The Kempsey Show has been postponed over health and safety concerns, according to show society president Damien Treloar.
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Mr Treloar, who was elected to the top job at the Kempsey Show annual general meeting earlier this year, said the committee voted to postpone the event at a meeting on Tuesday, March 21.
The decision, four weeks before the show was meant to be held, was made after heavy weather over the last two weeks made the show ring soft underfoot.
“The rain made a big difference,” Mr Treloar said.
“If we hadn’t have gotten that it’d be a different story.”
Mr Treloar said with show jumping, dressage events, the grand parade, the demolition derby and more scheduled to take place in the show ring, the risk of injury was too great.
There were also additional safety concerns, such as the condition of roads and paths inside the showground, that contributed to their decision to postpone, Mr Treloar said.
The showground is a crown reserve which had previously been managed for six years by administrator Steve Rowe, who oversaw the completion of more than 30 infrastructure projects at the ground.
With Mr Rowe’s departure to become the CEO of Benelong's Haven, the Department of Lands is in the process of forming a managing voluntary trust of the showground.
Without a trust to support immediate safety works at the ground, Mr Treloar said they had little choice but to postpone.
“It’s not us saying we’re a new committee, it’s us saying we have a duty of care to our patrons,” he said.
A new date for the show has been tentatively set for a November weekend.
Mr Treloar is hopeful that the new date will be a success.
“Time will tell,” he said.
He’s also confident the society will reach an agreement with carnival ride operators for the new date.
He said he hopes the postponement will contribute to an improved event that builds on the agricultural history of the show.
“We’ve haven't done this to benefit us (the committee), we’ve done it to make a better show,” he said.