2025 Junior Carrot & Sultana Muffins State Finalists
/Wishing the Junior Carrot & Sultana Muffins State Finalists the best of luck for this weekends State Final. Check back in for the results as they will be announced on the VAS Ltd Facebook Page Saturday Night!
Hannah Clark - Central & South Gippsland Group - Bunyip Show
James Oakley - Central & Upper Goulburn Group - Seymour Show
Navy Ellmers - Gippsland Group - Yarram Show
Harriet Dickins - Goulburn Valley Riverina Group - Dookie Show
Arabella Jess - Midlands Group - Beaufort Show
Elizabeth McNamara - North Eastern Group - Yarrawonga Show
Alice Petersen - Northern District Group - Deniliquin Show
Wesley Altmann - South Western Group - Royal Geelong Show
Lily Curran - Western District Group - Tyrendarra Show
Sophie Light - Wimmera Group - Goroke Show
2025 Carrot Cake State Finalists
/Wishing the Carrot Cake State Finalists the best of luck for this weekends State Final. Check back in for the results as they will be announced on the VAS Ltd Facebook Page Saturday Night!
Fiona Argento - Central & South Gippsland Group - Foster Show
Ian Kohlman - Central & Upper Goulburn Group - Kyneton Show
Sue-Ellen Bunting - Gippsland Group - Sale Show
Gayle Read - Goulburn Valley Riverina Group - Shepparton Show
June Lockie - Midlands Group - Clunes Show
Joanne Leslie - North Eastern Group - Yarrawonga Show
Rebecca Wickham - Northern District Group - Barham Koondrook Show
Angela Johnson - South Western Group - Colac Show
Ashlea Wright - Wimmera Group - Donald Show
Junior Show Ambassador State Finalists
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Charlotte is currently studying a Bachelor of Agricultural Science at Charles Sturt University in Wagga Wagga. She is currently a casual station hand for the Paraway Pastoral Company which is a 20,000-hectare merino sheep stud and enjoys learning new skills in such a team environment. Her involvement in the Bendigo Show started from a young age entering as many exhibits she could across multiple sections such as embroidery, photography, flower arrangements and even fruit sculptures. The excitement and pride every year of taking her family and friends in to see how she had placed will always be a core memory for her. She jumped at the opportunity to represent her show as she wants to advocate to other community members to enter and become involved as she believes this is the only way to keep the show alive with community involvement.
DustyRaiyn is currently completing year 12 and is school captain for 2025. She has grown up on the families 42-acre hobby farm and has enjoyed developing her agricultural knowledge. Her involvement in the St Arnaud Show started when she was young entering exhibits and in 2022, she was provided the opportunity to be the chief steward of Section R. DustyRaiyn is very passionate in youth voice and has been involved in different youth based programs and is currently on the Student Advisory Board for the National Council for Student Voice, which provides her the platform to get her voice heard and represent her community. In her spare time, she plays social badminton and enjoys canoeing on the local bodies of water. She was also privileged this year to be awarded Young Citizen of the Year and she is very proud of this achievement.
Elizabeth is currently completing year 12 and shows excellence in her education with receiving the Year 11 Dux last year. She currently works in a local café, which has strengthened her community connection, and she volunteered to be apart of the Wangaratta FReeZA fundraising event in 2024. Her involvement in the Yarrawonga Show started from a young age mainly through entering her work in the arts & crafts, which she has a passion for. She appreciates the way an agricultural show can bring together people and be able to celebrate creativity, skills and community. In the future Elizabeth hopes to inspire other youth to appreciate their local surroundings and to recognise the duty they hold in preserving and nurturing these rural communities and the future of agricultural shows is vital in this success.
Felicity is an active member of the community as she completes her Year 11 schooling via homeschooling she is involved in Girl Guides, Scouts, Church, Community Theatre, Highland Dancing, Berwick Show and Pakenham Show. Her involvement in the Berwick and Pakenham Show has stemmed from her entering the art, craft and cookery sections but has now come involved in engaging with the community to get more entries and is assisting the secretary with a few new ideas for next year. Felicity became involved with Highland Dancing after seeing it at the Berwick Show in 2019 and is now part of the group that has been invited to China in September this year to perform over a 10-day period. She really loves giving back to her community and really wants to advocate for the show to showcase the agricultural industry further.
