VISITORS to the Hawkesbury Show at Hawkesbury Showground will enjoy upgraded seating in the grandstand courtesy of the folk at Parramatta Stadium, as well as a range of other improvements to the grounds.
Ross Matheson, president of the Hawkesbury District Agricultural Association (HDAA) which puts on the show, said the seating will make it much more comfortable for patrons.
“We didn’t have seating before - it was just concrete in the grandstand,” Mr Matheson told the Gazette.
Parramatta Stadium is currently undergoing a state government-funded rebuild. The former facility’s seats were made available to the Showgrounds through a charitable organisations grant, and volunteers from the HDAA did the hard yards to relocate them.
“We had ten people working for one full day to dismantle and remove all the chairs, and it took two weeks to reassemble them in our grandstand,” said Mr Matheson.
“There will be some Parramatta fans coming to the Hawkesbury Show that will be pleased to be sitting on these seats!”
The Showground has acquired 1000 chairs all up, 731 of which are now in the grandstand, with the remaining seats to be installed in other locations around the grounds.
The seating is part of a larger plan to upgrade the Showground, including major roadworks and further improvements to the grandstand area and the industrial blocks.
By the time the Hawkesbury Show comes around, 4000 square metres of tar sealing will have been laid on the roads, with concrete dished edges and drains, making it much more convenient for foot traffic.
The HDAA has also laid a new 1290-square-metre turfed area, and has installed a new irrigation system tapping water from a bore to ensure the lawn in the main arena will be nice and green.
“The bore is a really good success story for us as it allows us to irrigate our main arena even in dry conditions,” said Mr Matheson.
The HDAA is made up of approximately 60 volunteers that maintain and upgrade the Showground facilities, and coordinate the shows. They do most of the work themselves, and bring in local contractors when needed.
“All the money we make from events goes back into the facilities to make them better for the community. Thirty-two years ago this area was just a swamp - a paddock of nothing,” said Mr Matheson.
The Hawkesbury Show’s ring events, entertainment, and horse events will all take place in the refurbished arena. The Show will run from Friday, May 5 until Sunday, May 7.
