General News
4 October, 2022
Battle of crafty cooks
PAVILION SECTIONSPRODUCELOTS OF INTERESTCOMPETITION will be keen in cooking and craft sections at the 2022 Boort Show. It’s always been that way, as agricultural and pastoral society veteran Marj Potter knows only too well. Marj has been part of the...
PAVILION SECTIONS
PRODUCE
LOTS OF INTEREST
COMPETITION will be keen in cooking and craft sections at the 2022 Boort Show.
It’s always been that way, as agricultural and pastoral society veteran Marj Potter knows only too well.
Marj has been part of the show for more than 50 years and is this year again co-ordinating entries for the pavilion events.
Knitting, photography, flowers, produce and the district’s best fruit cakes, slices and other home-made sweet treats will be part of what Marj is determined will be a full pavilion.
She will set up “office” next to Audrey’s in Godfrey Street on Monday and Tuesday to receive entries.
“We’ve limited the size of the pavilion this year ... only 67 sections including sections that will see the winners go on to the Northern District Agricultural Society for Victorian Agricultural Society finals. This includes junior and senior photography, fruitcakes and Anzacs.”
Marj says from those entries could come the next star of the pavilion. “I can remember Roma Kane being prolific with cooking entries and winning prizes as was Sandra Poyner and the late Wes James who would beat the women - although he didn’t start entering until after his wife died,” she said.
Marj first became involved with the agricultural and pastoral society more than 50 years ago.
“(Husband) Ian’s family was involved but there weren’t too many young ones until a few younger women became involved,” she said.
“In those days we had the women’s auxiliary and the men’s show council. The auxiliary no longer exists and the show council now is mainly women which is a shame as sometimes we don’t get all the points of view in discussions.”
Marj and the late Mary Wilson were the first women to join the show council and Marj went on to serve 18 years as secretary, the first three jointly with Ian.
She was also chaperone for girls and their partners when the society oganised Boort’s annual debutante ball.
Marj says the show is an important annual event for the community, her commitment and passion as strong today as it was five decades ago.
“At one stage entries for the pavilion sections were getting quite low. We introduced a collections section, unjudged, where people brought along an interesting collection from home and this proved so popular that it became a judged section. I remember one year a child entered his collection of old nuts and bolts collected around the farm ... the judge gave first place to another entry but for me, the young lad was a winner,” she said.
Marj also continues to encourage younger people in the district to volunteer for the show.
“We have the ambassador title nowadays and I say to that person that they should join the show council,” she said.
“A couple have and that’s been good to have more people part of the show.”
Marj is renowned around Boort for supporting the community and its organisations. If there’s a fundraiser, Marj is there. “They call me the Raffle Lady,” she said about selling raffle tickets in Godfrey Street. “It’s a very social way of being part of the community and helping organisations,” she said.
For the next week though, raffle tickets are to the side as Marj devotes her energies to a successful return of the Boort Show. “Come show day, I’ll will be making sure all the entries are properly displayed in the pavilion, judged and then the doors thrown open to the people to see and enjoy.”
The Boort Show is this Saturday