Camperdown Showgrounds cancels October show for second year running, postpones 150th anniversary again

Camperdown's decision comes after Melbourne, then Colac and Geelong events were cancelled.

Organisers rescheduled Camperdown's 150th anniversary event to this year after coronavirus restrictions had forced the milestone to be postponed.

Show secretary Amanda Manifold said while the broader event could not proceed, she hoped to still hold a horse-based event.

"Unfortunately we've just had to cancel the celebrations again this year, but we still hope to be able to go with a horse event of some type on the day which doesn't require quite the financial outlay that a show does," she said.

"We'll just try and celebrate our 150^th again next year."

Ms Manifold said the event "just wasn't viable" with the volatility of the pandemic.

"The wood chop organisers have cancelled all their competitions this year so that was another straw on the camel's back and some children's entertainment that we had we found in NSW and hoped would come down most likely won't be able to.

"The chances of them being able to get out of NSW in October is almost impossible, so when you lose two of your biggest features the decision is almost made for you," she said.

"We just couldn't guarantee that we were going to be able to run right until the day before - it could be pulled at any time or the restrictions could lift. We also don't have the man power to be able to facilitate a full Covid-safe show with all the rules on Covid marshalls. Volunteers are always doing their best to get the show going and to throw Covid in on top of that is just too difficult."

She said the coronavirus pandemic had put the future of regional shows at risk.

"I reckon it'll put a lot of people back," she said.

"It'll make them very nervous about trying to ever run something again. I know we just want to make our 150^th a really good one and that's one of the reasons we've pulled it. But I think a lot of show committees will struggle.

"The financial support we got last year was really great from the federal government. We got our costs covered for the year because we're a privately owned grounds. We have to still come up with all the money for insurance and rates and electricity and water and all those utility costs, so that could spell the end of a lot of smaller show committees if they're in the same boat.

"Money doesn't grow on trees, does it?"

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