RIGHT on cue, the rain came.
As the last few stragglers left the showground Saturday night and show society committee members enjoyed well-earned refreshments, more than 40mm of rain was dumped on Moree and district.
After two days of non-stop action and entertainment, the Moree Show closed for the 141st time.
The overnight downpour was ideal follow-up rain to the almost 200mm the district received four weeks ago – and a just reward for the many rural folk who work tirelessly to make the Moree Show happen each year.
Again, the show had plenty to offer.
Show-goers milled tentatively around John and Tina Mostyn’s reptile awareness display, and learned all about Australia’s venomous snake families and the dos and don’ts when meeting them.
The sessions were entertaining and informative. John dispelled a few myths and offered valuable advice about dealing with venomous snakes like the brown and red-belly black, tiger snakes and death adders – sometimes known as deaf adders.
“Early settlers noticed these snakes didn’t flee when approached, which led to the belief they were deaf,” John said.
There were ute-barrel races, the V8 Trackskill Utes, demolition derby, dog high-jumps, the Young Farmers’ Challenge, a furry friends’ pet show, woodchopping competitions and yard-dog trials.
Equestrian events in the main ring showcased riding talent from across the district and there were cattle and sheep everywhere – and the incredible working dogs that kept them all in line.
The grand parade on Saturday afternoon proudly showcased everything the 2025 Moree Show had to offer, including machinery from local dealerships, and vintage and veteran cars escorted by police, fire service and SES vehicles.
Select Moree Show Society members Kerry, Lachie, James, Brooke, Bec and Darren – and Young Woman Initiative entrants Millie and Laura – created a unique slice of history when winning the first international tug-of-war challenge against a crack team from Vanuatu.
The glory was short-lived however in subsequent heats, with Vitonga Pulps – made up of James, Hanno, Stan, Johnno, Matt, Tim, Chloe and Mel – tugging their way into local tug-of-war history books.
They were too strong for stablemates, Vitonga Pulpless tuggers Ricco, Craig, Sean, Georgie, Nathan, Jayden, Renee and Clayton – and a couple of ring-ins.
“Midway through the final, we found someone who could count and discovered Pulpless had two more members than the Pulps, so the Pulps were declared the winners,” ringmaster Andrew Pitman said.
Hobson Pavilion was chock-full of handicraft displays, flowers and horticulture, jams and preserves, needlework, junior Lego creations, agricultural produce including wheat and eggs and photographic essays.
Celebrity chef, restauranteur, author and television presenter, Rick Stein, made a surprise appearance to judge cooking entries, which included scones, cakes of all flavours, shapes and sizes, lamingtons, biscuits, slices, muffins, breads and fruitcakes.
Next door, applied arts and fine arts, macrame and quilts, and scrapbooking exhibits were displayed, with an abundance of junior art from schools across the region exhibited under the main grandstand near sideshow alley.
Moree Show Society president Brendan Munn said the 2025 edition was again a success.
“Numbers on Friday were down, as we expected, but the crowd was very good on Saturday,” Mr Munn said.
“The demolition derby was probably one of the best I’ve seen at the Moree Show. No-one got hurt, which is always a bonus, and all the guys did an unbelievable job cleaning up afterwards.
“The photography section was massive and the Hobson Pavilion was jam-packed. The arts and crafts and needlework was packed out as well and the junior art was full once again,” he said.
“Overall, it was absolutely another successful show. It doesn’t matter how much money we made or didn’t make, everything went off extremely well.
“The boys from Vitonga Farms came in on Sunday morning to help us clean up – even after winning the tug-of-war,” he laughed.
Mr Munn said Andrew Agrotis, from Explosive Entertainment in Brisbane, produced an amazing fireworks display.
“The reaction we got from the crowd about the fireworks display was absolutely magnificent – it was the best fireworks display we’ve had, I think,” he said.
“Andrew has been doing the fireworks for us for as long as I can remember, and does an amazing job.”