Hannah is currently completing year 12 with a passion for agriculture she aims to further her education in the following years with a particular interest in animal nutrition. She has immersed herself in the world of livestock and equine management through working as a farrier assistant and also a stud assistant in exhibiting cattle at shows across the state. Her attendance at these shows has seen her enter the junior judging and parading events, which she has been successful in qualifying herself for the State Final and she aims to further her skills in the judging of animals and the ability to evaluate and then interact with exhibitors. Hannah has been competing with her horses since the age of six and is an active member of the Maldon Pony Club and was awarded the Alan & Cheryl Lang Perpetual Trophy for Leadership & Loyalty recognising her commitment to the club.
Isabella is currently completing Year 11 and the Duke of Edinburgh Award Silver Level. She is involved in the Lilydale Show as a youth helper and a regular committee meeting participant as well as assisting in the art/craft pavilion and on show day helps run a children’s craft activity. She is currently also volunteering at the Interchange Disability Services and is a recreation and peer support volunteer and supports children and teenagers in a group setting with skill development and socialisation. Isabella enjoys being creative and this has led her to enter the Melbourne Royal Show Young @ Art Competition and particularly enjoys ceramics, sculptures, drawing and sewing. Her future ambition is to become an art therapist, which combines her love of creativity and passion of helping others. Isabella hopes to continue the legacy of supporting an event that is so important for connection, education and building community spirit.
Jordan is currently studying nursing at Federation University and works at Woolworths while also babysitting casually as well. Her involvement in the Yarram Show has made her feel more involved in the community and made her aware of the different values compared to her involvement in the local football and netball club. In the last three years her roles have been help organise and set up entries, stewarding on judging day, entering results, setting up the honeyeater trail and completing any other tasks that is required. Jordan aims to encourage the local high school to be more involved through students volunteering and submitting more entries and she is then hoping they will feel more encouraged to participate and do so for years to come. She hopes the passion for the show continues to grow and that entries keep increasing as the community becomes more involved again.
Outstanding Individual Contribution 40 Years & Over Category Finalists
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Geoff Young
Geoff was president of the Pakenham Show for 11 years and when he took on the role the Show was in one of their most challenging periods when the Show had to move location from the Pakenham Racecourse to the PB Ronald Reserve. The new grounds had no fence and was smaller, so Geoff had to get the committee to adapt and acquire more sponsorship due to not being able to charge a gate fee.
One of Geoff’s most remarkable contributions was the introduction of the multicultural stage, which celebrated the rich diversity of the community and is now such an important part of the event. His ability to build connections between various communities and groups is a credit to Geoff’s skills in creating such an inclusive and welcoming atmosphere. As Geoff continues to stay involved in the Show his positive attitude and hands on approach has such a positive impact on all involved. Geoff is also heavily involved in the Garfield Scout Group, Rotary and the Pakenham Blue Light Disco.
John Smith
John has been a part of the Kyabram Show since 1968 and is still a current committee member. He was made a life member in the late 1980’s due to his commitment to the society and the rodeo event ran every March by the society. He has been Grounds Manager for the majority of this time as well and has a vast knowledge of where every pipe and electrical cable runs. He takes pride in the way the grounds are presented for every event that may be held and stays on top of any maintenance that needs to be done.
John has been the driving force behind the rodeo and has built and maintained key relationships with many of the key stakeholders of the rodeo over the many years. His efforts towards the rodeo were recognised in the late 1980’s with the Rodeo Arena named “The John Smith Rodeo Arena Kyabram”. His time and commitment to events is commended as he is the main person that works with each event to make sure the grounds are to the requirements of the event.
