By Tania Phillips
Warwick Show and Rodeo Society steward and Management Committee Member Shelley Doyle was beaten in the egg competition at the show but it’s ok her worthy opponent was her five year-old son.
It’s almost history repeating itself for Shelley, having her boy involved, her mother was a Steward at the Allora show back in the day, instilling a love of shows in young Shelley.
It is that love that recently won her the Emerging Leader award at the 2023 Queensland Ag Show Awards in Brisbane on 18 March.
The award saw Shelley beat show members from across Queensland. It was a definite shock for Shelley but given her ongoing commitment to shows in the area, probably not as surprising to many others.
While she entered and regularly attended shows from an early age, she ramped up her involvement with the Warwick show since leaving school, though she was a regular attendee and event entrant before that, starting off running the Stud Cattle Competition at Warwick.
“I became more involved and back in 2017 and joined the management committee,” she said.
“I’ve had a lot to different roles with the Warwick Show and Rodeo Society but then also helping out at Killarney and Clifton. It’s just getting in and helping out where needed so that they can thrive and have good competitions. You want to see everyone be successful not just your own little local show.”
And while show season is over for most of the Southern Downs and Granite Belt showgoers, not so for Shelley just a week after Warwick Show she was off to Toowoomba.
“Not only was the show on there, there were sub chamber meetings there as well,” she explained.
“We were getting ready for the Darling Downs Sub Chamber Finals. That’s where all the winners from Stanthorpe, Inglewood, Killarney, Allora, Clifton – any of the sub chambers in our regions come together to compete to go to the State finals which will be at the EKKA.
“The sub chamber finals are actually being held in Warwick this year thankfully. They are being held on May 27. I organize those and very luckily they are being held in Warwick this year which will make it a bit easier.
“There’s no rest for the wicked, not at all unfortunately.”
“While everyone else is winding down here there are still many more shows within the Darling Downs Sub Chamber to be held then the sub chamber finals in May.”
