Carcoar Showground has a new lease on life after $72,000 worth of upgrades have been completed around the facilities just in time for this year’s show.
The improvements include new sheep yards, gravel flooring and roof for the shearing shed known as Webby Reid Pavilion. There is a new shearing board and a secured shed to store show equipment and display fleeces during the show. New display tables have also been installed for the wool display.
The road to the shearing and cattle sheds at Ben Lowe Pavilion has been upgraded for easier access as well as the showring surface and a new cricket pitch has been added. A new septic system plus a new roof and guttering have been installed on the Digger Bright Pavilion and some maintenance has occurred to the windows of the Secretary’s office.
The Carcoar Showground is a well-used community area that has housed the much-loved annual Carcoar Show from 1877. The show is finally returning after a 2-year hiatus this weekend.
Member for Bathurst Paul Toole MP said the funding is part of the Stronger Country Communities grant program and has given the Carcoar Show Society the boost needed to ensure the 2022 show continues.
“The Carcoar Show is a fantastic local tradition, and these upgrades funded by the NSW Government will ensure it continues to delight locals and be a part of our history for many generations to come,” Mr Toole said.
This funding follows a previous $14,500 in NSW Government funding to carry out maintenance works on the main pavilion.
Carcoar Show President Andrew Winfield said the funding was a much-needed boost.
“None of this would be possible without these grants as the Show is run as a not-for-profit and doesn’t have the money available to improve the facilities, only to maintain them,” Mr Winfield said.
“It’s been a tough few years for country shows, but as they say, the show must go on and these grants from the NSW Government are helping make that happen.”
On top of this, Member for Bathurst Paul Toole said a $15,000 Country Shows Support Package grant was recently granted to the Carcoar Show Society to support the booking and hiring of suppliers and equipment to run the show.
“Country shows are the heartbeat of so many rural communities – they not only celebrate the best of the best in the community but allow visitors to experience the tastes, sights and sounds of the bush,” Mr Toole said.
“It’s also a big win for competitors who have spent years perfecting events like wood-chopping, show jumping or baking, as they can now focus on earning the points needed to compete at the Sydney Royal Easter Show.”
The $5 million Country Shows Support Package provided funding opportunities for the 190 agricultural shows that are planned across NSW in 2022.