The Robbo Show got under way - Friday Morning.

My little Schnauzer, Lena, loves the Robbo Show. Can you guess why? Kids love Lena. Lena loves Kids.

Friday is kid's day, well at least the local school groups come through in the morning, and the people from the local Community Technology Centre host a "Spud Olympics" event for the littlies. There is a series of 4 events, starting with a Potato Sack Race, (of course), as the first event.
The second event was the Potato and Spoon Race (I trust you have detected a trend here?).
Then we had a Potato Shot Put event. Here the next group of kids are loading up for their "round". It was all tightly organised in groups of no more than 8 kids each time, simply to minimise the chaos.The final event in the Potato Olympics "circuit" was the ever popular "spike the potato on the board" event - where competitors throw or bounce a potato against a board with one hundred nails in it. The trick is that is you throw the potato too hard, it either disintegrates, or bounces off, whereas a gentle "lob" will end with the potato nicely impaled on some of the nails. Credit for this game must go to former Robbo resident, Anthony Bonito.

Here are the organisers, from the CTC, being thanked for their efforts, by one of the Bruces (The Arena's two events commentators are both called Bruce. Its easier that way!)Here is Nick Rheinberger, from the local ABC Illawarra 97.3 FM station. Nick is an entertainer of some renown, and he led the school kids in a full rendition of "Click Go the Shears", while a hand-shearing demonstration took place. Nick also loves Robertson, even though he does not live here. He is a regular visitor, and we are pleased to have him take part in the Show.
Here is Nick, a bit closer, with Bruce holding the sheet with the lesser-known verses written out in full. Who of you knows more than the chorus and the first verse?After lunch, the School Groups had mostly disappeared, and the littlest horse riders got a turn. This event is called "Walk, Trot and Lead". The rules involved the pony having to be turned in a circle if it "broke" its correct stride. The kids, and the ponies seemed to understand what is required of them, which impressed me, for at first I had no idea why the horse and rider would suddenly do a tight circle, then continue with their circuit of the track. A "local" soon explained it to me. Its a "horse thing", apparently. These little kids already understand more about horses than I ever will.Because I was involved as a Steward in the Cut Flowers Section of the Show, I was inside for the first part of the Friday morning, helping out the judge and the other Stewards. So I missed some of the events, unfortunately.

But here is just a glimpse of one of the really serious events at the Robbo Show. Jerseys Section, Class 18 "Best Uddered Cow" competing for the "Cole Family Trophy" and $100 prize donated by Jim Hindmarsh and Co. The Judge is Mr Stephen Salway, from Bemboka. No mucking about here. This is rural competition in deadly earnest. And a reputed Judge, who is not a "local". When the Robertson Agricultural and Horticultural Society Inc Committee writes that their aim is to promote "Rural Excellence", they mean what they say.

And finally, here is my favourite Senior Steward, Mrs Cazna Norman, standing beside some of the wonderful Cut Flower exhibits in this year's Robbo Show.Cazna is a mere 90 years old, and she has been a Steward at the Robbo Show for more years than she cares to remember. Cazna was born 3 days before Armistice Day, at the end of World War I. Her parents named her "Cazna Peace Huxley". She was the youngest of 8 children. Cazna is Anzac spelled backwards, as there was already a Government control over the use of the word ANZAC. She is very proud of her names - both the "Cazna" and "Peace".

I wrote two years ago about the name Cazna and the restrictions introduced in ‘Paragraph (2)’ of the ‘War Precautions (Supplementary) Regulation’ (of 1916). It makes for quite interesting reading, for those with an interest in history.

Cazna always enters her Apple Pie in the Pie competition. Unfortunately, this year she did not win her traditional first prize. No doubt, she will be back again next year to try to win it again.

Best wishes Cazna and I look forward to meeting up with you again, next year.