Community
17 July, 2025
Noorat Show recongised among the best
THE Noorat Show was recognised among the state’s most beloved agricultural shows over the weekend.
The Noorat Show finished runner up in the 2025 Victorian Agricultural Shows (VAS) People’s Choice Award.
The Whittlesea Show took out the win by only 15 votes over the Noorat Show at the VAS Convention.
Noorat Show secretary Vicki Marr, who was in attendance for the convention, said the show awards was a new innovation from the VAS, which is the governing body all shows in Victoria are affiliated with.
“There were various categories and we were named a finalist in the People’s Choice Award,” she said.
“The votes were all tallied up and Whittlesea won, and we just missed out by a handful of votes, but we’re so excited to finish in the top two.
“Some of the shows named finalists are quite large so I guess it shows the standing the Noorat Show has within our community.”
Mrs Marr said she had been asked a number of times over the weekend what makes the Noorat Show such a beloved event within the south west community – a question she’s not sure she’ll ever be able to definitively answer.
“It’s really hard to quantify but I do believe it’s because we have something for everyone,” she said.
“The Noorat Show, back to its inception, just set the standard of promoting agriculture – showcasing excellence in agriculture was the reason these shows started in the first place.
“It’s provided an inclusive atmosphere for people to come – we’ve added a family element to it and been able to provide a really good day of entertainment for everyone.
“Our catchcry is it’s a family friendly show, so we have always tried to provide something for everyone – from the little ones to the big ones, to people who want to exhibit their prize cows or stud ram or their best cake.
“Then we’ve got the other attractions like the woodchop, the yard dogs, the music stage for the younger ones and the older ones, and we’ve also got all our trade exhibitors who continue to feel they get value out of the show every year.”
Noorat Show president Rob Onley offered his appreciation to the volunteers who make the show what it is, year in and year out.
“It’s pretty humbling to be named runner-up given some of the competition are a lot bigger than ours,” he said.
“Noorat is a smaller, community-led show with volunteers organising and an advertising budget which is more word of mouth than anything else.
“To place so well in the VAS People’s Choice Awards shows where the event sits in people’s minds.”
Mr Onley said he believed it was hard to identify any one area which made the Noorat Show so popular with the community.
“I think what makes it special is that it’s community-led and run by a group of volunteers,” he said.
“We put a lot into it and the community then gets behind it before the show puts its money back in to the community – so people feel like they support the show and it will support them too.
“It’s also, at this point, becoming an intergenerational thing too – the kids who went to the show are now coming back and bringing their kids to the show.
“When they come to a place like the Noorat Show, they experience all the attractions in one place.
“From the showbags to the dog trials, the woodchop, cows, sheep, horses – it’s all there and that creates an appeal, and atmosphere.”
The Noorat Show will be making its return to the Noorat Recreation Reserve later this year on Saturday, November 15.
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