Competitors young and old farewell the Easter show

HSL Trick Riding team member Addison Rides, 6, was among the youngest competitors at the show. (Steven Saphore/AAP PHOTOS)

Few know the hard work that goes into the Royal Easter Show like Doug Crowell. 

At 94 he is thought to be one of the oldest exhibitors ever at the Sydney show and has been volunteering there for a whopping 54 years.

For the past month he's been helping out at Homebush in Sydney's west as part of the 40-strong central district team behind a prize-winning produce display.

"We start at seven (in the morning) and we finish at eight (at night), if we're lucky," the former grain farmer tells AAP.

Doug Crowell
Doug Crowell, 94, has been volunteering at the Royal Easter Show for more than half a century.

Originally picked for his wide-ranging knowledge of grains and pasture hays, Mr Crowell hasn't missed a show since 1970.

"It's hard work," he says.

While the nonagenarian gets ready to head home to Tamworth in northeast NSW, he has no plans to retire from the show. 

"I just can't stop coming back," Mr Crowell, named this year's Show Legend for his ongoing commitment, tells AAP.

Competitors aged from five to 94 have taken part in this year's Royal Easter Show, with New Zealander Charlotte Copeman among them.

The seven-year-old and her pony Daisy took out first place in the lead rein section.

Charlotte Copeman
Charlotte Copeman, 7, and pony Daisy had a win at the show, taking out the lead rein section.

The win is a big deal for the Copeman family who bred the pony, which competes under the name VP Little Secret, themselves.

The family has been in Australia for two weeks, after flying their animal out from New Zealand.

"They're judging the pony and how it carries a child, so it's about the suitability of the pony for the child that's riding it," Charlotte's mum Mary Copeman says. 

The bond between Charlotte and her pony is obvious to see.

New Zealander Charlotte Copeman and her pony Daisy won the lead rein section at Sydney Royal Show.

"The reason why I like her (Daisy) is because she gives me lots of kisses and hugs," the seven-year-old says.

As Sydney prepares to farewell Australia's largest agricultural show for another year, organisers say pack-down will begin as soon as the event finishes on Tuesday night.

"For the next two days they're going to be bumping out livestock and pulling down their exhibits and their stands and packing up big trucks," the show's Murray Wilton said.

Crowds on Good Friday
Show organisers were happy with how the event went despite some waits for rides on Good Friday.

Despite some delays for show rides on a sell-out Good Friday after some electronic outages that afternoon, organisers say otherwise the event ran smoothly over the 12 days.

"We're going to sit down with the operators after the show and have a chat, we definitely saw a dip in revenue," Mr Wilton said.

Attendance exceeded expectations, he said.

"We're going to hit 800,000 which is pretty remarkable for a non-school holiday show," he said.

More than 8700 animal exhibits over 480 different breeds competed at the show.

License this article

What is AAPNews?

For the first time, Australian Associated Press is delivering news straight to the consumer.

No ads. No spin. News straight-up.

Not only do you get to enjoy high-quality news delivered straight to your desktop or device, you do so in the knowledge you are supporting media diversity in Australia.

AAP Is Australia’s only independent newswire service, free from political and commercial influence, producing fact-based public interest journalism across a range of topics including politics, courts, sport, finance and entertainment.

What is AAPNews?
The Morning Wire

Wake up to AAPNews’ morning news bulletin delivered straight to your inbox or mobile device, bringing you up to speed with all that has happened overnight at home and abroad, as well as setting you up what the day has in store.

AAPNews Morning Wire
AAPNews Breaking News
Breaking News

Be the first to know when major breaking news happens.


Notifications will be sent to your device whenever a big story breaks, ensuring you are never in the dark when the talking points happen.

Focused Content

Enjoy the best of AAP’s specialised Topics in Focus. AAP has reporters dedicated to bringing you hard news and feature content across a range of specialised topics including Environment, Agriculture, Future Economies, Arts and Refugee Issues.

AAPNews Focussed Content
Subscription Plans

Choose the plan that best fits your needs. AAPNews offers two basic subscriptions, all billed monthly.

Once you sign up, you will have seven days to test out the service before being billed.

AAPNews Full Access Plan
Full Access
AU$10
  • Enjoy all that AAPNews has to offer
  • Access to breaking news notifications and bulletins
  • Includes access to all AAPNews’ specialised topics
Join Now
AAPNews Student Access Plan
Student Access
AU$5
  • Gain access via a verified student email account
  • Enjoy all the benefits of the ‘Full Access’ plan at a reduced rate
  • Subscription renews each month
Join Now
AAPNews Annual Access Plan
Annual Access
AU$99
  • All the benefits of the 'Full Access' subscription at a discounted rate
  • Subscription automatically renews after 12 months
Join Now

AAPNews also offers enterprise deals for businesses so you can provide an AAPNews account for your team, organisation or customers. Click here to contact AAP to sign-up your business today.

SEVEN DAYS FREE
Download the app
Download AAPNews on the App StoreDownload AAPNews on the Google Play Store