Organisers of the Bendigo Show say they’re “excited” by the possibility of a public holiday coinciding with the event.
This follows the launch of an online survey by Greater Bendigo council asking whether to move the day, which currently takes place on the same date as the Bendigo Cup.
One of the three options offered in that survey is to have the public holiday occur on the fourth Friday of October – typically the first day of the annual Show.
In a statement, the Bendigo Agricultural Show Society expressed their appreciation of being considered, saying it presents an opportunity to build “an even greater” family-focused program.
“We feel a Family Day is a great reason to have a public holiday,” the Society’s Executive Officer Ian Furze said.
While he conceded that not everyone would attend the Show were it to earn a public holiday, doing so “would create a long weekend giving everyone the opportunity to engage in all manner of activities”.
“There are many organisations that receive direct financial contributions from their involvement each year, spreading the economic benefit throughout the community,” Mr Furze added, citing the Country Fire Authority and Country Women’s Association as examples.
The Bendigo Jockey Club has already come out in opposition to any public holiday change, citing the economic boost the Bendigo Cup brings to the region and the potential loss of financial support.
Both it and the Show Society were informed about the survey prior to council’s announcement last week.
The Society has previously made “several formal and informal approaches” about the matter since their event lost public holiday accreditation in 1995.
In his regular weekly chat with Robbo on the Wake Up Call, City of Greater Bendigo CEO Andrew Cooney said the survey “should not indicate” that a decision has already been made.
“We expect there’ll be a lot of interest in this [survey] and… I just want to state this is not a forgone conclusion or a decision to move away from the Cup,” he told Robbo.
“This is just an opportunity for the community to have their say.”
Feedback is being accepted via the Let’s Talk Greater Bendigo website until August 9th.
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