With Bombala Show week preparations well underway it seems like only yesterday that our community was busy making plans for our 150th Bombala Show.

But now we’re about to turn 151. Some days, we feel our age more than others.

The longevity of our beloved Bombala Show and the Bombala Exhibition Society Inc is, I believe, testament to just how incredible our local community is.

Yes, we’re remote and yes, rural living isn’t always easy or predictable, or without its challenges and disappointments. But as demonstrated in so many ways, during so many of those challenges and disappointments, our Southern Monaro community and locals are always there for each other.

And our annual show is just one more example of how ‘many hands make light work’.

Thankfully, we have had a few extra hands and I’d like to warmly thank all our amazing volunteers (new and old) who have been working so hard behind the scenes to pull everything together for our 2026 show.

This year, you’ll once again see remarkable growth and quality in our agricultural exhibits - including cattle, sheep, poultry and horse - as well as enthusiastic support for our on-farm cattle judging and our beautiful Monaro wool fleece competition.

Our talented yard dog exhibitors will once again be displaying their remarkable mustering talents (fans of the ABC TV series Muster Dogs ain’t seen nothing yet) and many local dogs are also being challenged to take on the heights (and potential prize money and accolades) of our mini and large dog high Jump with entries taken on the day.

Our Australian Stock Horses will be strutting their stuff and cracking their whips on Saturday, 21 March, as part of a new feature program, that will also offer a working horse challenge for any breed of horse and rider to tackle.

Again, thanks to the incredible support of our community and business sponsors, we have great prize money on offer for these events.

And as always, our local children and families are front of mind for our Bombala Show committee, which is why we’re incredibly proud and excited to be a bring a whole new ‘interactive’ entertainment program to this year’s Bombala Show.

From Nerf gun wars to bouncing bubbles and target games, magic, face painting, show bags and hair braiding, our $10 ticketed kidszone really does offer something for all ages and all interests.

We’ve listened to our community and extended the hours for our kidszone, to ensure our young people can enjoy plenty of fun and games without missing out on all the other action of the show.

From our inaugural show and shine truck show through to a special exhibit on car safety from Transport NSW and all the excitement and action of the South East Axemans’ Wood Chop, we’ll also have our usual market and food stall magic keeping showgoers well-fed and entertained.

We’re also delighted to be hosting the Nimmitabel CWA in our beloved supper room this year, so homemade cake and condiments lovers are in for a real treat.

It’s also not to late to ‘throw your hat’ into the ring for our inaugural John Walker Memorial Bombala Show Bowler Hat Performance Poetry and Bush Ballad competition. And yes, palm cards or cheat sheets are allowed and there’s great prize money up for grabs in both our junior and open sections.

There’s plenty of information within our show schedules (there are still some around town) and on Facebook and within this Monaro Post feature, but locals are also very welcome to just head along to our Bombala Show office this week (in the CWA rooms at the showground) to enter, ask questions and offer to help on show day.

I look forward to seeing everyone at the show and, once again, I’d like to say a huge thank you to everyone who helps us to bring Bombala Show together, year after year.