THE FIRST SHOW

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXVI, Issue 20091, 10 November 1939, Page 6

THE FIRST SHOW

VETERAN LOOKS BACK SOME EARLY WINNERS CATTLE AND HORSES KEEN COMPETITION Memories of the first Gisborne Show held at Makaraka in 1875 were freely exchanged at Wednesday's Show by a small gathering of veterans who were present 64 years ago.

Some of them came long distances to renew their acquaintance with the event, and one of them, Mr. F. B. W. Bousfield, at present a resident of Wairoa, recalled a number of competitors and animals which took a leading part in the pioneer effort. Mr. Bousfield was a boy of 12 when he attended the first Show, which was held on Steggall’s paddock, on the left side of the road to Waerenga-a-hika, about a mile beyond the Makaraka turn-off.

“It is an eye-opener to look round here and to see the improvements that have taken place in 64 years,” Mr. Bousfield said. “There were no cattle pavilions in those day. The cattle were penned between two rails put up as a kind of stall, and the paddocks were well grassed but not mowed like they are to-day. There were only about 50 or 60 horses on the ground and 10 or 15 head of cattle.”

The winning Shorthorn bull was exhibited by the late Mr. Ewen Cameron, who purchased it from Mr. McHardy, Hawke’s Bay. It was a fine bull, and better than the type generally seen in the district to-day. The winner in the milking cow class was also a Shorthorn shown by the late Mrs. Luttrell, who secured the animal from the late Mr. J. B. Poynter, the first president of the Show society. This animal was a tremendous milker.

Good High Jump

The late Mr. C. W. Davis, Hawke’s Bay, won the first prize in the lightweight hacks, and the winner of the high jump was a Maori on the horse Torere, which cleared the bar at sft. lOin. In the latter event, the late Mr. H. J. Davis, Hastings, was second on Cruiser, a horse belonging to Mr. Clark. The following year Cruiser won the event, the late Mr. Albert Pritchard riding, while Mr. H. J. Davis rode the horse Dainty, which he had broken in for the owner, the late Mr. Woodbine Johnson. Training the horse well, Mr. Davis beat Cruiser the following year. The horse “ring” in those days was a straight, the competitors riding up, then down, and was a different arrangement from that which existed to-day. The hacks then were of a fine type and better than those of to-day, in Mr. Bousfield’s opinion. They were mostly got by a horse which was called Tutera, which was thrown overboard from a vessel in the Bay because the animal had a broken shoulder. The horse swam ashore, and was saved by the Maoris'at Awapuni. There was also a fine type of creamy pony called Tiger. These were the principal entires for hacks, but their breeding was unknown. Thoroughbred Classes

In the thoroughbred classes, the first prizes were secured by Dainty Area, owned by the late Mr. C. S. Caulton, and by Ruapehu, owned by Mr. Ewen Cameron. Mr. Bousfield’s father was judge in the horse section at the first Show, and was also a bandicapper for the early race meetings.

Among the Clydesdale entires, a horse called Honest Tom, brought here by Mr. Ewen Cameron, came first, while Mr. Larry Dunn was second with Windsor Castle, while for the following Show the late Mr. W. King secured the horse Auckland from the South Island.

Sheep exhibited in 1875 were mainly Lincolns, one of the chief exhibitors being the late Mr. W. W. Smith, father of Messrs. H. G., G. V. and W. W. Smith, jun„ who were prominent in the Show movement to-day. The late Messrs. E. Espie and J. B. Poynter were also Lincoln exhibitors. Mr. Espie secured first prize in the rams and Mr. Smith first in the ewes. The first pigs were brought to the district by the late Mr. Larry Dunn, they being a fine class of Berkshires.