Next week our roads will be under strain as drivers will arrive at – and depart from – a warmer edition of Fieldays. That annual – now in its 54th year – event that brings town and country together to celebrate and view the innovative backbone of our country’s prime industry – agriculture.
In 1969 the first event was held after a group of like-minded people listened to the advice and recommendation of the late John Kneebone. In those days a young Hinuera-based farmer was in England as part of his work under the umbrella of a prestigious Nuffield Scholarship. He wrote to the then Farming Editor of the Waikato Times to push the idea that those in the ‘town’ should meet with those in the ‘country’ to share an understanding of what was essentially driving the commercial thrust of a small though rapidly growing nation.
An essential ethos of the initial event was that it be held at a time in the year when those creating the agricultural worth would be able to attend – the attendance of the ‘town’ component being flexible as to the season of the year. Thus, mid-June sprang off the drawing board being a general downtime for most Waikato farmers as they were immersed in the dairy industry.
In the second year the mid-winter timing was broken to accommodate the visit of the Queen and her family but at no other time did the event depart from foggy, cold mornings until this year.
The emergence of a late spring event has been driven not by adherence to matters of majesty, but by the disruptive fangs of a pandemic that had caused the cancellation of a previous event.
So, no warm clothing this year – shorts will be to the fore. The traffic congestion, slow-moving crowds and excited children will remain. Those who favour a warmer weather environment should take time to enjoy this one. The 2023 event will revert to the month of June.
The logistics for the event are enormous. As a past president of the Fieldays Society I was privy to the degree by which pre-planning to fit in with other events was and is essential.
The event has bloomed – and now accommodates matters not purely agricultural. An example is the Health Hub grown from a concern regarding the health – and personal pressures – on farmers in more remote areas. This year it is bigger than ever and draws large numbers of people.
The huge number of volunteers will, once again, provide support – many of them starting every day long before the initial rays of the dawn sun will reach the riverside valley that constitutes the event site.
Free buses will again be available to reduce traffic flows. Whether you join the bus in Cambridge’s Lamb Street or at the Te Awamutu I-site the pre-event chatter will centre on what lies ahead. The homeward journey, hopefully, will reflect a general satisfaction as to what was observed and enjoyed.
