THE Bellarine Agricultural Show is a family affair for the Peacocks.<\/p>\n
Rick, Kerry and their children Layla, Gigi and Gabby Peacock have attended every show for the past 19 years, and volunteered for more than a decade.<\/p>\n
Rick has been treasurer for the last 13 years, Kerry secretary for eight years, Gigi has a paramedic nursing degree and has been part of the first aid team for the last three years, and Gabby is a general helper.<\/p>\n
Layla took on the social media and schools coordinator position a few years back, while her grandfather Dave Lambert has been the photography steward for last six years.<\/p>\n
Layla said her first memory of the show was entering her pet duck the last year the event was at the Drysdale site \u2013 it got a ribbon that was hung above her bed for years.<\/p>\n
Layla also made a boiled egg into a mermaid and got a rosette, which she still has! She recalls getting beaten in the cooking section by the Vallance boys most years \u2013 especially Harrison.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe would put our entries in by 9am\u2026 we\u2019d wait with anticipation till judging was over \u2013 then rush back to the pavilion when doors opened to go see if we won, only to find the prize cards were on Harry and Jacks plates!\u201d Layla said.<\/p>\n
\u201cHarrison’s grandma always wins the fruit cake.\u201d<\/p>\n
But then Harrison brought Mick along to help set up and pack up the show and that\u2019s where Layla met Mick \u2013 now her husband.<\/p>\n
Layla said Bellarine Agricultural Shows were live and interactive, so children could smell, see, touch, and be active.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey get a chance to connect their suburban life with rural life,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
\u201cGoing in competitions are fun.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve entered sewing, egg decorating, decorated gumboots, flower growing, vegetable growing and cookery.<\/p>\n
\u201cPeople who watch Masterchef \u2013 Merle Parrish who is 78 years old (not from here) and was introduced on the show as probably the most awarded cook to have ever been on the Masterchef show with over 70 award.<\/p>\n
\u201cMerle says she started cooking in competitions when she was seven.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe entered her Anzac biscuits in the local show and won \u2013 and has never stopped competing.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo all those budding masterchefs should give shows a go!\u201d<\/p>\n
Layla said on the social media side of things, the show needed people with skills other than farming to be viable.<\/p>\n
\u201cTo put on a show you need a committee that has graphic skills, publicity, social media, finance, building, minute-taking, paperwork as well as people with rural skills. It is a great community collection. Any age can find a way to help.\u201d<\/p>\n
See page 23 for pics from the weekend\u2019s show.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
THE Bellarine Agricultural Show is a family affair for the Peacocks. Rick, Kerry and their children Layla, Gigi and Gabby Peacock have attended every show for the past 19 years, and volunteered for more than a decade. Rick has been treasurer for the last 13 years, Kerry secretary for eight years, Gigi has a paramedic […]<\/p>\n