By Matt Bungard
It's not unusual for a prodigious footballer to make their debut and be the youngest person on the field by five years – but what about a gap of 50 years?
That was 10-year-old Tom Sutherland's experience when he walked into a poultry show in Maitland in 2018. Tom, whose first pets were baby ducks, geese and chickens, wasn't fazed.
Tom holding one of his prized chickens. Credit: Jessica Hromas
"They all wanted to take him under their wing, so to speak," said Tom's mother Adriana Mansueto, who runs Coquon Farm in the Hunter Valley.
"All the top competitors were probably from 60 to 80. They're really lovely. You feel like you're among the Country Women's Association, where there's always a cup of tea and a kind word."
Agricultural shows are a staple of rural life, but this year they have been wiped off the calendar by COVID-19. Shows are not set to resume until early 2021 – in the meantime, the federal government gave societies and field day organisers until last Thursday to apply for a one-off payment under a new funding scheme.
Tom displays his Junior Champion award from 2018. Credit: Jessica Hromas
Agriculture Minister David Littleproud says the shows normally contribute more than $1 billion to the national economy each year, attracting six million patrons and 50,000 volunteers.
"We know that both agricultural shows and field days are significant social and economic contributors to hundreds of Australian bush and regional communities," he says. "They bring our families and farmers together, build community spirit and help bridge the divide between country and city."
There is a lot involved in preparing a chicken for the pageant: washing them, drying their feathers (naturally – not with a blow drier) and scrubbing their feathers with a toothbrush. "They don't look favourably on dirty claws, the judges," says Ms Mansueto.
Tom was the only competitor in his age group in Maitland when he took home the Junior Champion ribbon with his Wyandotte chicken.
"I like competition, and going against my friends," he said. "I like animals and I like seeing the other chickens when I'm there."
Tom isn't the only young person gaining experience on the land. Singaporeans Jocelyn Tan and Julian Lim are living at Coquon Farm through the World Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms program.
Singaporean couple Jocelyn Tan and Julian Lim are working on the farm.Credit: Jessica Hromas
The pair are school teachers who have learnt to drive the farm tractor, feed the pigs, milk the goat and make cheese.
"We just needed a break – and Australia was offering these working holiday visas, so we decided to come," Ms Tan said.
"We worked in Sydney for a while but we got over it. It's been amazing – in Singapore, we don't really get to experience nature like this."
Ms Mansueto says it's hard to travel when you own a farm but that the program has brought the world to her and her family.
She has had exchange workers from Iran, Switzerland, Japan, Hong Kong and others, in what she described as a cultural exchange for both parties.
"We've made beautiful connections and friends through it that will stay with us for the rest of our lives."