Berwick Show Society representatives. From Left: Maurie Bashford, Joy Bashford, Joy O’Hagan, Leon Cochrane, Peter O’Hagan, Ellen Griffiths, Warwick Glendenning, Michelle Dedlefs, Berwick Show Society president Andrew Dedlefs, Pete Abrehart, Tracey Abrehart, Paul Frawley, Mike Frawley, Anne Keys, Margaret Evans, and Bert Rae.DURING 1994 the Riverina was struggling in a severe drought.
Crops were failing and farmers were struggling to find enough stock food and even seed for the next year’s grain crops.
Former Berwick mayor and Australian Sister Cities Association (ASCA) president John Byron evoked the peopletopeople concept of which ASCA belonged to help.
Mr Byron spoke with other Berwick Show Society members Ellen Griffiths and Bert Rae and they arranged for donations of hay to go north to a drought area.
Response from a Gazette article was enormous with offers of help and donations coming from all over the Kooweerup Swamp.
The Berwick Show Society contacted the Weethalle Show Society and the two groups arranged a shipment of 150 big round hay bales for the Weethalle district.
Farmers from Berwick and Narre Warren North to Catani and Kooweerup donated hay.
Business people donated trucks and fuel to transport the hay.
Nearly 50 farmers received enough fodder to offset the drought for two weeks.
Maybe a pimple on a pumpkin in a severe drought, but this was people helping people and through it many friendships were made.
Also, a ‘Sister Show’ agreement was formed and members of each show society now visit each other’s shows annually.
The two show societies last weekend celebrated the 10th anniversary of the hay shipment made on 22 January 1995.
I had the pleasure of attending the celebration at the Weethalle Show and saw first hand the bonds of friendship formed 10 years ago.
My view is that this action of 10 years back is a working example of the good that comes from contact between people from far off lands.
This was people from both communities contributing to a better way of life.
Perhaps it will catch on.
