Bowen Show just as relevant and important for the region today as ever

Starting his stint on the Bowen Show committee at the tender age of 13, Lee Watts has seen a lot of changes over the years, but takes pride in his involvement even before he joined the committee.

"Unofficially, I was helping out with my parents for as young as I can remember and then, when I was 13, I officially joined and had a few positions over the years so it's been good - and now I'm president," he said.

With the 140^th Bowen Show set to attract good crowds tomorrow, Mr Watts said shows were immensely important to small towns such as Bowen as it was a time when the whole town could come together at one event that catered for people of all ages and backgrounds.

"There's always something there for everyone," he said.

"You've got the young kids with the rides and seeing the animals to the older generations catching up with friends and family that they wouldn't see that often having a drink at the bar or getting a burger from one of the food stalls or just catching up in the pavilion looking at all the fancy work, art, cooking and horticulture from this area."

A Guthalungra grazier, Mr Watts said it was very important these country shows continued as they preserved the traditions of old and showcased what was produced in the region.

"I think agricultural shows are very relevant into today's timelines with everyone having such busy lives and focusing on work," he said.

"It's just nice to sit back and relax and spend some time with the family whether it's on a ride or just soaking up what Bowen's known for and what we can produce.

"I think it's fantastic for all ages and we want to keep it going for a long time."

Mr Watts said it was, however, getting harder to put on agricultural shows in small towns because of a shortage of volunteers.

"Volunteers are getting hard to come by in a lot of organisations so the more the merrier," he said.

"We just got a new young fella, Nathaniel Kleinert, who's just joined our committee so it's good to see a bit of youth back into the side. It relieves me of being the youngest member there so it's good.

"Another of our volunteers, Pat Tracey, this is her 47th show, she's our matriarch... some of our volunteers have been there quite a while, but most are in the five to 10-year bracket, but it's always nice to get some more people to help out."

Kicking off at 9am, Mr Watts said there would be pig and duck races, dinosours, go karts, monster trucks, motor bikes and fireworks at this year's show.

There will also be cattle and poultry judging, and a large horticultural display.

"The horticultural display is a highlight of the show as it showcases what we're about in Bowen - we're a massive food producing area for the country so it's good for people to see paddock to plate, and where their food comes from," Mr Watts said.

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