RAS of NSW Bicentenary 2022
The Royal Agricultural Society of NSW (RAS) was formed in 1822, in the early days of European settlement. The emphasis at that time was on agriculture and food provision for the new colony. The European settlers were struggling to adapt to the new environment and the problems they were facing with crops and farming. They needed to band together and help each other. And so a group of interested agriculturalists met on 5 July 1822 and formed the Agricultural Society of NSW.
The following year the Society held a Show, with livestock and produce categories. It was an opportunity to educate and inform the people of the colony, and to come together to transact business and exchange ideas. Competitions were held in order to ‘excite in proprietors an ambition to excel each other’, prizes were offered and judging took place in front of the public.
Two hundred years down the track and the RAS is still organising events and competitions and acting as a guardian for the state’s agricultural heritage. The RAS celebrates Australia’s achievements in agriculture and works to promote the viability of rural communities by ensuring that Australia remains a thriving and innovative agricultural producer.
The flagship event of the RAS of NSW’s bicentenary celebrations will be the 2022 Sydney Royal Easter Show, held between the 9th and the 19th of April. A gala opening ceremony and Grand Parade is to be held on the 10th of April. The opening day will include a parade of vehicles and livestock from the birthplace of the RAS at Parramatta to the current showground. Special evening entertainment highlighting Australian Agricultural history as well as a vision for the future is to be held each night culminating in a themed fireworks display.
Each of the competition pavilions for produce and livestock will include signage and displays that recognize the importance of the show’s sections in the history of the RAS. Commemorative wine, tea towels and heritage show bags will help create an atmosphere of celebration along with daily street parades.
The definitive history of the RAS of NSW has also been written, celebrating the milestones of the RAS and the people of NSW who have affectionately embraced the RAS and the Sydney Royal Easter Show over the past 200 years.
A special birthday function will be held closer to the RAS’s actual birthday date of the 5th of July, again giving the organization the opportunity to celebrate the history of the RAS and to thank the varied stakeholders who contribute to it.
