General News
23 October, 2025
Show icing on the cake
The Dimboola Show celebrated its 140th year in style, with great weather, community enthusiasm and a very large variety of activities keeping the solid interest of all who attended.
With rides, classic cars, horses, displays, rock climbing, motorbikes, pets, flowers, tiny goats, art, tractors and much more, the Recreation Reserve on Saturday was a hive of hustle and bustle.
Emerging also was some intensifying competitive spirit in the chocolate cake baking section, with the men’s section raising – no pun intended – some unanticipatedly spirited controversy about final presentation rules to decide the winner.
But more about that later.
On Tuesday morning, Dimboola A & P Society president, Harvey McKinnon was still buzzing about the success of the event, exuding delight at all the details, especially highlighting the keen involvement and interest of children on the day.
“There was great young family activities – when you see a lot of young kids there, and they're all enjoying it … The young expressions (on faces) – for preschool they sit down and they do little things that they can take with them,” he said.
“We had a certain time for this sand pit where there was 20 ducks, and each duck had a prize. There was 30 kids in the sand pit ... and there was still a pair of shoes left there until Monday!”
With about 50 or 60 painted paper plates, about 40 painted wooden spoons, and then with many entries in the colouring-in section, he had his work cut out to judge the entries.
“There was probably 50 in the primary school section, and about 25 in the preschool section,” Harvey said.
New blood and reduced handling
Harvey said this year’s show got a pleasing boost from the involvement of some new people.
“We were fortunate enough to gain a few people on the committee, and it was like changing the oil and filters and putting a new battery in the old John Deere tractor,” he said.
“It gave us a bit of life, and they created a lot of enthusiasm. So setting up was a lot easier, dismantling and cleaning up is done – and I think it's done better than we've ever seen it.”
He said there were also several parts of the show that the organisers “didn’t have to worry about” with the welcome help of some non-committee members, such as the sand pit and the sheaf tossing.
“So there was things that were done on the day that we had no involvement (in), but they made the day,” Harvey said.
One activity that was inherently designed as hands-off – and mostly for the entertainment of the audience – was the inaugural Human Sheep Drafting where teams of three people “move three sheep without touching them with your hands, so you've sort of got a straddle them, like a riding a horse, and you move them to the gate to put them into the other”.
“The women actually beat the men,” Harvey said.
Growing attendance fuels culinary demand
Some other positive indicators from the day included the popularity of food and goodies on offer.
“Our luncheon, which we supplied, sold out, and we also gave 29 free lunches away,” Harvey said.
“It went well. The CWA ladies were very satisfied and I think the progress committee that run the tea, they were satisfied. We had show bags there too.
“I think our gate will be up – so (that’s) terrific.”
Revival in pet popularity
Harvey said there was also a noticeable uptick in interest in the display of pets.
“The one section that was bumped up a fair bit was the pet section,” he said.
“In some years the cabinets are not full, or the pens are not full, but we had rats to guinea pigs to dogs with pups. We also had a little incubator that was hatching quail at the time.
“Here’s little quail cracking out of the egg – and that's something that goes back 60 years ago or so, when you'd go to shows and you'd see the chickens (in) all different colours and the ducks slipping down the slides and that.”
President’s principle: Packet protocols purity prevails
But it wasn’t all smooth sailing – Harvey had to exercise his executive role unexpectedly, with the men’s chocolate cake section needing a final judgement call on the critical points of dessert creation.
“The big thing of the show – there was, I think, about eight or nine people in the men's packet chocolate cake (section), and a past president won it – and there's a bit of dispute because he iced it,” he said.
“And there's people saying, he shouldn't (have) icing.
“I said, ‘Well, when you buy a packet chocolate cake in the shop, 99 per cent of them have icing in the packet.’
“So if it's a packet chocolate cake, you use what's in the packet. So he was entitled to ice the cake.”
Harvey said he suspected his decision will only fuel future Dimboola Show packet chocolate cake entries from males taking the challenge even more seriously – but he defended his call, pointing out the losers needed to lift their game.
“There were others (that) had icing too,” he said.
“(With) the ones that didn't ice it – to be honest with you some of them I could have used (as) bricks for a house.
“I think there was a bit of pride in it. When I won it 10 years ago, I think I was the only one in it – it was pretty easy to win. But now, all of a sudden, next year, there'll be 15 people wanting to go in.”
Thank yous
Harvey said the Dimboola Show was a reflection of the community, and he was deeply grateful for the willingness of so many to lend a hand, starting with local schools.
“The High School, the Primary School, and the Lutheran School – we got a great involvement (with) those and that's what we do it for,” he said.
“They are the future of this show.
“I thank the committee for their energy (and) the sponsors that have come on board – without them, we can't give a lot of things that we provide down at that show.
“Where there was free entries or things of that nature, or giveaways, that's all done by sponsorship.
“Then there's the people that just come on the day that help. They're the people that ... all of a sudden they turn up on that day, and they're prepared to help.
“And finally, the community for turning up, the families, the kids – that's what we do it for.”