Nicole Nunn
Nicole has been involved in the Donald Show for 20 years and has held every executive position as she was treasurer from 2005 to 2007 then secretary from 2008 to 2015 and now currently president since 2019. Nicole is known as a quiet achiever with great ideas and very approachable to all. The Donald Show has evolved into the online world with Nicole being a main supporter for this change with a big social media presence, online entries and this allows competitors to still enter up until the day of the show.
Nicole was one of the main volunteers who held the 2015 VAS Convention in Donald, which successfully proved that a small town could host the Convention. She is the current President of the Wimmera Group and her passion for shows has stemmed from her grandparents the late Alan & Marie Hendy. She has been recognised for her efforts with a Donald Show Life Membership in 2022 and Donald Citizen of the Year in 2023.
Reginald Packer
Reg has been a member of the Swan Hill Show since 2012 and has been President for the past 12 years and only just handing over the reins this year while staying in the background supporting the new executive. He was awarded a life membership in 2021 due to dedication and contributions to the society. Reg has a long list of jobs he would complete from year to year including managing trade sites, organising advertising, sponsorship coordination, liaising with staff & volunteers, acquiring grants, budgeting, organising OH&S, organising contractors and everything else in between.
When Reg took over as President, he introduced financial budgeting to secure the future of the Show and then started to build partnerships with local businesses, which are still going strong today. Reg has also been involved in the Northern District Group holding a Vice President role. Before being involved in the Swan Hill Show he was one of the founding members of the Swan Hill Field Days where he was Chairman of this event for over 20 years.
Robbie Davidson
Robbie has been involved in showing for over 70 years where he has shown horses, dogs and cattle both locally and at royal shows. He became a committee member over 30 years ago and is chief cattle steward. He continues to show his jovial enthusiasm for agriculture and brings new and innovative ideas to the table for each show but goes away and does the hard work to make the idea happen. He is extremely encouraging to youth, and his wealth of knowledge is invaluable to the show.
Robbie has been a part of creating many competitions and attractions at the show such as the Donkey Show, Pigeon Show, Cat Show, Sheep and Goat Competitions, Giant Pumpkin Growing and the recent innovation the Calf Classic. This invigorated the cattle section again due to dwindling numbers, but the event was such a success in 2025 that the engagement will only grow into the future. He leads by example with a strong work ethic and hardly never misses a meeting and Robbie has been honoured as a life member of the society.
Outstanding Individual Contribution 25 - 39 Years Category Finalists
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William Francis
William has been a member of the Society since 2018 and has immersed himself across many roles contributing to the success of the show from year to year. He contributes his time and efforts across the board including the agricultural produce section steward, helps at working bees for the livestock sections, young farmers challenge assistant steward, assists with the set up of the Kid Zone, Vice President of the Steam & Oil and has been the instigator of the Bendigo Agricultural Show Baking Showdown as well as the interactive Live Crop Display. He is also the society representative on the OH&S Committee for VAS and he is across multiple committees for the show society including program, project, livestock & parking.
William’s enthusiasm and willingness to pitch in on any task large or small has made him an integral part of the society and this shows in the commitment he has shown to growing crops for display for most of the year, so they are blooming in time for the show. He also started the Bendigo Agricultural Show Baking Showdown, which now showcases commercial bakers/bakeries across the state and this event is set to grow from year to year. His dedication and extensive involvement has such a positive impact on the society.
Jasmine Edwards
Jasmine has been involved in the show since 2014 as the Camperdown Show Chief Horse Steward. This role has encompassed a 2-day horse show as well as a summer horse show each year. She has been successful in getting a grant for 2 dressage arenas, which now supports a growing dressage competition on show day, which has continued to have increased entries. Her networking skills are to be admired as she is able to make great connections with volunteers and sponsors, and she has been able to coordinate volunteers to invigorate the Show Jumping Section again.
Jasmine has since taken on the role as Show Secretary for the last three years and is also the South Western Group Secretary since 2022. She has developed her event management skills over time and now uses a wide range of resources to produce sponsorship packages, show posters, show schedules and being able to engage new and exciting activities for the show. She is actively looking for new ideas and Jasmine is one of the few Victorians to have attended all 3 ASA Conferences. Her commitment is to be admired as she has a young family who are practically apart of the Camperdown Showgrounds as well and she continues to have a positive can do attitude in anything she does for the Camperdown Show.
