Ted and Winsome Walmsley have been operating the Native Australian orchid show for the better part of 18 years now, and this weekend the annual exhibition at Greenhill gets underway once again.
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Ted and Winsome will join other orchid enthusiasts and showcase their impressive collection at the Greenhill Speedway grounds on Saturday morning from 9 am, signs and directions will be displayed.
"People from all over Australia bring their orchids for the show; we get people from Victoria, Queensland, Western Australia, we even had a judge from New Zealand once. A lot of people continue to come each year," Winsome said.
"As usual, there is a barbecue dinner on the Friday night, and a special dinner at the speedway track on Saturday night. Orchids will be on display all of Saturday, except 11 am to 12 pm while the judges decide the winners.
"The displays will be open again to the public from 9 am to 3 pm on Father's Day for anyone wanting to view the prize-winning plants."
Winsome has been married to Ted for 61 years, and since they started their humble orchid show all those years ago, the couple has turned it into a thriving event.
"We started with a few orchids, and then it grew from there, there was a little tent in our backyard, then it was two, then three, it eventually outgrew the yard, and we had to move it," she said.
"The location has changed several times due to the number of people who come, but at its heart, it's still the same show from all those years ago."
Ted and Winsome have spent many years growing their orchids, and this year the Kempsey locals are confident that their award-winning plants will impress once again.
"We would have over 4000 orchids, and maybe 80 of those will be on display this weekend, many have won awards over the years," Winsome said.
"Ted makes some of his own hybrids, most of them are named after family members. He spends a lot of time with the orchids, and he knows the nursery like the back of his hand, if any of the pots are moved, he knows."
Despite the orchid shows continuing success, 2019 might be the last hurrah for Winsome and Ted, who fear that age might finally be catching up to them.
"This could be our last year, or maybe next year will be our finale, we will see. We are getting a bit old, and it gets a little harder each year," she said.
"Some orchids can take up to 14 years to flower; I don't think we will be getting any more; otherwise, we won't be around to see them flower."
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