CHAPTER X. 

 THE BEGINNINGS OF THE AGRICULTURAL SOCIETIES. 



In 1858 the Agricultural Society of New South Wales was re- 

 formed, and carried on its operations fairly successfully till the 

 January of 1868, when the council deemed it expedient to enlarge 

 its operations, and in order to do so effectually the seat of the 

 society was removed to Sydney. With the co-operation of the 

 Mayor and aldermen of the city, the Prince Alfred Park and Exhibi- 

 tion Building were rented for the purpose of holding annual shows, 

 which at once became a national institution, attended and looked 

 for not only by all those who had the pastoral, agricultural, and 

 industrial progress of the colony at heart, but also by exhibitors 

 from other colonies in Australasia and countries abroad. 



In 1877 there was a great display of Shorthorn cattle. This may 

 be judged by the fact that Mr. W. W. Ewin, of Ulladulla (South 

 Coast) had to be content with highly commended for 5th Duke of 

 Brunswick, bred by Messrs. Robertson Bros., Colac, Victoria and 

 purchased by Mr. Ewin in 1875 for 1150 and resold by Mr. Ewin 

 to Mr. Woodhouse, of Mount Gilead, Campbelltown, for 1200 in 

 1878. As a bull to get dairy cattle the 5th Duke of Brunswick was 

 <i pronounced failure. The circumstance is merely mentioned to 

 show that some of the South Coast dairymen were spirited buyers 

 at the Sydney Exhibitions in the seventies, although those who got 

 <iabbling with the beef animals, with very few exceptions, soon 

 scattered their dairy herds to the winds, as a series of droughts 

 quickly followed this cattle boom, and soon the bones of many a 

 costl} Shorthorn were left to bleach in the paddocks between Wol- 

 longong and Twofold Bay, with a few very rare exceptions inaced. 



In 1879 the great International Exhibition was held in Sydney, 

 amidst great opposition .from a section of the community. There 

 were, however, strong men on the council of the Agricultural 

 Society, who sooner than See the honor of the institution suffer a 

 rebuff from men of small ideas, set to work to subscribe 12,000 

 1o carry out the design of the committee of management. Among 

 those who took a prominent part in subscribing the necessary 

 funds were Sir P. A. Jennings and Sir John Hay. 



Sir Patrick A. Jennings at that time had large pastoral interests i i 

 New South Wales and Southern Queensland, and Sir John Hay who, 

 by the way, had no connection with the late Sir John Hay, of Coolan- 

 gatta w^as largely interested in pastoral pursuits in Southern New 

 South Wales. They were men of honesty of purpose and sterling 

 worth, who were ever ready to die poor rather than to be found asso- 

 ciated with institutions that would go back on their promises. To 

 those two gentlemen was due much of the credit of the past and not 

 a few of those more lasting developments of the R.A.S. of New Scut . 

 Wales during the periods under review. 



The first coastal district in New South Wales to move in connection 

 with the formation of an agricultural and horticultural society was 

 VVollongong. 



The first meeting held in Wollongong to establish the Illawarra 

 Agricultural Society was held in the public schoolhouse, at that 

 time unoccupied, in Crown-street, Wollongong, on the I5th April, 

 1844, and adjourned to the 21 st, when a society was formed, to be 

 called '' The Illawarra Agricultural Society." E. F. Wood, Esq., 



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