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It
started out as the Trelawny Agricultural Show in June 1952,
but after a very few renewals it became 'The Hague Show'.
This was because of certain developments that within a very
short time made it a good deal more than just a parish Show.
To
understand the importance which the Hague Show has come to
assume the reader must necessarily go back to the days immediately
following the last World War. There was, first of all, all
the great and memorable Frome Shows in Westmoreland and then
there were a number of others leading up to the Clarendon
Parish Agricultural Show on the Denbigh grounds in 1953. Again
in 1954 there was a Denbigh Show, resulting in the establishment
of this event as a National occasion and the consequent resolution
taken by parishes all over the island to promote Farm Shows
as events leading up to the great Denbigh Show.
Trelawny
was once one of the parishes which took this resolution with
the result of the initial effort in 1952. From the days of
the Frome Shows, cattle exhibition had come to be a great
attraction at all farms, so those who sponsored the Hague
Show at the outset, tried to do one better than what any other
parish exposition had attempted before.
This
was a great present to show-goers and to the whole island
cattle exhibits put out not only big pen-keepers, but also
the numerous small and medium sized farmers in the parish
who specialized in dual purpose animals and had presentations
that could stand up beside the products of many a pen-keeper.
The original Hague Show promoters did not concentrate on cattle
alone, but also on farm produce exhibits, as well as handicraft
and cottage industry products. That original 1957 Show went
over very well indeed with the result that there were successive
shows after that on an annual basis in 1958, 1959 and again
in 1960.
Not withstanding
that rain harassed the four shows, between 1957 and 1960,
they all came out very well indeed for attendance and also
in the quantity and quality of exhibits. The promoters decided
that if a transfer of date was made to a time of year rain
hardly fell in Trelawny, it would make the Trelawny Show more
satisfactory to show-goers and at the same time enable the
promoters to present even better efforts than the previous
years. It was out of this resolution that the Hague Show became
a biennial event, with the first one taking place on Ash Wednesday,
1962.
Trelawny
is a parish situated in the very middle of Jamaica’s
great cattle terrain. Something grew up out of the first four
Hague Shows to make cattle growers in the parishes surrounding
Trelawny anxious to show off their animals at the Trelawny
event. Farm produce and home economics exhibits at Hague after
this diminish as that the Cattle exhibits burgeoned to the
point, quality as well as quantity, where the other classes
of exhibits at Hague took a very distinctive second place.
It was on this account that the Hague Show, every two years,
became the showplace for the largest number of cattle and
the best quality. Of course, this was not achieved only by
exhibits from Trelawny, but from cattle areas all over the
north-western section of the island. This section for cattle
purposes comprised the parishes of St. Ann, Trelawny, St.
James and Hanover. As the Hague Shows grew in the number of
attendances as in prominence, cattle exhibit began to pour
in from centres other than just set out. Worthy Park in St.
Catherine, St. Jago Estate in Clarendon, Whitney Estates in
Manchester and a good many big pens in Westmoreland, all posted
their best animals to Hague Show grounds for exhibition and
public endorsement.
The
three most dramatic shows to be held on the Hague Show grounds
were in 1968 and 1970 and again in 1972. This was the time
when uniformly big exhibits of the best pedigreed animals
were to be seen in the stalls and the show-ring, and when
the Hague Show came to be acknowledged as the biggest and
best Cattle Show in not only Jamaica but throughout the Caribbean
and Central America.
There
came to be a setback in 1974 when the biennial event was to
be resumed. Some of the principal officers of the Committee
surrendered their offices on the plea that they had been at
the work at the Hague Show almost continuously for fifteen
years and thought it was time to hand over to successors.
For this reason, the 1974 Hague Show did not come off and
what was largely the farm produce exhibit of high standard
took place in 1975
Determined
that the Hague Show should lose none of its former savour,
the new Committee promoted yet another Show in 1976 and this
was marked by a much larger and better turn of cattle than
in 1975, but still not up to the standard of the 1968-72 events.
The next show held on Ash Wednesday, 1978, was witness to
an effort to return the Hague Show to its former Cattle prominence
and at the same time to set up a standard of farm produce
and cottage industry exhibit never seen on these show grounds
before.
It
would have been possible to hold a 1977 Show because of promises
of support, but the Committee then decided to bring the exposition
back into its two-year cycle, and at the same time effect
a return to former cattle standard, at the same time as raising
produce exhibits even higher in 1976. Substantial support
had been pledged to the 1978 Show by farmers of all kinds
in Western Jamaica particularly, and the outlook up to the
time of going to press with this brochure was that the Show
was
going to be worth making an effort to see.
Several prominent persons in Trelawny, some of whom have passed
on, while others have graduated to other field of community
service, contributed to the launching of the first Hague Show
and to its growth over twenty-one years to its present status.
Foremost among these was the late Hon. Ralstoun Grant, Custos
of Trelawny, in those days proprietor of Hampden Sugar Estate,
who endorsed the idea of a parish Show when it was first presented
to him, and later took up the position as Treasurer of the
Show Committee when this came to be formed.
