Former show president Katie Asplin holds the award for the QPRC event of the year, presented on Australia Day. New president Ashley Meyer-Dilley is third from the left. Photo: Bungendore Show Society.
The Bungendore Show Committee has formed with all key roles being filled for the year and members are ramping up to prepare for the 2025 show that will take place on 26 October.
New show president, Ashley Meyer-Dilley, who has been handed the reins from former show president Katie Asplin, was worried early on that they wouldn’t be able to fill the 15 core positions that form the committee.
“I was really concerned. When I turned up to the AGM at the end of 2024, there were less than 10 people in the room, and we had about 15 core positions to fill to deliver the show,” Ashley said.
Bungendore Show committee members with the 2024 Bungendore Show Young Woman of the Year Georgia Kinnane. Photo: Bungendore Show Society.
Following what was widely considered one of the best shows to date and the first to take place in five years, Ashley is disappointed that more members of the community haven’t shown an interest in being involved.
“We put the call out for volunteers after our first committee meeting in January, and as a committee we agreed that if we didn’t fill positions by March we would call off the show. Thankfully our call-out really took off on socials, and we’ve got enough people for the committee now.”
Ashley is all too aware of the reasons why volunteers are getting harder and harder to come by. She cites a lack of awareness due to the five-year lapse in the show and Bungendore’s population, which consists of busy commuters and young families.
“I also believe over the past 10 years there’s been a shift away from providing skills or labor for free. This is backed by the data from the 2021 census, which showed a 19 per cent drop in Australians volunteering their time through an organisation or group compared to 2016,” Ashley said.
Volunteers undertake a wide range of jobs, with time commitments to suit everyone. Photo: Bungendore Show Society.
Ashley sets herself as an example of why more people should be involved with country shows. Her personal experience in a range of capacities has been a positive force in her life and one she credits as giving her the confidence and experience to lead a team and make decisions in her career.
“I have a long history with the show. I showed dogs with my mum while I was a kid before competing in horse events as a teenager. I was the Bungendore Show Young Woman of the Year in 2014 and 2015, and I’ve held the positions of vice-president and president prior to COVID.
“I’ve had some really wonderful opportunities thanks to the show. In 2016 I won a scholarship to attend the Agricultural Societies of Commonwealth Conference in Singapore. I had a week of learning about other shows and various agricultural practices across the world.”
Aside from the professional opportunities, Ashley has found life-long friends through her show connections and enjoys spending her time doing something that brings her joy.
-Setting up the pavilion exhibits requires a large number of volunteers in the lead-up to the show. Photo: Bungendore Show Society.With the 2025 committee formed, there is a lot of work to take place before the show gets off the ground again. If the 2023 cancellation – which took place the day prior to show day due to a lack of volunteers – is anything to go by, the future of the event is not secured.
The committee needs volunteers to take on a wide range of operational roles both on show day and in the lead-up to the show. The positions have varying time commitments, and Ashley encourages people to give what time they have.
“A common theme I’ve heard from people is that they don’t have time to commit to the role. What I would say to that is any little bit helps. Even if you can only volunteer on show day or donate some prize money.”
Ashley is also focused on bringing more people into the committee to reduce the workload for committee members.
“One of my goals as president this year is to bring in as many people into the committee to share the load. If we can break down the tasks across a few people, we can make the role easier and more enjoyable.”
To find out more about volunteering your time, head to the Bungendore Show website or email Ashley at [email protected]
