IT was the show that almost never happened. The Australian National Show & Shine Euroa was a success on Sunday – a triumphant turnaround after what had earlier appeared to be a dim situation for Euroa’s biggest annual event.
The car show was cancelled in March due to a lack of committee members and volunteers, but the announcement prompted a surge of volunteers to come forward in April, saving the event.
“I think it was an outstanding success,” the exhausted new committee president, Donna Carroll, told this masthead over a beer at Seven Creeks Hotel after the event on Sunday.
It was too early to say how many attended, with the committee still crunching numbers on Monday afternoon, but the figure stood close to 5000 – more than last year – with online ticket sales still to be counted.
“Having now done one, I have a total appreciation of how it was done last year with nearly nobody,” Ms Carroll said. “I have no idea how people managed it.
“It takes a lot of volunteers to put this show on – I think we had about 70. And a huge chunk of those are
areas… cars in, cars out. Hard work."
“We’ve got people that have been working all day today from six in the morning. Some of us have worked from five; some from four.”
Last year’s committee president, Ian Langlands, did not nominate for president again as he had planned to be
overseas during the event, but a change in plans saw him stay in Euroa for the show after all.
He was vice president this year, supporting Ms Carroll and showing her the ropes.
In appreciation of Mr Langlands’ work, Ms Carroll surprised him with a “secret trophy” she had organised privately, presenting it to him during the announcement of awards at the show.
The trophy was named “The Strathbaggie and Seven Greeks Parkland Volunteer Award”, a reference to spelling mistakes that almost appeared in posters and another trophy.
“I wanted to present that to Ian for the person who has an entire show in his head,” Ms Carroll said.
“He is the go-to person to put a question to at any time. And without Ian, the show just would not have happened. We might have made it over the line, but it would have not been the show that it was today.”
Reflecting on this year’s show, Mr Langlands said: “It was fantastic.”
“They’ve all said to me today, ‘Jesus, we didn’t realise there’s so much work involved in this’,” he said.
“That’s probably the biggest thing.”
In a promising sign for the event’s future, he said all the volunteers that worked on Sunday had told him: “We’ll be back next year.”
Asked about his favourite vehicle on show, Mr Langlands nominated the Lincoln Continental displayed in Elite Street.
He said it was one of four cars brought to the show by Chris Retzos, Shepparton’s “KFC king”.
The Shepparton-based Retzos Group owns over 60s KFCs, including a Euroa KFC set to open in two weeks.
But the coveted “best car in show” award went to a 1959 Chevrolet Corvette owned by Albury’s John Tyrrell. Mr Tyrrell said he had owned the rare car for about 10 years.
He spent a year restoring it, having bought it in a condition that “wasn’t very good”, he said.
He said he repainted it in its original silver after he had “pulled it all apart, taken the body off the chassis and completely done a nut and bolt restoration”.
But Mr Tyrrell had no designs on winning the top award.
“You never bring your car to win trophies,” he said
“You bring your car to show it, and support the people who run the show.”
Show’s hidden gem a 60-year-old fire truck
A CREIGHTONS Creek man’s 1964 fire truck was one of the biggest hits at t is year’s Australian National Show & Shine Euroa.
Council award on Sunday in recognition of the WE Austin vehicle, built in Ballarat.
Mr Dunn bought the vehicle in 1989 because he “wanted something to use around the farm”.
“It’s fully operational,” he said.
“It’s got a five horsepower motor and pump on the back, and it’s good for me to use out in the paddocks to cart water.
“It’s a 400-gallon taxi if you ask me.
“It’s got to earn its keep.”
Despite being 60 years old, it is also still used as a fire truck.
“It’s tied up with the Creightons Creek Fire Brigade and they’ve asked me if I’d make it available for our end of Creightons Creek, which is the northern end of Creightons Creek,” Mr Dunn said.
Show & Shine committee president Donna Carroll nominated the vehicle as her personal highlight of the show.
“He honestly is the loveliest man,” Ms Carroll said of Mr Dunn.
“He’s been consulting with us all the way through.
“He was just so proud of this truck, and he has done the most extraordinary job.”
