By Adam Norris, Bellingen Shire News - June 22, 2023

The Agricultural Societies Council of NSW is the peak body of 192 Agricultural Show Societies across the State, and on Sunday, June 17th, the Bellinger River Agricultural Society (BRAS) – the organisation responsible for the Bellingen Show – beat out the competition to win the 2023 AgShowsNSW Innovation Award.

Representatives from sixty other show societies were present at the awards, with the Bellingen Show emerging victorious ahead of Armidale to come home with the trophy.

BRAS committee member, Richard Martin, was the principal author of their submission. It identified several key insights that the organisation has adopted to ensure the long-term sustainability of the Show.

This included:

Facilitating renewal and change, including drives to attract skilled volunteers to spread workloads more equitably, and promote greater efficiency across all sectors.

The appointment of a Show Coordinator to professionally work across a cross-section of Show activities.
The integration of new technologies, particularly in terms of ticketing and online services, including cloud-based accounting systems.
Funding new initiatives, including grants and sponsorship.
The identification of three key innovation objectives; to ensure that the Show remains relevant to the community that supports it; managing the workload for the group of volunteers that organise and run the Show: and maintaining the financial integrity of the Society.

A significant component of this award was built on a budding partnership with OzGREEN.

OzGREEN were approached to provide onsite education about recycling and the management of waste disposal during the Show. This involved OzGreen manning waste stations throughout the Showground to ensure the appropriate sorting of waste, and taking responsibility for the removal and local composting of organic material.

It is estimated that 25% of 2023 Show waste was subsequently diverted from landfill, with compostable materials then donated to community gardens.
The BRAS Committee will now develop a comprehensive waste management plan for implementation at the 2024 Bellingen Show.

“The Show Committee has introduced a suite of initiatives in recent years to ensure the sustainability of the Bellingen Show,” said BRAS President Susan Lumsdaine.

“The AgShow NSW Innovation Award is an acknowledgement of Bellinger River Agricultural Society’s vision to be an engaging, educating, entertaining and sustainable event. It celebrates the Show Committee’s efforts to ensure we have a vibrant Bellingen Show well into the future.”

To find out more about Rethink, OzGREEN’s events waste program, visit www.ozgreen.org/rethink-waste