It's a favourite pastime of many to trawl through antique shops on their travels. A small piece of Boorowa's history was located in such a business in New Zealand very recently.
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Carmel Sheridan was looking after her brother's antique shop in Cambridge, New Zealand, while he took a holiday.
She was going about her duties in the shop, when she found a silver and cut glass cruet set, and it was the word "Burrowa" engraved on it that caught her eye.
The cruet set was inscribed with "Burrowa AP&H Association Annual Show 1888 Won By:". Alas, the winner did not inscribe their name on it.
The inscription on the piece, which her brother Patrick had purchased six months previously at an estate auction in Auckland, intrigued Carmel as it just so happens that Carmel's daughter, Katherine, works locally at Newhaven Park Stud.
Carmel was able to recognise that the old identification of our town was indeed Boorowa. She took some photos of the trophy and sent to her daughter Katherine to show her the interesting discovery she had made across the Tasman.
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Katherine showed the photos to Sue Cooper, who also works for Newhaven Park. Sue quickly realised that the Show Society may be interested in having this trophy returned to Boorowa. And so, the wheels were set in motion for the purchase of the cruet set and its return.
At last weeks general meeting of the Boorowa Show Society, committee members were able to admire the 131-year-old set and ponder its travels in those years.
The 1888 show was Boorowa's third agricultural show. The very first agricultural show was thought to be held in 1863 or 1864. But an official AP&H Society was formed in 1885 by Mr J. Alston, with the assistance of Messrs Morgan, Jermyn, Campbell, Hurley and Messrs Fred and Rawdon Hume.
Under this banner, the first attempt to hold a show was staged in 1887. According to some authorities, the first showground was at the brick kiln on the corner of Brial and Long Streets, on land privately owned by Mr. Isaac Stevenson.
This information and a further snippet, was found in a booklet produced by the Boorowa Show Society in 1988, "A Century of Shows" - Notes on the History of the Boorowa Show Society".
It is quoted "The spring show of 1888 was held in fine weather, and saw some 2000 people out to enjoy the occasion. The Yass Brass Band supplied most enjoyable entertainment once again and some of the prize winners that year included Mr H.R.F. Hume, Mr D. Flannery, Mr W. Hurley and the Kelly families."
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It seems that much of our society's history was reported in the local newspapers in small news items similar to this, and further investigations will certainly be made to try to discover more information about the antique.
Louise Baer, the Show Society President, was grateful to Carmel for her astute observations so that this opportunity was not missed to return a little bit of history to our town. Louise passes on a warm thank you on behalf of the show committee to Sheridan family, and to Sue Cooper for their help in bringing the trophy home.
If you have any information from your family history that may help the Boorowa Show Society trace any history of the show or the trophy from this time, please contact the Secretary on 0427 070 341 or at boorowashow@hotmail.com.
