Royal Easter Show 2025: 7yo Harry Collins’ mooving tribute
The Royal Easter Show 2025 flung open its gates, and crowds poured in on day one for the exhibits, food and rides. Young farmer Harry Collins was in no doubt about what he liked best.
NSW
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Ask most kids what their favourite part of the Sydney Royal Easter Show is and you could expect to hear the same answer: crazy rides, sugary treats and cuddly baby animals.
Not seven-year-old Harry Collins. When asked his favourite thing is, the boy from the bush tips his head back and strokes a freckled chin.
“Probably the cows.”
It doesn’t matter that Harry spends most of his days surrounded by cows on his parents’ farm and that one time one stepped on his foot (‘Don’t worry’, Harry tells us, “I had steel caps on”), the huge beasts will always be the highlight of his trip.
For young Harry, the Easter Show is a chance to proudly show “city kids” what it means to be from the country.
“The cattle are very quiet. Murray Greys are the quietest. They are great quality.
“We sell them to Hudson Meats,” he said.
Now in its 202nd year, this is one of the things the show has, and always will, be about. A chance for country kids like Harry to connect with the city and show them where their food comes from.
“I think every kid should come and live in the country,” says Harry.
More than 900,000 people are expected to come to the show this year, which will run over the school holidays.
They will have the chance to view over 13,000 animals across the show’s 6,500 exhibits.
This year, the iconic Districts Exhibitions Competition, where piles of fresh produce from across the state are proudly displayed, will celebrate its 125th year.
Designed, created and assembled by regions across NSW, each display contains more than 50,000 pieces of fresh produce.
Tracy Leys is one of the many volunteers making sure the display tradition carries on.
“It was a chance to show Sydney families what we are all about and bring the land to the city,” she says, motioning towards the Western District design, laid out to look like the Wizard of Oz.
“They go to the supermarket and see their fruit and vegetables, but where does it come from? Everything you see here in front of us is the best of the best.”
Agricultural Committee Chairman Hunter White has been coming to the show for 70 years.
But when speaks about the show, he echoes Harry’s youthful pride.
“Everything we do here, our purpose, is telling the story of agriculture,” Mr White said.
“The role of the show has probably become more important for farmers to tell (city people) their story and recruit people into it.”
Then there’s the show food — the vendors were swamped the moment they opened.
Even with a number of new restaurants and bars, food trucks were abuzz, with a 15-inch kebab a fan favourite.
Orchestrator of the king of the kebabs, Mehmet Resa took inspiration from his mother’s cooking in Turkey.
“It is the best food, unlike anything else you have ever tried,” Mr Resa said.
Despite its larger scale, Mr Resa said people have no problem finishing the kebab, with first-day sales well exceeding their expectations.
“As soon as one person takes a bite they can’t stop,” he said. “They need to finish it.”
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