Part 2 of The Road to the Bathurst Show: a series of excerpts from Ben Bezuidenhout’s book, ’Simply the Best’
Picture: KOWIE MUSEUM
These were troublesome times and war interrupted all activities from late 1850 to 1853. By 1860 wool was an important export and farming was looking up. The show of 1863 came with Thomas Hartley as president.
After this the American wool market collapsed, Cape wool lost its popularity, financial problems multiplied and show matters came to a complete standstill.
An election in 1870 brought in a new government and the discovery of diamonds led to a
general exodus to the north. It is not surprising, therefore, to find a lapse of interest in shows while such weighty problems were on the public mind.
It was around this time, in 1865, that Charles Purdon entered Lindsay Green’s barber shop in Grahamstown and admired some pineapples that had come from Natal. Lindsay was good enough to give him 30 or 40 of the pineapple crowns, or tops, and as an experiment these were planted by Charles in the fruit garden on his farm Thorndon at Clumber. The rest is history and growing pineapples in the Bathurst district has become profitable.
The correspondent of the Port Alfred Budget wrote on May 11 1881: “After 17 years ’ rest, the inhabitants of the pretty little town of Bathurst have come alive again to the necessity and importance of establishing an annual show.”
The period of political turbulence, war and drought had passed and the society, once more active, organised an imposingly large show. Afterwards the report in the Port Alfred Budget was extremely critical of the standard of the show and exhibits and this caused quite a stir in the community. The reporter passed such remarks as: “The first prize was awarded to a
horse belonging to Mr John Cock and, while a clever hack, we are not alone in our opinion when we state that another horse showed more breeding and should have scored first…only one bull came up to anything like our standard…the cattle pens in our opinion were too small…faulty management…the committee in some respects might have improved matters…” and so on.
The committee retaliated with the following: “…had you confined yourself to a true and faithful report of the Show, instead of criticizing so severely the committee, it would have
been more appropriate…” and a lot more was said.
These two shows, above all else, highlighted the tremendous expansion in agricultural practice that had taken place in this part of the country just 60 years since the landing of the 1820 Settlers. No less than 285 prizes were offered over a wide range of classes.
Wool and ostrich feathers headed the list and there was a strong proviso that they had to be grown in the district.
There were also classes for slaughter oxen and for trained spans. Sheep, ostriches and pigs featured, as well as mules and horses.
In the poultry section there was a great selection of birds: turkeys, geese, ducks, pigeons and fowls such as Dorkings, Brahmas, Cochin Chinas, Spanish and spangled Hamburgs.
There were wheat displays of various kinds and in the horticultural section over 40 classes covering a wide selection of vegetables were listed.
There was also fruit and homemade goods. It was also interesting to note the activities undertaken on farms, for instance, rolls of tobacco, homemade boots, tanned leather, saddlery and harness were on display.
