Crowds at the CHB A & P Show in Waipukurau in 1984.
Crowds at the CHB A & P Show in Waipukurau in 1984.
Waipukurau A&P Show stalwart John Kyle first stepped into the orbit of the annual event as a pre-schooler in the 1940s, taken along by his parents to what was a highlight on the Central Hawke’s Bay calendar.
“It was held at the racecourse when I first started going. There was always a great programme for the kids, and it was a real social event for the adults.”
John’s father was always involved with the show in some way.
“He wasn’t on the committee but he always pitched in to help, as so many did.”
After leaving school John worked with Brian Gibbs, “and he roped me in to helping with the show. I got to know and like the people involved, and that’s where it started.”
John has recently stepped down as treasurer of the CHB A&P Association, after “about 40 years” but is still an active member of the committee.
His involvement goes back longer than that though - he joined the CHB A&P Association when Harry Rathbone was the president in the early 1960s, as the Young Farmers Club representative. It wasn’t long before he was the chairman of the sheep section and since then he’s held most of the offices on the committee, including president and vice president.
John was made an honorary life member of the association in 1992, and in 2007 he was awarded the Royal Agricultural Society’s Ravensdown Award in recognition for his services to the CHB A&P Association.
John was the driving force behind the association’s centennial celebrations and book in 2011.
Over the years he has collected records, newspaper articles and photographs, and fellow committee members say there’s nothing he doesn’t know about the A&P Show - whether it’s the whereabouts of a certain piece of pipe, or a historical fact, and that the trade section is set out “with military precision” with John at the helm.
The familiar face of John Kyle, who only recently stepped down as treasurer of the CHB A & P Association and has just been recognised for 60 years of service to the organisation.
This week the CHB A&P Association presented John with a gift to honour his 60 years of voluntary service to the CHB A&P show.
John says while it was his passion for breeding purebred Suffolk rams that got him hooked on competing at the A&P shows - he admits his name may be on a trophy or two - it has been the people that have kept him involved for so long.
“You come in contact with a lot of people - even sitting watching is a very social occasion. But there’s such a widespread crowd of people running the show. It’s a broad mix of town and rural people, you make very good contacts.
“The CHB A&P Show is where town and country mesh.”
Models line up at the end of the Waipukurised Wool Fashion Parade at the CHB A & P Show in Waipukurau in 2014.
CHB has always been a very strong horse show, but it’s the entertainment that draws people in from the town, John says.
“Entertainment is expensive but it brings people in. The addition of the bull riding was a big success and drew a crowd.
“It’s a lot of hard work setting up and clearing away, and we always need more people to get involved. It’s rewarding and there’s great camaraderie among those getting stuck in. I’ve made lasting friendships through my involvement.
“You don’t have to join a committee, there are plenty of other jobs to be done.”
Kate Deardon, Bella Deardon 7, Pepi Ormond 7 of Wanstead, at the 2016 CHB A & P Show.
John says the show is a great opportunity for town and country to get together and for CHB’s urban population to get up close to the animals and lifestyle of their rural neighbours.
This year’s CHB A&P Show runs on Friday November 10 and Saturday November 11, with horse events, sheep and wool competitions, trade stalls, food, music and entertainment.
