Closing Message for 2026
🎆 WHAT A SHOW! THANK YOU, BARHAM & KOONDROOK! 🎆
Well, the 2026 Barham Koondrook Show has officially come to an end, and what better way to finish than with a spectacular bang of fireworks! 🎇
An event like this simply wouldn't be possible without the incredible support of our community.
❤️ Firstly, a very special thank you to our wonderful Show Committee!
Behind every successful Show is a dedicated group of people who give so much of their time, energy and effort to make it happen. From months of planning and organising to the long days setting up, running the event and packing everything away, our committee members work tirelessly behind the scenes.
Many juggle work, families and other commitments, yet still find the time to lend a hand, share ideas and get the job done. So much of this work goes unnoticed, but it's the teamwork, dedication and love for our community that keep our wonderful country Show alive. To each and every one of you, thank you! ❤️
👏 To our generous sponsors, donors, advertisers, local businesses and volunteers, we simply couldn't do it without you. Your generosity and ongoing support help make this event possible year after year, and we are incredibly grateful.
🌸 A special thank you to our Pavilion team, who work tirelessly from Sunday to Sunday, transforming the Pavilion into a beautiful display of local talent, creativity and hard work for everyone to enjoy. The time and effort that goes into bringing it all together is truly appreciated.
👏 To our secretary and her assistant, thank you for your patience and dedication in introducing a new entry program to make the process easier and results quicker. We know there were a few challenges with online entries this year, and we appreciate everyone's patience as we work through the changes. It will only get easier!
While we had a couple of last-minute disappointments, including the Royal Flying Doctor Service simulator and Ferris wheel being unable to attend, we certainly hope to have them join us next year!
The climbing wall, laser tag and bucking bull were huge hits, and it was wonderful to see so many families enjoying everything the Show had to offer! 🎡
🚗 A special thank you to the Wakool Car Club for coming along and being part of this year's Show! It was fantastic to have such a wonderful display of vehicles for everyone to admire. We really appreciate the time and effort put into bringing your cars along and
helping make our Show that little bit more special. Thank you for your support, and we hope to welcome you back again next year! ❤️
Most importantly, thank you to everyone who came through the gates and supported our Show! Whether you entered an exhibit, volunteered, sponsored, brought the family along or simply came to enjoy the atmosphere, you all played a part in making this year's Show a success.
🎨 A big thank you to all the school students who entered our Show Poster Competition! We loved seeing the creativity, imagination and effort that went into every entry. It was wonderful to see so many young people getting involved and showing their support for our local Show. You should all be very proud of your work, and we hope to see even more entries next year!
📝 WE'D LOVE YOUR FEEDBACK!
As we start looking ahead to the 2027 Show, we'd love to hear your thoughts on this year's event.
You'll find QR code posters displayed around town, so please take a moment to scan the code and complete our short survey.
Whether it's something you loved, something we could improve or something you'd like to see next year, we'd love to hear it! Your feedback is important to us and helps make our wonderful country Show even better for everyone.
📣 WANT TO BE PART OF NEXT YEAR'S SHOW?
Our Annual General Meeting will be held early next year keep an eye out for the notification of date and time.
We would love to see some new faces, fresh ideas and more community members getting involved. We're always looking for new members, and everyone is welcome.
You don't need experience, just a willingness to lend a hand and be part of something special for our community.
❤️ Here's to doing it all again in 2027!
From all of us on the Barham Koondrook Show Committee, THANK YOU for helping keep our wonderful country Show alive. We hope to see you all again in 2027! 🎆❤️
Unfortunately due to an unforseen breakdown with the RFDS similator they will not be attending the show this year. Here's hoping for next year!
We have also been advised that the pony club event will not be going ahead.
ENTRIES CLOSE FRIDAY OCTOBER 9TH.
Barham Koondrook Show Set to Deliver Biggest Family Event of the Year
The Barham Koondrook Show is gearing up to welcome thousands of visitors for a weekend packed with entertainment, community spirit, and country show tradition. Oganisers are promising there will be something foreveryone to enjoy!
This year's show features an impressive range of free entertainment and family-friendly attractions, ensuring visitors can enjoy a full day of activities without continually reaching into their wallets.
Among the highlights are free camel rides, an interactive animal nursery, face painting, archery, and a host of other attractions such as Laser Tag. All designed to keep children and adults entertained throughout the day.
The excitement will continue into Friday evening, with a spectacular fireworks display lighting up the night sky and providing a memorable finale to the day's activities.
President Ross McKinlay said the committee had worked hard to create an event that offers value for families while showcasing the best of the local community.
The Barham Koondrook Show is all about bringing people together. We're proud to offer so many free activities and entertainment options, giving families the opportunity to enjoy a fantastic day out while celebrating our local community and agricultural heritage."
Inside the pavilion, visitors can expect to find a colourful display of local talent and creativity, with sections featuring arts and crafts, cooking, plants, photography, preserves, needlework, and more. The pavilion is always one of thehighlights of the show. It's a chance for local people of all ages to showcase their skills and creativity, and we're looking forward to seeing the incredible entries that come in this year.
Adding to the atmosphere, organisers are hopeful that local buskers will once again provide live entertainment around the grounds, creating a vibrant and welcoming environment for visitors.
As well as the entertainment and exhibits, the show will continue its long-standing tradition of showcasing livestock, poultry, pigeons, horses, and agricultural displays, providing an opportunity for exhibitors to compete and share their passion with the wider community.
