On Thursday 17th September we listened to a wonderful presentation by the President of the Royal Agricultural Society of WA, David Thomas. David started his career in the army in 1984 and served in the regiment until 1994 after which he went into the resources industry. David provided an overview of the history of the Royal Show.
In 1831 the families who pioneered the State of Western Australia founded the Agricultural Society of WA. Meeting were held monthly at the Guildford Inn and at that stage attendance included the Governor Sir James Stirling. IN 1934 on 3rd January the Society decided to hold an annual show known as the Fair and Cattle Show in November of that year. In 1890 the Queen granted permission of the title Royal Agricultural Society.
The Governor’s Cup is awarded each year to the exhibitor with the most points in the livestock exhibits including sheep, cattle, horse, goat and alpaca and rewards both excellence and consistency while also promoting the quest for higher standards. The Governor’s Cup is by far the most prestigious award at the Perth Royal Show each year.
Twelve years later in 1902, in return for land the Society held in Guildford, the State Government granted RASWA a site of 34 acres (13.7 hectares) in Claremont.
The first Show at Claremont was in 1905, utilising the buildings from the old grounds in Guildford, with a newly erected Exhibition Hall and a bar. Prize money totalled 3,000 pounds and attendance topped 30,000 people.
The shift in location to Claremont in 1905 more than quadrupled the attendance at the Show and the number visiting the Showgrounds for the State’s biggest annual community event has been growing ever since, peaking at over 460,000 people in 1997.
In 1927, RASWA signed a contract with the Speedway to allow racing at the Showgrounds. This led to the erection of safety fences and lights, as well as the enlargement of the arena to allow the racetrack to equal three laps to a mile. The speedway offices were located in the Musgroves Building which was erected in 1930.
In 1981 the Society celebrated its 150th anniversary and Her Majesty the Queen and his Royal Highness the Duke of Edinburgh visited Perth Royal Show and a Queen's Cup was presented. Since then the Royal Show has been hosted during the Queens Birthday Public Holiday.
In 2004 the Show was named an icon by the WA State Government.
David then spoke about 2020 and the impact of COVID-19 on the Show. No Show will take place this year and as such it has had a significant effect on the organisation and its staff. RASWA have planned other events for 2020 which include the Royal Foods Awards with Beer Awards, Wine Awards, Meat and small goods awards and a Spring Festival from 26th to 30th September. They also have a Christmas Festival in planning.
