“New clothes, money in your pocket — it was the social event of the year,” recalled Mr Mott, who now hails from Perth.

On Saturday, he and his wife Judy were back in town for an annual catch-up with school chums organised to coincide with the show.

Of course, things are a little different these days.

“Back when I was a kid we had a lot more rides than now, which is a little disappointing,” he grinned.

It may have been a smaller affair, but the friendly community atmosphere has stayed exactly the same, a fact Doris and Colin Black would attest to.

The couple hasn’t missed a single Holbrook Show for “about 100 years”, they joked, and still look forward to coming each year.

Chief steward Margaret Norris, who spent much of the day in the main pavilion, said the number of entries in the various award categories — including everything from cooking, needlepoint, gardening, floral arrangements and fleeces — had largely remained steady.

And of course they were of “a very good” standard.

Perhaps in a slightly disappointing sign of the times, however, was the absence of a Miss Showgirl this year.

Mrs Norris said there were simply not enough entries to run the competition.

The “glamour” stakes then were all up to Kyleeka Smith, 2, who was crowned Miss Tiny Tot.

Her fetching hat got her over the line, laughed mum Rikki-Lee Rial, of Tumbarumba, as she helped Kyleeka adjust the royal blue sash almost as big as her.