Opal Healthcare's Sale Gardens Care Community Puts on a Great Show

The Sale Show in Gippsland, Victoria is an event locals look forward to every November and when Opal Healthcare’s Sale Gardens Care Community residents found out the event was cancelled this year due to COVID, they took matters into their own hands by running their own show.

Eight to ten weeks before the event, the Organising Committee consisting of residents and team members, began regular meetings.

Joan Kewish and Joan Nix are just two residents who became valued members of the Committee, getting involved in almost all aspects of the show. Joan Kewish has extensive experience in event management and has dedicated 50 years of her life to the Country Women’s Association of New South Wales, organising many exhibitions over the years. Joan Nix has years of clerical experience and offered her knowledge of planning and organising for the event. They looked forward to bringing the joy of the show to residents, team, and families.

Their combined experience came in handy when it came to judging, stewarding and displaying entries. The Joan’s oversaw almost every aspect from production, to choosing exhibit categories and taste testing the food.

Competition categories ranged from cooking, sewing, and knitting to Christmas crafts and home-grown fruits and vegetables.

Entries were open to residents, team members, and families with the ladies gathering their extended families to join. In fact, one family had five generations participating with the youngest entrant just ten months old. 224 entries were received in all.

Flowers were gathered from the garden and arranged in gorgeous displays for everyone to marvel at, and no Sale Show is complete without Dagwood dogs and Mr. Whippy, the most popular food items of the day.

After the judging, rosettes were presented to the winners by management and residents. The event was such a success, the Committee is already planning their Easter Show for next year!

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