Equitana Melbourne joins Deni Ute Muster, Elmore and Henty Machinery Field Days Covid cancellations
Equitana Melbourne is the latest spring event to fall victim to Covid lockdowns, with event organiser Rod Lockwood today announcing the festival has been cancelled.
Major equestrian festival Equitana Melbourne has been cancelled for the second year in a row, with organisers saying they are "devastated" by the decision.
In a public announcement posted online today, Equine Productions director Rob Lockwood said, "There is still too much uncertainty in the current environment to proceed in November. It is deeply disappointing that the equine community from around Australia will not be able to come together to enjoy the fun and excitement of Equitana Melbourne for the second year in a row."
The four-day event was originally due to be held at Melbourne Showgrounds in November, but has been postponed until November 10-13 next year.
Organisers appealed to people who had already bought tickets to retain those tickets for entry to the 2022 event, but anyone not able to attend the new dates would be able to apply for a refund.
"The pandemic has had a stranglehold on the events industry, with over 18 months of sporadic deliveries, dozens of cancellations and missed experiences throughout. As passionate providers of events, our team desperately wants to continue to deliver unforgettable events for our attendees long into the future," organisers said in the announcement.
The cancellation comes after many major rural and agriculture events have been forced to halt plans due to the extended lockdowns in NSW and Victoria.
DENI UTE MUSTER
The Deniliquin community will miss out on up to $8 million in revenue after their renowned Ute Muster was cancelled on August 12, as a result of Covid-19.
“It is with great regret that we announce the cancellation of the 2021 Deni Ute Muster due to the evolving COVID-19 outbreak and related restrictions and border closures,” said a post today on the Deni Ute Muster Facebook page.
“We have left making this decision for as long as possible, but the risks are continuing to escalate making it impossible to keep everyone safe.”
General manager Vicky Lowry said, as her team made calls to contractors, vendors and artists with the bad news, the decision was not taken lightly.
“It’s been a really tough few days for us undoing about 10 months of planning in a week,” she said.
“There was one contractor who we were their third phone call of the day cancelling on them.”
She said the fallout from cancelling the region’s premier event would not only be felt by the organising committee but also by up to 20 local community groups.
“The groups that come and volunteer during the muster we then donate back to them for every member of their group — we give about $70,000 back to those groups,” Mrs Lowry said.
They are looking forward to their 2022 event, which will be held in the same weekend and same place as always, although could look quite different to previous years.
“We’re here to stay and we won’t be moving.
“The things that might change include being a cashless environment, masks may be a thing still, vaccinations and having that certificate could be also be a thing — it’s all up in the air at the moment,” Mrs Lowry said.
In the meantime Mrs Lowry said they would be looking for grants to support them financially, but patrons who had bought tickets could roll them over, or buy tickets when the 2022 event goes on sale to support the event.
“The government gave money to small business and there was job keeper but as for financial assistance for this industry we didn’t see any support last year so we’ll definitely be asking for it now,” she said.
Henty Machinery Field Days cancelled
The agricultural community is assessing the fallout from the cancellation of Henty Machinery Field Days, which on Wednesday night was called off giving exhibitors and suppliers six weeks’ notice.
The biggest rural event of its type in Australia, Henty is said to contribute an annual $92 million to the national economy.
Machinery manufacturer Justin Dunn had planned to attend, to unveil his newest innovative livestock feeding system.
He said the cancellation was a crushing blow.
“We are really disappointed,” Mr Dunn said. “We had been aiming towards entering Machine of the Year. We have a big machine sitting right here, shining and gleaming, but no one to see it.
“We are talking accumulation of two years of research and product development. It is probably $250,000 of investment.”
Mr Dunn won the prestigious Agri-Innovator award at Henty three years ago, and credits the accolade with catapulting him into business.
“For us, that was a massive launch to our business. I was a high school principal and had a good idea, and it is now my full-time business and we have employees working for us.”
His company, The Shepherd Ag, has a turnover of $2 million, with much of that generated from sales and leads gained at field days such as Henty.
“Now, we don’t have anywhere to showcase our products, unless we have people travelling to us,” he said.
Mr Dunn runs the operation from a property at Temora, in NSW, and said without field days, small machinery and rural supply businesses like his were hugely disadvantaged, because they required demonstration in a farming setting.
“I really don’t want to see the likes of field days fold completely,” he said.
Sheep producer Scott Mitchell from Rene at Culcairn, NSW, said last night’s news the HMFD had been called off was “very, very disappointing”.
“This has taken away our major marketing opportunity two years in a row,” Mr Mitchell said.
“The Henty field days are second to none when it comes to exposure of our sheep, and there is always interest in our Charollais, White Suffolks and Poll Dorsets.
“We walk away with at least 40-50 new contacts from being on display there and six to seven new clients who come and buy rams at our sales.
“It really is impossible to try to work out how much this will cost us in terms of lost opportunities.”
Henty’s cancellation makes it two events called off in a row for the Mitchells, who were unpacking their sheep and display at the Bendigo Sheep Show when it was abruptly called off.
“Henty is on our front doorstop, and we have always taken our sheep there – we can’t really put a figure on how much this will cost our business,” Mr Mitchell said.
