Presidents
Message 2011 Golden Show
Did the people who attended
the first Morobe Show on 24th October 1959 ever think that in 2011 the Society
would be conducting its Fiftieth Morobe Show? I doubt that there was a single
soul who would have thought that far ahead but that is exactly what has happened.
The
Morobe Show has been a remarkable phenomenon in Lae and an incredible example
of what committed, community minded volunteers, can achieve when they set themselves
to the task of organising and running a significant event. The founders of the
Morobe Show commenced establishing the Morobe Show 54 years ago. Since then there
has literarily been hundreds of people who have contributed to the success of
successive Morobe Shows and enabled this event - which has become the most significant
annual event in the Lae calendar - to continue to operate and survive to reach
this Golden milestone. In the language of anniversaries the fiftieth is always
referred to as the Golden anniversary so this year is our Golden Anniversary and
our Golden Morobe Show.
Since the first Show was held in 1959
there has been a Show every year except for three occasions. The first was in
1983 when Lae was isolated by floods a month before the Show was to be held. The
Yalu and Bumbu Rivers had washed out the approaches to the bridges and no one
could get in or out of Lae. Lae was running short of food and even though the
Show was some time away it was decided not to proceed. In 1991 Lae and most of
Papua New Guinea was experiencing major law and order issues and as a result there
was a 6.00pm to 6.00am curfew in place so again no Show. And in 2009 as a result
of an outbreak of Cholera it was deemed inappropriate to encourage large numbers
of people to come to Lae for the Show so there was no Show. Otherwise there has
been a Show every other year since 1959.
Will Morobe continue to have a Morobe
Show for another fifty years? I hope so, but all of the other Show Societies similar
to ours in Papua New Guinea have folded. We still have some very spectacular cultural
Shows in Papua New Guinea but the mix of agriculture, commercial, horticulture,
cultural, livestock, equestrian and general entertainment activities, displays
and action makes the Morobe Show unique in Papua New Guinea. The Morobe Show may
still be here in another fifty years but it will only get there if more Papua
New Guineans take an interest in and ownership of the running of the Show. There
is no doubt that the concept of a Show like the Morobe Show is not a traditional
thing and having started during the colonial period of Papua New Guinea's history
it is sometimes said that it is foreign and inappropriate. We all agree that there
was much of the ways of the old colonial days that we are glad to see are gone,
but I believe that there are also some of the ways of "bipor" that are
worth keeping and the Morobe Show is undoubtedly one. Ask any of the 100,000 or
so people who attend the Morobe Show each year if they want the Show to keep going
for many years to come and I think you would find - almost without exception -
that the answer is yes.
It is indeed a privilege and an honour
to be President of our Society in the year of our Golden Show. To have been able
to work with the people that I have, over the last twenty years that I have been
President, who year after year have asked for nothing and been happy to give freely
of their time and effort for the benefit of the community of Lae has been a tremendous
and humbling experience. The only reason we have a Golden Show this year is because
for five decades councillors and committee members of our Society have wanted
to do something special for the Lae community.
I therefore wish
to dedicate this year's Golden Show to the Members of the Morobe Province Agricultural
Society, Councillors and Committee, both current and of yesteryear, both deceased
and still with us, because it is you who have created fifty Golden Morobe Shows
and allowed this 2011 Show to be what it is.
Mike
Quinn
President
