Jeff Huddlestone
IN the Mount Gambier Show’s 161 year history there may not be a longer serving volunteer than 86-year-old Athol Malseed.
A stalwart of the show society, Mr Malseed has been involved for nearly 70 years, carrying on a family tradition from his father and grandfather.
Mr Malseed joined the committee in the mid-50s, not long after the show moved to its present prominent site in the centre of Mount Gambier.
“I worked my way up, was president for a couple of years, chairman of certain committees, right into it up to my knees and then they awarded me patron,” Mr Malseed said.
Mr Malseed was made a life member of the show society for his longstanding efforts.
He attributes his long-term involvement to the enjoyment of volunteering and interacting with the community.
A team effort, Mr Malseed said the show relies on a lot of volunteers, from the regulars who work on various elements of the show to hundreds who come together as one on show days.
He would recommend volunteering in the community to anyone.
“You meet a lot of lovely people; it’s terrific,” he said.
“I would say get right into it.
“You do meet some lovely people and you have a bit of fun in the meantime.
“It [the show] would not be anywhere if we did not have volunteers.
“We run a very tight schedule here and rely on volunteers 100 per cent.
“There is no town that I know of that could work without volunteers.”
A former Moorak farmer, Mr Malseed has been involved with many more community groups than just the show society over the years.
He served as hall chairman and played both local tennis and football for Kongorong as well as West Gambier.
West Gambier’s footy and netball home ground, Malseed Park oval, was even named after his family after Mr Malseed’s father sold the land to the club.
Former president of the show society, Danielle Tulak, has high praise for Athol.
“He is a very knowledgeable man when it comes to anything to do with the Mount Gambier show or agriculture in the region; he is amazing,” Ms Tulak said.
But even after decades of work, there can always be new surprises.
Last year the show went ahead over two days while still under Covid-19 restrictions; it was one of the first major events to be held since the Covid-19 pandemic began.
“The response was very good,” Mr Malseed said.
“We didn’t have a lot to show to people, we were very restricted in what we covered.
“The town looked after us very well.”
There were lots of challenges in staging a show in a pandemic, as the approval process took six months and SA Health only approved the event a week before the show.
About 10,000 show-goers still turned out to the event.
Takings and expenses were down, but things were different from the usual routine.
It is full steam ahead in planning for the 161st Mount Gambier show this October.
There will be the school and horse competitions on the Thursday, and the regular show days on Friday and Saturday, October 21 and 22.
