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| ABOUT
VICTORIAN AGRICULTURAL SHOWS Ltd. (VAS ) |
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VAS
Ltd Board Officers
Chairperson
Bob Johnson
588 Wharparilla Road, ECHUCA 3564
Ph: 03. 5483 7411 |
Deputy
Chairperson
Don Williams
P O Box 137, LEONGATHA Vic 3953
Phone: 03 5662 2898 |
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Directors
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Brian Alford
110 Deep Creek Rd, ARTHURS CREEK VIC 3099
Phone: 03 9714 8216 Fax: 03 9714 8526
Rod Bowles
PO Box 1053, BENDIGO VIC 3552
Phone: BH: 5444 4646 AH: 5439 3703
Fax: 03 5442 5264
BH: 5444 4646 AH 5439 3703
Reg Cleland
445 Old Sydney Road, MICKLEHAM VIC 3064
Phone: 03 9745 2503
Rosemary Garoni
285 Mullagong Road, UPPER GUNDOWRING Via WODONGA VIC 3690
Phone: 02 6028 9265 Fax: 02 6028 9400
Marie Hendy
Private Bag 56, ST ARNAUD VIC 3478
Phone: 03 5496 7233 Fax: 03 5496 7226
Wayne Loughnan
"Asquith Farm" 278 White Road, WONTHAGGI VIC 3995
Phone: 03 5672 3259 Fax: 03 5672 3259
Jim McCutcheon
PO Box 133, WINCHELSEA VIC 3241
Phone: 0408 968 883
David Tulloch
258 Redbank Road, STRATFORD VIC 3862
Phone: 03 5145 6576
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Company
Secretary
Adnan Mansour
Phone: 03 9281 7444 |
Executive
Officer
Paul Seuren
Melbourne Showgrounds, Epsom Road,
ASCOT VALE VIC 3032
Direct Phone: (03) 9281 7467
Direct Fax: (03) 9281 7567
Email: admin@vicagshows.com.au
Web site: www.vicagshows.com.au |
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Role
of VAS Ltd
VAS Ltd consists of affiliated show societies
from across the state and includes some border societies. The work of
VAS Ltd has always been to support its members.
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Constitution
The constitution
is provided as a 33 page document in PDF format. To read files in PDF
format you will need to have Adobe Acrobat Reader installed.
A Membership Application
Form is also provided in MS Word format for your convenience.
Please note:
If you do not have Adobe Acrobat Reader installed, you can download a
copy free from the Adobe
Acrobat web site.
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New
Direction
The year 2002 saw major directional changes for the organisation. The
organisation has now become a company limited by guarantee with a modern
governance structure making it more relevant to the changing times ahead.
VASA now trades as Victorian Agricultural Shows Ltd.
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Victorian
Agricultural Societies 1840 - 1965
The first Agricultural Society in Victoria was the Agricultural and
Pastoral Society of Australia Felix, which was formed in January 1840,
and held its first and last show at the Melbourne Cattle Market, at the
corner of Elizabeth and Victoria Streets, on March 3, 1842.
It was formed years too early, for the resources of the young colony were
not available to support such an undertaking, and it was to be another
six years from the date of the ill-fated show, before any further effort
was made to revive the enthusiasm of the colonists to try again.
In early 1848, a group of farmers on the Moonee Ponds Creek decided to
organise ploughing competitions in an effort to improve the quality of
the tillage in the colony.
Changed Name
They formed themselves into an organisation which they called the Moonee
Ponds Farmers' Society.
Later in the same year they changed the name of the body to the Port Phillip
Farmers' Society.
Records show that the PPFS was formed on August 10, 1848, and for the
next two decades held the position of the premier, and for a while, the
only body in the colony interested in the affairs of the farmer.
On October 10, 1856, a branch of the PPFS was formed at Bacchus Marsh.
A year later, on October 13, 1857, the second branch was formed at Mornington,
and the third at Gisborne on July 16, 1858.
Each of the three branches elected two representatives to sit on the committee
of the "Central Society" as the parent body was called.
