First machinery show since COVID proves a huge hit

WA’s first agricultural machinery show in nearly two years has gone off without a hitch, with large crowds flocking to the McIntosh and Son Mingenew Midwest Expo last week.

With much of Australia currently under lockdown, organisers thanked their lucky stars the annual event went ahead after being cancelled in 2020 due to COVID-19 restrictions.

Shire of Mingenew chief executive Nils Hay, who sits on the event management board, said it had provided a much-welcome boost to the community.

“Expo is our biggest event by a significant margin, and it’s one of the largest events here in the Mid West, so to miss out on that last year was really disappointing,” Mr Hay said.

“I think the community was really happy to see it come back.”

Like other events of its kind, the Expo — which was established in 1983 — is volunteer-run and a vital fundraiser for community organisations and projects.

Much of the money raised this year will go towards the victims of Cyclone Seroja, which battered WA’s Mid West in April.

Mingenew Midwest Expo board members will meet on August 31 to determine how much the event will donate to the Lord Mayor’s Distress Fund.

“To be able to run it this year with the proceeds going to cyclone Seroja made it particularly special given the number of people both in Mingenew Shire, but also the region more broadly, who were pretty badly impacted by the cyclone,” Mr Hay said.

“In terms of numbers through the gate, it was certainly one of the bigger events we’ve held, so that was really encouraging.

“The feedback we’ve had both from exhibitors and visitors has been generally really positive.”

Meanwhile, the Dowerin community is gearing up to host the Dowerin GWN7 Machinery Field Days next Wednesday and Thursday .

The biggest of its kind in WA, the machinery field days will see thousands of people from across the State descend on the small Wheatbelt town.

Dowerin GWN7 Machinery Field Days chairman Ash Jones said the return of the event — which has been running since 1964 — had “given everyone a bit of a lift”.

“Last year was disappointing but it’s given us time to reset again,” Mr Jones said.

“We’re looking forward to it, everyone’s getting organised and is fired up and ready to go.”

Mr Jones, who farms at Dowerin, said exhibitors from the east coast were unable to attend though most had given their assurances they would return next year.

Nevertheless, he said bookings were “close to full” and the event promised to be an “extraordinary” one with plenty of exhibitors.

“Field Days brings our community together; it’s about everyone coming together and bogging in,” Mr Jones said.

“We’re only a very small community but a lot comes out of it, and we also get help from our surrounding districts which is fantastic.

“It keeps the central Wheatbelt vibrant, and more broadly, it’s just magnificent for the agricultural industry.

“It’s a great meeting space for people from Esperance to Geraldton... so it’s social as well as business, but I think that’s just as important.”

Preparations are also ramping up in Newdegate, which will host the 49th annual Newdegate Machinery Field Days event over the first two days of September.

Lake Grace Shire President and event volunteer Len Armstrong said the community was “super keen”, particularly after receiving fantastic winter rains.

“Field Days is super important purely because of the visitation,” Mr Armstrong said.

“It’s important for the dealerships... for the truckies that deliver all the equipment, and for the smaller communities on the way.

“Newdegate Field Days, for instance, means that the accommodation for places like Lake Grace, Lake Pink and Hyden are normally completely booked out — motels, caravan parks, cabins, you name it.

“But its super important for our community because the way it’s set up means we have funding available for our primary school kids to go off to camp, and we have infrastructure being built or renovated or maintained with funding that comes out of the Field Days.”

Pick up a copy of this week’s Countryman for a 12-page insert covering all the action from the McIntosh and Son Mingenew Midwest Expo.