Bec Scholz is part of the Henty Football Club which uses the field days as a major fundraiser.
She said the impacts of the field days being cancelled two years in a row were far reaching.
“Any community group in this area would use Henty as their major fundraiser and the money we raise is in the thousands, not hundreds,” Ms Scholz said.
“it’s definitely not easy to raise funds and I’m not sure how we will go financially as catering at the field days is the latest of our fundraising that has been called off.”
COVID-19 and border closures have also hit the club when it comes to Victorian players and the coach, who were unable to play in some matches during lockdowns.
“It is very, very hard for the club at this time,” Ms Scholz said.
“We were expecting that the field days would be called off and with all the lockdowns there was really no hope it would happen but it still really disappointing.”
Machinery manufacturer Charlie Webb said the cancellation would hit his sales significantly.
He runs Back Up Charlie, manufacturing a specialist sheep handling system.
Field days are his major opportunities to teach farmers about his product.
Most of events in sheep-production regions, including Lucindale, Hamilton and now Henty, have been cancelled two years in a row.
“It has impacted on our business considerably,” Mr Webb said, estimating he has lost half his turnover in the past 12 months.
“Farmers just like to see things work before they buy them. Even if you show them a video, they are still sceptical.
“We are still advertising … and getting inquiries – they say next time I see it at a field days I will probably buy one.”
Mr Webb’s business manufactures his equipment locally in Lockhart, where he also runs a farm.
He said the drop is sales would flow through his supply chain, affecting more than just his own business. He said the cancellation was also a big blow to community groups.
“There are a lot of sporting clubs, primary schools, secondary schools – their major fundraisers are catering at Henty. It is really affecting not only us, but across the board – everyone is being affected by it.”
From lost opportunities to network within rural industries, to one more missed chance to sit down for five minutes with a rural counsellor, the repercussions would be felt across the region, he said.
“The thing that will make the difference will be if everybody gets out there and gets their two jabs, that’s what we need to happen,” he said.
HMFD executive officer Belinda Anderson said the committee was considering new dates of March 15-17 next year, and exhibitors were being contacted to see if that would work.
Mr Webb said rescheduling was a positive, but it would be difficult if all field days chose similar dates.
“It would be a pity to have 10 field days in three weeks and have small crowds at them all,” he said.
Ms Anderson said they decided to announce the cancellation six weeks before the event to help minimise financial losses.
“Six weeks from the event seems like a long time but an event of this size does not happen overnight, and we owe it to those businesses committed to the 2021 event to give them fair warning,” she said.
“The majority of visitors come from within a three-hour drive of Henty … there is a great representation from Victoria.
“Snap lock downs will still be possible in September and HMFD cannot risk a repeat of what was seen in Victoria or Queensland on the eve of major agricultural events.”
She said the organising committee had spent more money than last year in preparation for the event, but it was not a “crippling amount”.
She said they were disappointed to have to come to the decision, but the health and safety of the community was their primary concern.
“Henty itself has quite a significant amount of aged residents – that (risking a Covid exposure) is just not something our little community would tolerate and not something we wanted to introduce either and be responsible for.
“In the end, anything we do is not greater than any one life.”
She said they were confident they had the policies and procedures in place to run a Covid-safe event, once restrictions allowed.
Australia’s biggest machinery field day is the latest casualty of Covid-19
Last night, the committee of the Henty Machinery Field Days emailed exhibitors to announce the field days had been called off due to Covid-19 concerns.
The event, which was due to be held from September 21-23, has an estimated economic value of close to $100 million but is on the ropes for the second year in a row.
HMFD executive officer Belinda Anderson said the event may now be held in March next year with exhibitors being contacted to see if this would work.
“The decision to look into rescheduling was based on the recommendations from NSW Health around the current challenge faced by NSW and the possibility of the virus being transmitted into regional areas,” Ms Anderson said.
“HMFD has been advised we are able to operate under the 4 sqm rule, however, NSW Health has strongly recommended the event be rescheduled.
“We have also considered the possibility of introducing the Delta strain of Covid-19 to the area and the impact this would have on our community. This was a risk we were not prepared to take.”
Issues around border restrictions were also a factor in the event being cancelled for September with at least 50 per cent of exhibitors coming from interstate.
“Six weeks from the event seems like a long time but an event of this size does not happen overnight and we owe it to those businesses committed to the 2021 event to give them fair warning,” Ms Anderson said.
“The majority of visitors come from within a three-hour drive of Henty … there is a great representation from Victoria.
“Snap lock downs will still be possible in September and HMFD cannot risk a repeat of what was seen in Victoria or Queensland on the eve of major agricultural events.”
If exhibitors agree to a March event, it would be held from March 15-17.
The cancellation of Henty Machinery Field Days follows last week’s decision to cancel the Elmore Field Days, which were due to be held in October, for the second year in a row.
Organisers of the three-day event announced the cancellation after waiting until the last possible moment in the hope restrictions around events would ease.
“Whilst the Elmore Field Days Committee is disappointed to have to make this decision, our committee’s main concern and deciding factor is the public safety of our community, volunteers, exhibitors and attendees,” president Scott Nichol said.
It joins a growing list of farming events being cancelled as the country continues to deal with the latest Delta-variant outbreaks.
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