Tess Runting
Tess has been involved with the show since 2013 and is the head steward of the Sheep Section, which her first task was to get the section running again after the show was relocated to the PB Ronald Reserve, which had no infrastructure for a sheep section. The Sheep Section has been successful ever since and over the years she has acquired sponsorship, grant funding as well as make the Sheep Section a highlight for attendees.
Tess has represented the Pakenham Show in both the Junior & Rural Ambassador at State Level and has been a mentor to many of her students in the way they conduct themselves at shows but also investing in their knowledge and teaching them the skills to be able to prepare and present their animal on show day. Tess is also involved in other shows within the area and has assisted with the running of their Sheep Section as well. She is always willing to have a go and is not afraid of hard work but she always does it with a smile. Tess has had an immense impact on the show and she really strives for what she believes in.
Best Marketing Campaign Large Section Finalists
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Bendigo Show
In such a large town the Bendigo Show has a wide range of marketing strategies to target all demographics but the focus for their 2024 campaign was to maximise reach to families with primary school age children and 50 plus age groups. TV and radio promotion has been a main pillar of advertising with the TV with Seven Network that involves sponsorship as well this includes an additional 100% advertising placements, and the radio covers two radio channels suited for two different demographics. This is complimented with cinema advertising, and APCO Fuel Station digital ads across a 12-week period leading up to the show.
Social Media is an important part of the campaign which begins about 12 weeks out from the show and is such a cost-effective way to reach so many and be able to track the outcome of engagement, which for this campaign over the 3 months 126,900 individual views over that period. The result of the marketing was achieved with the second best attendance over the 2 days with 19,000 patrons attending.
Berwick Show
A Daily Prize Grab was the feature of the Berwick Show’s Marketing Campaign for their 2025 Show and was developed in response to the need to expand the reach within their community. The competition could be accesses through the QR code with flyers distributed across the local area and prizes included entry tickets, ride passes and vouchers for local businesses. Overall, this campaign was nearly no cost due to generous donations of time and vouchers to support the prizes.
As entrants entered the competition their details were captured and 50% of entrants requested to go on the mailing list and 22% of entrants had not heard of the Berwick Show previously. The campaign has provided a foundation for future years to develop and improve the engagement with the community.
Best Marketing Campaign Medium Section Finalists
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Natimuk Show
The Natimuk Show aimed to promote the Theme of Music for their 2025 Show and this theme showed in their marketing as well. With many components included in their marketing campaign from 500 printed show schedules, 200 printed posters, 4000 Natimuk Show Children Section Flyers, 2000 Natimuk Community Showgrounds Flyers, 2 ABC Interviews, Digital Signage and entrance signage into the town of Natimuk, radio advertising plus newspaper articles and ads really reached the public with an increase in overall entries and attendances on the day.
The Facebook page was used to post links to the VAS Ltd Website, where they used this resource as an opportunity to upload plenty of information including the schedule, posters and entry forms totalling over 2100 click over a 3-month period. A considerable budget was spent on the marketing, but the rewards were received with many positive comments about the show with an overall increase across the show.
Best Marketing Campaign Small Section Finalists
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Koroit Show
With a new and exciting concept, the Koroit Show had to really showcase the new Koroit Show/Field Day and they engaged with the Warrnambool Standard to help with an advertising and editorial spread leading up to the event. This ended up being an 8-page spread and the Standard advised that there were over 10,000 copies of the paper were sold. Advertising spaces were sold to the exhibitors attending and a map was also provided, which contained a list of all exhibitors. The local radio network was also engaged along with some other publications locally.
A new Facebook Page was set up, which gained traction as more posts were shared, and traders were starting to engage with the page. The budget for the marketing campaign was spent to what was set out from the start and some of it was offset with advertising covering some of the 8-page spread in the paper.
