On 3rd March 2020, Antrim Agricultural Society held its AGM at Shanes Castle; the grounds of the Randox Antrim Show that it annually organises for the fourth Saturday of July.
AGM
During the AGM’s formal proceedings Robert Wallace from Templepatrick was appointed to Chairman of the Society. The position had become vacant as Fred Duncan from Crumlin has taken the post of President, vacated by James Clements. George Robson from Doagh, was then appointed the new Vice Chair.
Robert first became involved with the agricultural society when he started showing dairy cattle at Antrim in the 1960s, and Fred first helped out when he was a member of the Young Farmer Clubs so there is a wealth of knowledge and experience to draw upon at the helm of the Society.
As Sheep Director, George has helped grow the sheep section in recent years, giving Antrim an enviable turn out of sheep each year.
The reports by the secretary and treasurer on last year’s show success left everyone in a positive mood and Robert added; “We are indebted to all of our sponsors for their continued support and to our volunteers without whom we could not put on our event, but we mustn’t become complacent. With the current Coronavirus situation Antrim must, of course, be prepared for the worst but we’ll certainly be hoping for the best as we continue with planning July’s show.”
Directors who were up for re-election at the meeting included David Crawford, James Clements, Fred Duncan and George Robson and all positions were re-elected.
Guest Speaker from Glenarm
After the formal proceedings, attendees got a chance to hear from the evening’s guest speaker, Adrian Morrow, Estate Manager at Glenarm Castle. Adrian gave a very entertaining and informative talk that gave attendees plenty of food for thought as they realised there were many similar challenges that both organisations experienced when running a public event in an outdoor space, especially in modern times.
