It was a huge Hawkesbury Show at the Showground at Clarendon over the weekend and the Hawkesbury Show Society ought to be congratulated.
President of the Hawkesbury District Agricultural Association (HDAA), Ross Matheson, said close to 70,000 people went through the gates from Friday, April 23 until Sunday, April 25, and the organisers were extremely pleased with those numbers.
"It was a very successful roll out," he told the Gazette.
"There were a lot of unknowns due to Covid but we were very pleasantly surprised."
He said while the attendance was good, the exhibits were fantastic.
"All the various animals were good and so were all the entries - the quality this year was fantastic," he said.
"Across the board, the industrial displays were great, the efforts everyone put in was fantastic, and the show rides - we had the best collections of show rides anywhere in Australia."
Mr Matheson said the Anzac Day service on the Sunday in the main arena was a highlight.
"It's the first time we've ever done an Anzac Day ceremony like that in our program, and the attention it drew from the crowd was great," he said.
The service was hosted by the folk at Windsor RSL Sub-Branch, who earlier in the day hosted a service at McQuade Park.
Seven wreaths were laid at the Hawkesbury Show Anzac Service, representing various community organisations.
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These included Mr Matheson for the HDAA, Windsor Sub-Branch president Geoffrey Brand, the NSW National Servicemen's Association - Hawkesbury Sub-Branch president Merv Ward, Hawkesbury Mayor Patrick Connolly, and the Federal Member for Macquarie Susan Templeman and State Member for Hawkesbury Robyn Preston.
The 2021 Hawkesbury Show had something for the entire family with dog shows, rides, chook washing demonstrations, showbags, local produce, arts and crafts, farm animals, and emergency service demonstrations just some of the highlights.
The wood chopping demonstrations were a huge hit, with two world champions among the fray, as were the wheelie bin races which were brand new this year.
Minister for Foreign Affairs Marise Payne said the show brought the country to the city doorstep.
"Visiting the show is a great day out, and it's also providing an economic boost to the region as we recover from the COVID-19 pandemic," she said before the show.
The 2022 Hawkesbury Show will take place on the Mother's Day weekend, Friday, May 6, until Sunday, May 8, 2022.