Shows are nostalgia central which is why I spoke to an array of Sydney siders to get their earliest memories of the show. It may be a moment you shared too.
The show dates back generations and exudes family tradition. We take our children there cause we were taken as kids. I took a visit down memory lane with some local Sydney siders that cover decades from the 90’s, 80’s and all the way back to the 40’s and 50’s.
We had Bruce tell us about the Sharman boxing and that showbags were a penny back in the 1950s and were packed to the brim full of goodies. His favourite showbags included the Mintie sample bag and his grandfather would tell him the bags were a shilling in the 1920’s.
Hannah who remembered seeing her friends in the dance troupe and Leonie explained that it was so special to go to a show after WW2, the first show after that period of war. How exciting it was and how there were horse drawn carts everywhere. We also had Anne touch on the show being a showcase of agriculture, and how back then it wasn’t that easy to travel to rural areas.
Annie told us about the entertainers dressed as businessmen with giant mobile phones in the last show at Moore Park in the 90s and how funny they were. She highlighted the joy of taking her young daughter to the show bag pavilion, she liked the super girly show bags with wands and trying to win a prize on the clowns or fishing in the sideshow alley.
Lastly we heard that youngsters with not much disposable income could save up for entry to the show, would stay the full day, sun up to sun down to get the most bang for their hard earned bucks. They couldn’t afford rides but still soaked up the atmosphere and got free promotional bags from radio stations and even the police. These young ins were able to earn rewards like cans of soft drink and lollies by collecting trash through the ‘Do the Right Thing’ campaign.
So we can conclude that the Sydney Easter Show has evolved over the years and continues to transform throughout the generations, holding fond memories that last a lifetime. I hope we can all make some unique memories here at this year’s show.
