Norsewood village annual flower show to take a break

Blooming wonderful: Heather Cheer has been the driving force behind the annual Norsewood flower show since it was reinstated in 2009. However this year the show has been put on hold, but will be back.

Norsewood's Heather Cheer is passionate about growing things and for the past eight years has been encouraging residents in the district to grow and show.

But this year circumstances mean the show will have to take a break.

"Several of my key people have health concerns and while I realise there will be a lot of disappointed people, I've also received plenty of positive comments too," Heather said.

"Rather than be totally stretched and not do justice to the event, it's better to man up and say sorry we can't manage a show this year."

Heather said the show, which was reinstated in 2009, was a highlight in the Norsewood community.

"It's been wonderful to see people walk into the hall with their buckets of flowers, but the flowers will keep growing and will be around for next year. It takes a lot of effort to run a great show and while it appears to people that it just all happens, that's not the case. Next year everyone will make a big effort."

When the annual Norsewood flower show was revived in 2009, after being dormant since the 1970s, it was small beginnings with just 40 entries from 12 entrants. Now like the shrubs and flowers exhibited, the show has blossomed.

There had been flower shows in the Norsewood village in the 1950s, 60s and 70s and the 2009 show was a chance to bring the community together with Heather encouraging students from Norsewood and Districts School to enter too. In 2010 entries had soared, with school students entering mosaic floral plates, miniature gardens, fruit and vegetable creations, and novelty floral arrangements, including the very popular aqua jars.

And the show kept on growing. In 2011 there were 173 entrants with 533 entries up on the previous year's 477.

"When we revived the show in 2009 we were really driving by the seat of our pants," Heather said. "This was such a big thing for this tiny village and exhibiting the flowers in stubbies gave a great rural flavour."

Using the old beer bottles saved any "oops" happening to valued family glass and crystal vases.

As the show flourished so too did the creations entered by Norsewood School students and in 2014 charcoal drawings and creative crafts made from found materials added another dimension to the show.

One 5-year-old even crafted a whole flock of sheep and of course, because of the student's country background, there was even one cast sheep.

Children from Norsewood's play group and Country Kids early childhood centre have entered displays in latter years and Heather has also encouraged the grow bug, eagerly promoting sunflower and pumpkin growing competitions in the district. In May this year Norsewood's annual Constitution Day was also cancelled, but will be back next year too.