Here it is the latter half of May already and only about five months to the Canning Show!

But before talking about that, I’d better introduce myself.  I’m Geoff Moor and have been around the showgrounds since 1976.  Well – apart from coming to the Show with my Dad back in the early 1950s when a trip across the river to Cannington was quite an adventure for me perched on the back of Dad’s pre-war James motorcycle.

In early 1976 I was seconded from the State Government to Canning Council.  Town Clerk Noel Dawkins (CAHRS life member and previous CAHRS President) heard that I’d been on Geraldton’s Sunshine Festival committee and promptly got me involved in the Show.

Who remembers the old Agricultural Hall, the weatherboard flower pavilion and asbestos office (complete with resident termites)?  The committee was headed by Ernie Clark and included people like Dick Liddelow and Cyril Vickery whose service is recognised as names of two of our buildings.  Jenny Outram was the Show secretary – a role she first started in 1975.

Six years later I left the State Government and joined the City becoming manager of the Recreation Services department. That meant sometimes I had a conflict of interest between my job and the functioning of the Society.  It simply was not practical or ethically correct to seek to offer to lead the Society.  Even former Town Clerk/CEO Noel Dawkins didn’t do that until after he had stopped working at the City, however, I did become his Vice-President.  It has been a privilege to do that again recently working with Maxine Wylie.  Her leadership over the past five years has been inspiring!

I semi-retired in 2014 and set up the City’s heritage service and fully retiring two years ago.  I still volunteer at City functions but can serve CAHRS without the constraints of interest conflict.

In my spare time I’m on various committees for the National Trust; the Motor Museum; Gosnells Council heritage advisory etc. and volunteer at Woodloes Museum etc.

CAHRS is now swinging into an exciting period.  In recent years we’ve developed some wonderful spaces for community use.  I see the challenge before us is to ensure the community gets easy access and knows about them and our activities.

The community has changed dramatically since Canning Shows started some 120 years ago.  Gone is the rural atmosphere of dairy farms, the horticultural nurseries and orchards.  In its place we have a thriving, multi-cultural suburban community seeking new experiences who may not know we exist.

My aim is to see this wider community use our tremendous facilities and range of programmes

At CAHRS we have a committee with a breadth of experiences and a dedicated staff who work together to enhance new opportunities and grow our existing programme.  Your involvement will ensure this happens.

The electronic Show schedule will be available shortly and the printed copies out in the coming months.  As a start, make sure you have a look and enter.  I’m looking forward to seeing what areas there are and will again attempt to make good scones.