Also around the early 1850's other agricultural societies were being formed:
The Victorian Agricultural Society at Heidelberg, 1850; Castlemaine and
Muckleford Agricultural Association, 1854; and the Geelong and Western
District Agricultural and Horticultural Society, 1855.
Through continual pressure from the PPFS the government, in 1855, made
its first contribution to aid agriculture in the colony.
Handed Over
This was an amount of 500 pounds handed over to the PPFS, to supplement
the prizes for the annual show and ploughing matches.
In 1856 the PPFS approached the government with a three-fold submission:
To increase the amount of the grant to 6000 pounds, to establish an experimental
farm; and to form a Board of Agriculture, with representatives from all
agricultural societies.
It was the PPFS that called together representatives of the existing societies
and received their full support for the scheme. But the government did
not act until 1858 when it made available a grant to the PPFS to establish
the experimental farm.
A year later, on July 20, 1859, the Board of Agriculture held its first
meeting, and made grants to the following societies - Albury and Murray
River, Bacchus Marsh, Ballarat, Baringhup, Burrumbeet, Lake Learmonth,
Carisbrook, Geelong and Western District, Gisborne, Hamilton, Kilmore,
Kyneton, Melton, Mornington, Newstead, Ovens and Murray, Port Phillip,
Seymour, South Gippsland, Victoria, Villers, Heytesbury and Western District.
The Board consisted of representatives of all agricultural societies and
functioned well in the first few years, but after that the country representatives
lost interest and often meetings had to be cancelled for Iack of a quorum.
It appeared as though the societies only interest was the allocation of
the grant funds.
In 1869 the government withdrew the grant and the Board folded up.
In 1884 the National Agricultural Society of Victoria again called together
representatives of all societies with the object of forming a Federation
of Agricultural Societies.
Again this body started off with enthusiasm, met monthly, and set up judging
panels and discussed mutual interests, but as with the Board, apathy won
the day and the organisation ceased to exist.
President of the RAS, Thomas Skene, at the annual meeting in February
1899, suggested establishing a Chamber of Agriculture, the objects being
to assist, protect, encourage, and promote the general welfare of the
agricultural and producing interests of the colony.
Notices were forwarded to 167 Victorian agricultural societies, and several
cooperative dairy companies to attend a meeting to discuss forming the
Chamber of Agriculture.
Subsequently, in March 1900, a meeting was held in the Melbourne Town
Hall and elected its first council. The Chamber had a strong executive,
and unlike its predecessors, was soon able to command support by its practical
achievements.
The first President of the Chamber was William Thompson, who was also
president of the RAS and most of the latter presidents were agricultural
society representatives.
Contrary to general belief, it was not the influence of other bodies represented
within the Chamber that caused the lack of interest from agricultural
societies, but once again, it was apathy.
Records show that their representatives showed little interest in other
than straight forward agricultural societies business, and this led later
to the introduction of the Agricultural Societies Section within the Chamber.
Even so this did not work out, and for several years the late Colin Woodfull,
as Director of the RAS, called meetings of country agricultural society
secretaries and discussed with them matters of mutual interest.
At the 1964 annual Convention of the Chamber held in Shepparton, a resolution
was carried which successfully separated the Agricultural Societies Section
from the Chamber.
Later in the same year representatives from 107 societies attended a meeting
called by the RAS at the Royal Melbourne Showgrounds, and the Victorian
Agricultural Societies' Association was launched.
The Foundation President was Frank Ruler of Kyabram, and the RAS was appointed
secretary.
The Chamber of Agriculture ceased in 1965, after a life of 65 years.
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Formation
of VASA
The Victorian Agricultural Societies Association Incorporated (VASA) was
formed from the Chamber of Agriculture in 1963/64. VASA held its first annual
meeting at the Royal Melbourne Showgrounds in 1966. Since then it has held
quarterly meetings at the Showgrounds and annual meetings/conventions around
the state, the first being held at Sale in 1967.
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