No problem too big for field days crew

Still slightly dusty from a Friday night post-field days ‘‘debrief’’, Southern Field Days president Warren Ross answered his phone on Sunday evening for what was quite possibly the thousandth time that week. The ever-obliging Mr Ross talked to Alice Scott about what has been another successful field days event for the Southern region.

Watching a paddock ‘‘out the back of Gore’’ transform into a massive tent city in a matter of a few days never ceases to amaze Southern Field Days president Warren Ross.

‘‘It was apparent, more so this year, than any of the others, that no matter what issues were thrown at the committee, there was always an answer. We always managed to get it fixed.’’

Numbers through the gates were back slightly from other years and Mr Ross said some vendors did report a drop in ‘‘big ticket’’ sales but he said that was on the cards.

‘‘It’s been a bugger of a season to be fair with the weather and financial uncertainties. But we all expected that.’’

The field days organisation has two paid employees and Mr Ross is one of the 24 volunteers who together manage to pull off the three-day event every second year.

‘‘The feedback you get from vendors who pop their head in the office door before they leave — it just makes it all so worth it. We get so much positive feedback, it definitely gives that feel good factor.’’

Mr Ross conceded there is always the ‘‘odd whinge,’’ but that’s part of it too, ‘‘you can never please everyone’’.

Timing perhaps couldn’t have been picked any better for the field days. The ground had dried out from the heavy rainfall that had occurred the week before and virtually no sign of flooding could be seen at the event. It was apparent, Mr Ross said, that people were ‘‘in need of a good excuse’’ to get off the farm and talk to others in the same boat.

‘‘That’s something money can’t buy.’’

It was an end of an era with field days event-secretary Sharon Paterson handing the folders over to Jude McNab.

‘‘Sharon had taken the event to the next level and had improved health and safety procedures and an upgrade of mobile coverage on the site. Jude has jumped on and will kick things up another gear for the next one, I have no doubt.’’

As the site pull-down continues, Mr Ross said a roster of two-to-three committee members would be at the site each day to oversee progress and sort out ‘‘rubbish, and seats and toilets and all the other paraphernalia’’.

Mr Ross himself got a look around his farm on Sunday, the first time he had seen it in daylight for two-and-a-half weeks.

‘‘She’s all good, everything seems to be in order.’’

His father-in-law and staff member had kept things ticking over.

Mr Ross has another two-year term to fulfil as president committee, ‘‘this year I didn’t quite know how some things went, the next one I will be cool, calm and collected,’’ he laughed.

‘‘To be fair, there was nothing too hard about it. Everyone knew their job and made it happen. I’m just there to do the easy stuff like answer the phone and talk to reporters,’’ he laughed.