Generations of children have loved going to the annual show and now young blood is needed to keep the Corowa Show alive.
The Corowa Show has been a labour of love for Jan McKenna for the past 22 years as she looks to hang up the boots after the show’s 150th anniversary in 2029.
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Jan put her hand up to help save the show in 2004 and has been “filling in” ever since.
“It was always held in February, the hottest time of the year,” Jan said.
“So gradually it just died, from the heat, from lack of volunteers, and from a lack of good people up the top.”
The Pastoral, Agricultural and Horticultural society advertised that the Show was folding in 2003 and held a meeting at the RSL Club to discuss what could be done.
“A few people put their hands up, but it was John Gorman who got it all moving again,” Jan said.
“I became involved as someone hanging around to help, because we used to go away for three months over the winter.
“Then in 2004 I took over as secretary to fill in while they found someone else.
“So here I am, 22 years later.”
Now 85-years-old, the Corowa Show has been a labour of love for Jan McKenna for 22 years.
As secretary, Jan has the daunting task of organising the show each year; a mammoth undertaking.
“My role is to get the schedule out, and get everything organised for the Show,” she said.
“I’ve got the skills to do it, so I’m not in a panic; I just get in and do it.”
One of Jan’s biggest challenges is not so much the lack of volunteers, but more the lack of younger volunteers and committee members.
“The average age of committee members is about 80,” she said.
“The girls that work in the main pavilion are all in their 70s and 80s, and they do a fabulous job.
“But it would just be nice to have a band of younger people who I know are available for that last month leading up to the show, to help with the heavier roles.
“The volunteers are everything, I couldn’t do it without them.”
The night before the show got underway this year, word came that some of the rides in sideshow alley would not be turning up, and Jan went into damage control.
On the morning of the show, she recruited her grandson Billy to help to get everything moved around to cover the loss of the rides, highlighting the importance of having younger volunteers.
A delightfully cheerful woman, Jan adores Corowa and wants nothing more than to see the community thrive.
In her lengthy stint as show secretary, she has endured the pitfalls and celebrated the successes, but she is adamant she can still produce a great community event.
“I love it,” she said.
“But I’m 85, so time is running out and we need to get new blood in.”
A changing of the guard is in order.
If you are interested in helping to keep Corowa Show running, contact Jan McKenna on 0427 331 148 or email janandfrankmckenna@gmail.com.
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