Welcome to the ninth article in the series celebrating 150 years of the Horsham Agricultural Society. Throughout the series, the people, milestones and stories that have shaped the society throughout the past 150 years are featured.

 

Looking back over 150 years of the Horsham Agricultural Society, change can be found in almost every part of the organisation, from the people running it to the way exhibitors enter its signature event, the Horsham Show.

In the early years, membership subscriptions and gate takings on show day were the financial backbone of the society, supplemented by donations towards prizes.

Today, membership and show attendance remain important but are no longer enough to sustain the organisation. 

Sponsorship, venue hire and events throughout the year at Maydale Reserve have become essential to remaining viable. 

What was once an organisation focused on delivering an annual show now operates year-round.

Perhaps one of the clearest examples of change can be found in the show schedule.

For generations, exhibitors studied the printed schedule, completed handwritten entry forms and returned them to the society.

Volunteers then recorded every class, prepared exhibit cards and organised entries for judging.

The printed schedule remains today, now an A4 colour publication, but it also lives online.

Exhibitors can select classes, enter and pay online and print their own exhibit cards. 

Non-perishable exhibits can now be delivered and judged before show weekend, spreading a workload once concentrated into a few hectic hours.

The people behind those competitions have changed too.

Formed in 1936 and comprising mostly wives of agricultural society councillors, the Ladies’ Committee became an important part of running the show’s homecraft competitions. 

Just prior to COVID, the committee began struggling to attract support and during the following years its numbers declined. Its responsibilities were eventually absorbed into the society’s general council.

Until 2000, the society’s council had been exclusively male. 

Today, active councillors are almost evenly represented by men and women, reflecting another significant change in the society’s history.

The competitions themselves continue to evolve. For an event to remain an agricultural show, it must include at least three agricultural competitions. 

As some traditional sections decline, the society works hard to retain those that connect the show with its agricultural roots.

Horses remain part of that tradition, now holding their own Horsham Horse Show two weeks after the main show. 

Shearing continues as a major agricultural competition, while the Makers Pavilion carries forward generations of competition in cookery, produce, craft, art and photography.

Perhaps the society’s willingness to change, while knowing what is important to retain, is one reason it is still here 150 years later.

The entire September 16, 2026 edition of The Weekly Advertiser is available online. READ IT HERE!