Egmont A. and P. Association's Jubilee Show

Hawera Star, Volume LIII, 7 November 1933, Page 16

Egmont A. and P. Association's Jubilee Show

SETTLERS’ PICNIC GATHERING

Coming to Normanby in lß<s, nine years before the formation of the Eginont Agricultural and Pastoral Association in Ham-era, Mr.. John Forbes the vice-president, has-seen the-growth of the association . from its inception and has watched its progress with keen ’interest—first the infant picnic show on the old reserve at the west end of High Street and then the development from the time, fire years later, that the present magnificent freehold site was acquired.. Discussing, with ■ a “Hawera Star’ reporter his * recollections of early shows, Mr. Forbes referred to many interesting fqrnis of competition in farming operations that were held, and which created tremendous interest and drew large crowds to the shows. Of these one of the most interesting and exciting was sheep shearing. Mr Forbes recalled also that the association had the use of a grazing paddock of .five acres leased by the then proprietors of the “Hawera Star.” This adjoined the section used for the show ground.

thev did not exhibit until about 1903, when they established the Hereford herd of cattle which .still is run on the homestead area. They had previously specialised in Shorthorns, the foundation of which came from the herds ot Messrs. McHardy of Mana.watu, and Williams of Te Ante. The stud cattle on-which the Hereford herd was established came from Messrs. Wheeler and Buchanan, of the Wairarapa. It was these cattle that figured prominently in the Egmont Show awards for many years. The cattle were stall fed in the winter and he recalled one that had a freezing weight of llOOlhs., equal to 1700 lbs. live weight. That was the tvpe of fat cattle reared in those days. EARLY SETTLEMENT. The late Mr Gideon Inkster, who took up the homestead farm in 1868—named Tamra Kawa, after the Maori pa of that, name—when irt was still in heavy native bush, was also intimately connected with the securing of the present show ground, for he was one of • those who secured an. option from the' late Mr. John Brown, which led to the purchase of the land. ~ Mr. Inkster • was one of the very earliest settlers, having to swim the rivers and to travel unformed roads when he first came to the district in 1868 from the Rangitikei. Mr. Forbes joined him in 1875 and together they felled, cleared, ploughed, sowed and fenced. They had, of course, to use cattle at first to break in the country and sheep followed later after the land was cleared, dropping in those early days brought them magnificent yields —SO bushels of dun oats threshed from the acre, and from fifty to sixty of wheat. Mr Forbes recalled a plague of caterpillars that overran the countryside inj two consecutive years and only by strong and drastic conjperted- action did the farmers combat the pest. They were large dark caterpillars and were a problem that taxed the ingenuity and perseverance of the settlers. He said he had seen a crop black with the loathsome grubs. CATTLE' AND DAIRYING. Mr Forbes knew intimately the first exhibitors in- cattle —Messrs. Fantham, McHardy, Williams and Hunter—and spoke in very high terms of the quality of the stock in those days. That was before the days of intensive dairying and it was not until' some years afterwards that the Ayrshires, Jerseys and Milking Shorthorns cam© into prominence. Air. Forbes recalled the original founder of the factory which eventually became the Hawera Dairy Factory. It was built by a Mr Baker and taken over later by Messrs. Robbins and Pierard.« Air Robbins is still living and resides in Taitranga. Another name prominent in dairying,, which he recalled, was that of Air. James Kowin, who represented Alesses. Lovell and Christmas and used to make the journey each year to and from New Zealand. An 'entry in an old minute book states that Air Kowin undertook at one show to secure a judge for butter classes. These were an important part of the show programme. ; j I.JM

>- “There was some dispute with the auctioneers of those days and a move was made to form a farmers concern with their own yards. Ihe late Mr 'Gideon Inkster and the late Mr Moore Hunteir, with others, took a keen interest in the new move They found that the site of the present showground was available and the outcome of the move was that they purchased the fifty acres still held. Mr Forbes says that he took part in the working bee formed to transfer the fittings from the pound paddock to the new site. Th? land was purchased at a very reasonable rate. The move was prompted in. the first place by the desire to co-operate with a new auctioneerijig concern, established in opposition to the old established firms, and out of this was evolved the Egmont Farmers’ Union, run by the late Mr. A. A. Fantham, the progenitor of the present Farmers Co-operative Association. LIBERAL TERMS OBTAINED. • Mr. Thomas Scott ivas really l the prime mover in. the scheme to form a new auctioneering concern and he 00-ope rated with Mr Inkster in the project. The terms secured were mosfiberal, for the purchase of the land and the bulk of the amount was allowed to remain on mortgage, as is shown by an entry in the association’s minutes of 1893. Brief reference was made by Mr. Forbes to the of the proposed amalgamation with the Racing Climb, at the time, about ago, that it move for ft.}) v\,'fuld have avoided of them. although he and I Mr Gideon Ink-j;”’-i- fust closely asso- '/, of the show,

VICE-PRESIDENT FORBES RECALLS WHEN HAWERA SHOW WAS

HORSES AND PONIES. Mr. Forbes was closely interested in horses and ponies for many years and exhibited many fine animals. He recalled specially the half draughts l he bred from the great sires, Puriri and Advance, and some of which were taken for the South African War by Imperial Remount officers. A buyer, too, who used to come up regularly to South Taranaki, was Air. T. Hoc-ken, of Feilding, and there was an unlimited demand then. Breeders of 'heavy horses he recollected, who exhibited in the early days of the association, were the late Alessrs. Jas. Grant, A. Bremer, J. D. Mitchell and Alessrs. J. S. O'ughton and A. Alexander. “Fighting Alac” was the best; pony stallion he ever owned and this horse had a great and unbeaten record in the show ring.. He still has a number of ponies that "trace back to this great sire. However, the- demand slackened some years ago and the prices made it hardly worth while to continue with the breeding of horses. Those were the days when the Clydesdale was in the heydey of its popularity and the parade would see up to twenty stallions on show at the grounds. ~ Buyers used to come regularly to South Taranaki and breeders sent shipments, regulairlv to Australia. Excellent prices were secured for the young stock. THE FIRST SHOWS. It was a great sight, said Mr Forbes, to see the people coming to the early shows, There were, of course, lio cars and vehicles of every description were in use. They were a happy, cheerful community and happier than the people of to-day. The crowds at the early shows were- out for a picnic and that they enjoyed the simpler pleasures >f those days'was quite certain. The programme was very different from that of the present day and various •ompetitions created much fun end diversion. The horse leaping, for highest jumo; and the riding competition both drew large entries and many magnificent types of horse flesh were seen. The jumps were pretty stiff and the riders had to be first-class to be able to negotiate them, for they'were mainly fixtures, and a stumble meant pretty suirelv a fall. Anion" the slieepshcarer’s who competed. Air Forbes recalled the Cleaver brothers as particularly clever and speedy with the blade.

■WILD CATTLE AND HORSES

Referring to the country in those days, Air Forbes said there were large ; mobs of wild horses, cattle and pigs I and in the mobs were some fine a.ni- 1 mals which were at times corralled by the settlers. He recalled one drive when they thought they had cornered j a specially good lot, but a magnificent stallion upset their calculations by ■ leading the mob and breaking through , the fence erected -to stop them. Air Forbes is optimistic of the future and anxious to see the Egmont A. and P. Association, with which he has bed associated throughout its long history, | maintain and improve the place of honour it holds among the shows of the Dominion.