A SMALL town’s show society has put its hand out for assistance as sponsors for the long-held event dry-up in tough economic and environmental times.
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Manilla Show Society secretary LouEllen Overton has asked Tamworth Regional Council for a $6000 handout with sponsorship proving very hard to come by.
Next month will herald the 85th edition of the Manilla Show and while there is no threat of the event being cancelled in near future, Ms Overton said it had become hard to maintain the balance between securing a range of entertainment options and keeping entry prices low.
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This year, the show will host an expanded rodeo program run by the Gill Brothers Upper Horton outfit in a bid to increase numbers through the gates.
The secretary said the show society were unable to secure a major sponsor for the rodeo for 2019 and things would get very tight if councillors didn’t vote in favour of the $6000 assistance.
“We would probably eat into money we need to run the show,” she said.
“You need so much in the bank for things like prize money and costings.
“If we eat in to that, we would need to do some more fundraising throughout the year.
“A few loads of wood have to be sold.”
The report to the council by Kay Burnes recommended the society was granted the money on the condition it was a “one-off” and was issued as “event support and not specifically for an individual event attraction sponsorship”.
“The prolonged drought conditions have impacted the local Manilla community both economically and socially,” the report said.
“The Manilla Show Society has recognised financial constraints in the community and has proposed to deliver increased attractions to the show to encourage higher attendance rates and deliver an opportunity for social cohesion within the community during a time of economic downturn.”
Councillors will vote on the show assistance at Tuesday night’s ordinary meeting.
While it has recommended councillors support the motion, the same business paper has urged them to decline a $600 fee waiver for another community.
The Nundle Amateur Swim Club requested to have its lane hire fee for the 2018-19 season waived “due to the impact of the drought on swimming club families”.
However, the report by the council manager of sports and recreation, Paul Kelly, recommended councillors decline the request, because approval “could lead to other swim clubs also seeking a fee waiver for their annual lane hire fees”.
Jacob McArthur
Jacob McArthur is opinions editor for The Canberra Times and Australian Community Media. As part of the Canberra Times' production team, he helps the people of Canberra and beyond get the stories they need, when they need them across a range of platforms, while helping maintain a high editorial standard. Before moving to Canberra in 2020, he started with Australian Community Media in 2015 as a journalist for The Northern Daily Leader in Tamworth where he kept a close eye on Tamworth Regional Council. Jacob was also the co-host of ACM's Water Pressure podcast where he and Jamieson Murphy took a deep dive on issues and key decisions arising during one of the region's worst droughts on record.
Jacob McArthur is opinions editor for The Canberra Times and Australian Community Media. As part of the Canberra Times' production team, he helps the people of Canberra and beyond get the stories they need, when they need them across a range of platforms, while helping maintain a high editorial standard. Before moving to Canberra in 2020, he started with Australian Community Media in 2015 as a journalist for The Northern Daily Leader in Tamworth where he kept a close eye on Tamworth Regional Council. Jacob was also the co-host of ACM's Water Pressure podcast where he and Jamieson Murphy took a deep dive on issues and key decisions arising during one of the region's worst droughts on record.
