adminThe Herald, August 28, 1980
CROWDS have been pouring into this year’s Salisbury Show and the attendance figures during the past two days is 25 percent more than on the first two days of last year.
Mr Alan Dawkins, the show manager, said the paid attendance figures for the first day were 19 000.
“By one o’clock yesterday there were more than 17 000 people in the showground, and they were still coming through the gates,” he said.
He said the most remarkable thing about the show this year was the lack of incidents. There were several petty offences, which the police quickly handled.
However, there had been some parking trouble at the exhibitors and members’ car park yesterday afternoon and on the first day.
These were traffic jams, which involved a confrontation between the police and motorists. “Arrangements are being made for more orderly parking under police control to into effect,” Dawkins said.
One of the highlights the interbreed championships at the Smithfield arena was the Kelvin Grove Stud of the late Mr Gert Willemse of Mount Hampden, winning the supreme championship and two other trophies.
Senator Denis Norman, Minister of Agriculture, said the quality of the animals on exhibition was very high.
Referring to the animals on the show, he said they would be put to good use in rebuilding the national herd.
Also of particular importance was that the presence of the stock at the show would “go a long way to restore confidence in the Industry”.
Senator Norman said he was disappointed there were no indigenous cattle represented. There was little doubt yesterday that the dare-devil flying of the helicopters was the big attraction in the main arena and had the crowds cheering.
LESSONS FOR TODAY
The Zimbabwe Agricultural show is the country’s premier annual agricultural showcase that attracts exhibitors and visitors from within and outside the country.
The annual showcase has undergone several changes since its inception in the 1920s when it was known as the Salisbury Show before it was renamed the Harare Agricultural show soon after independence and rebranded to the Zimbabwe Agricultural Show in 2019, to reflect its national outlook.
This year’s event, which is the 113th addition, is starting to day and would be running under the theme: ‘Sustained Growth, Adaptation, Productivity, Linkages’.
The annual show case attracts a lot of people which requires that the organisers and law enforcement agents to keep a heavy presence to maintain law and order.
Online Reporter