In early 2022, I was asked by the Dubbo Show Society if I would take on the job of producing a book to celebrate the 150 year history of the organisation. I was honoured to have been entrusted with this project, and was acutely aware of the responsibility that comes with telling the story of the regional city’s most significant and iconic event and, more accurately, the organisation that has held the reins for 150 years. It was a huge undertaking and like most projects I get involved with (“Three Days in May” is my seventh book), it seemed to grow a life of its own. It was an absolutely fascinating and enriching project, because so much of the show’s history reflects the history of Dubbo itself since European settlement. It also in many ways reflects my own regional roots story.

Three Days in May isn’t supposed to be a comprehensive chronological record – that would have been pretty boring. Instead, I largely allowed the people who have populated the show’s history tell the story – that’s what makes this history come alive. All stitched together with titbits of history and key moments in the Show Society’s century and a half.

The book was published in May 2023, at the Dubbo Show.

Available by contacting the Dubbo Show Society: commercial@dubboshow.org or by phoning 02 6882 4364

Also available through retail outlet The Book Connection in Dubbo.

All proceeds to the Dubbo Show Society.

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On the evening of February 28, 1872, a handful of citizens from the newly proclaimed municipality of Dubbo gathered at Orbell’s Royal Hotel and voted unanimously to form the North Western Pastoral and Agricultural Association. The following year, the very first Dubbo Show was held at the town’s racecourse.

One hundred and fifty years on, that humble showcase of agricultural and pastoral produce has evolved to be one of the largest shows in regional NSW, and the most important continuous event on the city’s calendar. From a purely agrarian focus to one of community, entertainment and education, through good times and bad, through shifting demographics and attitudes, the show’s history in many ways reflects that of Dubbo and the region itself since European settlement.

This is the story of the Dubbo Show and of the people who brought it to its sesquicentenary.

From the founding fathers to those who hold the reins today, the story is one of commitment, spirit and sheer determination.

This book is not just a recollection of the past, but a celebration of the present and an invitation to the future of those special Three Days in May.

Preface:

I have long felt there are two ways to get to know a town. One is to wander through the headstones of its cemetery; the other is to trace the fortunes of its local show.

It is a great honour to have been entrusted with this task and I am conscious of the responsibility that comes with telling the story of arguably Dubbo’s most iconic annual event.

This project has grown a life of its own and has become a fascinating journey in that the show’s history in so many ways reflects that of Dubbo and the region itself since European settlement.

Three Days in May neither intends nor claims to include every soul who has ever contributed to the Dubbo Show Society or to the show itself. Such a task is all but impossible. It is but a representation, an overview if you will, of a small cross section of all the remarkable people whose contributions over the past 150 years make up the whole.

We acknowledge that there are a great many whose names and feats have not appeared in these pages, but their contributions are no less worthy and the Dubbo Show Society encourages those who hold recollections or artefacts of historical significance, to contribute to the archive being gathered in preparation for the next milestone celebration of those iconic three days in May.

I do not profess to be a qualified historian. I am more storyteller than scholar. So, while every attempt has been made to verify information and seek reliable and credible sources for facts and figures, much of the content of this walk down a 150-year-old memory lane is based on personal recollections. After all, the story of the Dubbo Show is the story of the people who brought it to its sesquicentenary.

From the founding fathers, many of whose names still loom large in Dubbo’s community fabric, to those who hold the reins today, the story of the Dubbo Show is one of commitment, resilience and sheer determination.

This book is not just a recollection of the past, but a celebration of the present and an invitation to the future.

I hope you enjoy the peek back in time as much as I’ve relished putting it together.
And now, on with the show…

Jen Cowley OAM – May 2023