South Australian Register (Adelaide, SA : 1839 - 1900), Tuesday 21 June 1887, page 9


THE FIRST SHOWS IN ADELAIDE.

The first Show held in this colony was in 1842, and a carious sketch of it ia extant. It was an exhibition of dairy produce, grain, cattle, and miscellaneous

articles, testifying to the industry of the settlers at a period when housewives had to make bread and butter and cure bacon after the good old English farmhouse fashion. The Show bore a resemblance to our smaller Agricultural Exhibitions in the country, and created considerable in terest at the time amongst the community of colonists, who were thus establishing an institution familiar to them in the old country. Agricultural and Horticultural Shows were held at varying periods and in regular course afterwards, gradually increasing in importance and useful-ness as the colony grew and its resources became developed. Novem-ber 8, 1867, the occasion of the visit of the Duke of Edinburgh to these shores, was chosen for organizing a grand three-day Show, embracing stock of every descrip-tion, grain, general produce, arts and manufactures, and horticultural exhibits, and His Royal Highness performed .the ceremony of opening it. The Secretary of the Central Agricultural and Horticultural Society (Mr. E. Ward) was the originator cf the idea, and the Exhibition was a pro-nounced success. Parliament voted £2,000 for the extension of the building now standing in the Royal Agricultural Society's Grounds. The takings the first day were £751, exclusive of 600 sub-scribers' tickets. Shows have been held on the same spot regularly each season, developing with the development of the colony to the present time. However, the exhibition organized by Joubert and Twopeny in 1881, open 67 days, and attended by 276,092 people, was the only one of an international character held in South Australia before the grand Exposition whose opening will be wit-nessed to-day.