The Midlands, apart from being forestry territory, is also the heartland of the province’s commercial farming community, and it is not surprising to learn that the annual Royal Show is the oldest in the country. This year marks the 160th anniversary of the founding of the hosting Royal Agricultural Society of Natal, and its inaugural Pietermaritzburg Fair – the forerunner of today’s well known event. The show has run every year since, interrupted only during the war years and the 1906 Bambatha Rebellion. I recall last visiting the RAS in around 1974, and the format is little changed. Many of the traders’ stands today give parts of the show a more flea market like ambience, and of course in this new South Africa the demographic profile of visitors is considerably different, but the competition for Best on Show remains as fierce as ever whether your field is livestock, produce, jam making, or one of the many crafts traditionally displayed in the atmospheric Hall Two. And the prestige of seeing one’s name engraved on one of the many floating trophies awarded annually still ensures that many will put in their best endeavours to secure that little piece of immortality that the engravers of the silverware will afford them.With the local press having well covered the livestock, choosing a subject that conveys what this event is all about came quite easily as I flicked through the images I had captured during my weekend visit to “the show”. The gleam of glass and silverware in display cases that must have housed such entries for many of the show’s 160 years, the coveted prize certificates and judges comment cards and glimpses of the impressive hall all combine to tell of a tradition that seems to set to continue for another century and more.
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