The Barham Koondrook Show remains one of the region's most anticipated annual events, attracting visitors from across the district and beyond. The event not only celebrates country life but also provides an important opportunity for local organisations, businesses, volunteers, and community groups to come together.
Whether you're entering an exhibit, enjoying the free attractions, catching up with friends, or simply soaking up the atmosphere, there's something special about show weekend.
We invite everyone to come along and be part of it.
The Barham Koondrook Show will be held on Friday 16th & Saturday 17th of October at the Barham Showgrounds. For further information, competition schedules, and entry details visit our schedule page or social media pages.
With free family entertainment, quality exhibits, community spirit, and a spectacular fireworks display, this year's Barham Koondrook Show is shaping up to be one of the best yet.
With the school holidays fast approaching us in the next two to three weeks, the schedule will be available for parents, teachers and exhibitors to have a look through and perhaps if the weather is not particular inviting outside, there just maybe something in the schedule that children could fill in some time and start making, drawing or evengrowing for the vegetable section. Contact the Barham Koondrook Show Society for an email copy to be forwardedto you at barhamkoondrookshow@gmail.com
2026 Year of Pony Club & Show Jumping
Some exciting changes are coming to the Barham Koondrook Show this year!
We have managed to secure Show Jumping for Friday the first day of the show.
This team will be led by Kevin Hare, so welcome Kevin and thanks for being willing to get involved and regenerate this component of our show. Exciting to be able to watch some talented horsemanship.
On the Saturday we are holding a pony club novelty day. There will be barrel racing, flag racing, maybe the sack race and more. So grandparents mark your calendar to come and watch the talents of our local and visiting pony clubs.
FARMERS CHALLENGE
Also this year we are planning a "Farmers Challenge"
The challenge will be open to teams of 4 from footy clubs, cricket clubs, tennis clubs or families,
Get a team together and showcase your skills of cooperation, collboration,communication and comedic performance.
BALES, SWAGS,RESCUES AND RUNNING WILL BE INVOLVED!
OTHER NEWS FOR 2026
EMERGENCY SERVICES
We also have heard from our local emergency services both in VIC and NSW, they are raising the bar this year and are planning on doing a mock car accident with all services assisting in the rescue of the driver. We have had confirmation that the Flying Doctors are going to be in attendance, and we believe are arranging school visits as well in our community.
CATTLE
This year the Cattle are being judged on the Friday evening, along with the handler and cattle judging which our local Barham High School support and prepare for throughout the year.
CHILDRENS ENTERTAINMENT
We have had a very generous donation from the ‘Local Women’s Group’ to put towards the children’s entertainment. So far for entertainment we have booked the popular ‘Bucking Bull’, plus from Zone fun Park we have booked a laser tag game and a 5-sided climbing wall. There will also be our usual and very popular face painting as well as “tattoos” which will be free for children. There will also be the games that were there last year and maybe a sand pit or 2 for those that want to build sandcastles or make angel wings in the sand.
SATURDAY MINI MARKET
On the Saturday we are going to try mini market for anyone who wants to attend on the Saturday and sell their wares. The cost is $10.00 to get in the gate and $10.00 for a stall. This is open to anyone you would like to attend and showcase their crafts and goods. You would be positioned on the arena from 9am to 12pm.
Any enquires for or about this please email barhamkoondrookshow@gmail.com or phone 0418839 816
WELCOME TO 2026
The Barham Koondrook Show committee attempted to hold their Annual Meeting on Tuesday March 17 th at CluBarham. Unfortunately we didn’t have enough to form a quorum so the meeting was cancelled.
However we did induct 2 Life Members onto the Show committee list.
When you put a ‘A’ in front of General Meeting, I feel people tend to stay away just in case they get
elected to a position, general thoughts are happy to attend general meetings, but no way am I going
to be landed with a job.
This 2026 year our existing President, Mr Ross McKinlay, Secretary, Sue Paul and Treasurer, Sharon Gawronski are all happy to be re nominated to do this year’s show.
The only position needed filling is Vice President, just in case Ross needs to go on leave. This position isn’t a
hard position to carry out, if the “I’s and “t’s’ are crossed and dotted and all is travelling along smoothly.
The show committee are going to meet again on the 21 st April, 7:30pm cluBarham, RSL clubrooms, for the Annual General Meeting. We would welcome all membership holders from the show to attend at least for the Annual Meeting.
We as a committee are excited as we have some new ideas for 2026. The Royal , Flying Doctor services have confirmed that they will be attending the show on Friday, there will be a junior shearing competition, a Farmers challenge which will create a laugh for all and lots more.
The only question I’m putting out there to you all is, do you think we will have a show this year?
What with the cost of fuel, making our entrants consider the cost to bring entries to the show prior, to bring the family to the show on Friday evening, then come back on Saturday to collect entries, as we do have entries come as far as Moulamein, Cohuna for the children, and the cattle coming from further away. Horses travel miles to attend shows, and as a local show found out recently, entrants
cancelled due to cost of diesel required to pull floats etc.
We are concerned that the side shows will not travel to Barham to provide entertainment for that younger population.
I suggest if you would like to help and see what happens, come and join us on Tuesday 21 st April or watch this space in the newspaper for follow ups.
Our second attempt at holding our Annual General Meeting on April 21st met with more success and we were able to declare all positions vacant and re elect our Executive Team.
PRESIDENT -ROSS McKINLAY
SECRETARY -SUE PAUL
TREASURER -SHARON GAWRONSKI
ENTRIES SECRETARY - PRUE MORTON