feature at the Show.
Showmen’s Guild of SA secretary Phillip Hamilton said regional shows would be operators’ saving grace.
This included the Whyalla Show next weekend and the Gawler Show, which has been rescheduled for November.
“Most of them are still keen to go ahead – they can still get a management plan for a few thousand people,” Mr Hamilton said.
While disappointing, the cancellation of events was part of “the business we’re in”, he said, adding that ride operators had previously been affected by weather-related events.
“We just have to get on with it as best we can,” Mr Hamilton said.
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