Corowa Pastoral Agricultural & Horticultural Society’s organisers for this year’s 146th annual show on Sunday week, October 13 are excited about the young talent in the district.

“The increasing number of younger kids coming through such as Bernadette Woodward’s music students, more and more younger kids putting entries into the show in the main pavilion and the art pavilion, and special performances is very pleasing and exciting,” show secretary Jan McKenna told The Free Press.

Up to 10 music students will perform on the big showgrounds stage. The main pavilion always has such a variety of show exhibits, and this year will see even more entries.

Showgoers will be able to also admire special performances of young whip crackers.

Elise O’Bryan of Corowa has a passion for whip cracking. In February she won a First Prize at the Tom Curtain Tour at Corowa Showgrounds.

“I love whip cracking,” Elise, the Year 7 student at Galen College Wangaratta who turned 13-years-of-age last week, said. “It’s a country fashion, I love rodeos and farms.”

Just eight-years-of-age, talented whip cracker Lachie Quonoey from Wodonga loves coming to the Corowa Show, whether as an entrant in competitions or giving demonstrations.

Last year he won master show boy. This year will be his first time demonstrating his whip cracking skills. Lachie’s two demonstrations will also be of two minutes duration.

Lachie got the idea of whip cracking two years ago. “He taught himself, practised and practised after seeing whip cracking at the Darwin Show,” Lachie’s Mum Cath told The Free Press. “His great great grandfather made a whip.”

Lachie loves whip cracking. “It’s a cowboy thing to do,” the Grade 8 student at Wodonga Primary School reasoned.

The show girl show boy event is always popular. Steward Sally Aitchison said the event is “a bit of tradition and a great experience for kids especially in this era where socialising is done in a very different way”.

“It does attract a decent amount of entries and the kids that participate have an absolute ball,” a previous winner in the event said.

Talked into entering the event at the last moment by Karen Tidd, Sally didn’t think she was appropriately dressed in her jeans, white top and black pork pie hat she used to wear everywhere.

“I ended up winning which was a bit of a shock to me - I’m not sure what year it was, I was about 13 maybe,” Sally, who usually get her niece who is a school teacher to help out with judging, said.

“I think it’s a great experience and confidence booster for kids to enter and it is just so much fun to have such a different experience than kids are used to these days.”

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Tuesday, 11th February 2025

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