Henty Field Machinery Days founder Milton Taylor dies at 96

Mr Taylor, 96, the last surviving member of the Henty Machinery Field Days original organising committee and secretary for many years, died on Sunday at Henty hospital.

HMFD chief executive officer Belinda Anderson said Mr Taylor had helped shaped the event into the massive show it is today.

"The influence he has had on agriculture is almost immeasurable," Mrs Anderson said.

"The first field days were primarily for agriculture and they grew from there to recognising that it was all about farming partnerships with families and all sorts of other organisations.

"Now, to be able to have everything in one place each year for our community and the wider area just shows how the amazing vision that they had just grew."

Mrs Anderson said Mr Taylor played a much bigger part in the Riverina community than just founding the HMFD.

"It's not just us that he was involved with, he was a big part of the community bank when it started," she said.

"He's done a huge amount of community work and volunteer work throughout his life."

HMFD media manager and historian Kim Woods said sadness over Mr Taylor's death would be felt far and wide, especially by people still around from the early 1960s when the HFMD started - and their children.

"Milton was secretary of the Henty Farmers and Settlers branch," Mrs Woods said. "They were having problems that grain quality going into the 1961 harvest.

"They hurriedly called a one day header school to show the farmers all the new settings and how they can improve their grain quality.

"One of the headers was driven from Albury and was so slow it arrived at four in the afternoon."

Mr Taylor is survived by four sons and his wife, Ruth.

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