But
just as significant in the evolution and development of Hague
were the public officers with whom the idea of a parish Show
was born, and who worked hard to bring it about, in spite
of formidable obstacles. These two officers were Mr. Vin Reid,
an Agricultural Officer in Trelawny at that time and was later
to become Parish Agricultural Officer; with him was associated
Mr. Collin Cresser, a Senior Branch Organizer of the Jamaica
Agricultural Society in the parish. Messrs. Reid and Cresser
got together in the mid-fifties, motivated by the fact that
other parishes all over the island were promoting farm shows
to be a credit, but that Trelawny seemed to stand well behind.
It was they who after testing sentiments about the Show, throughout
the farms in the parish, find that there was strong inducement
and so reported to Mr. Grant. Mr. Grant readily agreed to
support such venture and offered land on Hampden Estate for
this purpose. Grief was to overtake this arrangement when
it was discovered that the site would be in close proximity
to Hampden factory and that the question of the factory at
the time proposed for the Show would be to the disadvantage
of the Show people. This threw a wet blanket over the feelings
of all would-be supporters of the Show and for a time it seemed
that there would be no Trelawny Parish Agricultural Exposition
for a longtime.
Messrs
Reid and Cresser were not to be daunted however, but look
up the issue with the authorities then in charge of Hague
Property, at the time then as now cared and operated by the
Agricultural Development Corporation. The result of the solicitations
was that the ADC Chairman at the time, Mr. G.G.R. Sharpe,
gladly consented to apportioning part of Hague for the Show
grounds and went further by offering material assistance in
the matter of building Show structures.
There
had been other major contributions to the inception and enlargement
of the Hague Show headed by Mr. Frank L. Roxburgh who was
Chairman of the Show Committe from the very outset and who
continued in that position until he, voluntarily stepped down
in 1972 after fifteen years of unbroken and constructive
service. There had been Dr. Margaret Pronger, Government Veterinary
Officer, who functioned as Livestock Advisor to the Committee
from the very outset and to whom credit had been given for
the high turn-out of cattle to Hague Shoows. UosClose behind
those listed already had been the Hon. W.V. Parnell and his
wife Margarett,
who were associated with the Show Committee from the very
begin, and who were among the hardest workers.
Also
making major contributions had been the late Cedric Titus,
a powerful figure in Trelawny and who put
his back into the effort to involve small farmers in the show,
giving powerful support to the grassroots work of Messrs.
Reid and Cresser. There had been other significant contributors
such as the late W.S.R Johnson, President at the time of the
J.A.S. Trelawny Association of Branch Societies, Mr. H.E.
Wright popularly called the Mayor of Albert Town, the late
Edgar Crooks who was Farm Manager of harmony Hall Estate,
whose work among cattle growers in Trelawny and adjacent parishes
helped considerably establishing the high level of cattle
exhibits that came to be displayed at the Hague Show.
There had been other major contributors in the persons of
Miss Helen Henry, then a member of the Show Committee who
worked hard as ever as she did at the outset, Mr. Robbie Kerr
who was also a committee member, Mr. S.M. James, J.A.S. Branch
Organiser, Mrs. M. CcIntosh, Parish Welfare Officer and Mr.
E.V. Webber, 4-H Officer in the parish at the time.
Not least among the contributors had been a past Minister
or Agriculture, the Hon, A.U. Belinfanti, M.P., who was a
foundation member of the Show Committee and demitted office
only when he became elected to Parliament in 1972. Mr. Belinfanti
continued to take a lively interest in all Hague Shows however,
and from the Show platform in 1976 urged the cattle growing
community supporting Hague Shows, to brace themselves for
production to meet the pedigreed cattle needs of the surrounding
Caribbean area and Latin America. The then head of the Committee,
Mr. L.G. Cooke, who had been fighting back since 1972 against
depression in cattle exhibits that followed. To bring the
Hague Show back to its former standards, especially in cattle
and to add to this a farm produce and Agro-industrial aspect
were challenges he doughtily took up. The 1978 staging of
Hague show was an attestation of the extent to which both
he and the Committee succeeded.
In 1979, Lloyd G. Cooke took over the Chairman. Under his
leadership, the Show continued to grow. Teacher Cooke retired
and the late Mr. C.A.B. Gordon was elected as Chairman. Being
a dedicated person, he was able to build the Long Pond Booth
on Show Grounds. The show continued as contributions were
made for small farmers. Mr. Gordon helped considerably to
establish the high level of cattle exhibits that came
to be displayed at the Hague Show, along with the late Mr.
Lewis
The
2002 Show carried major contributors, such as 4-H Organizer,
Parish Manager and the staff
of R.A.D.A., committee members such as Mrs. Gwendolyn Wallace,
Mrs. Hyacinth Wright, Mrs. Hyacinth Barley and others who
worked hard as they ever did at the outset. The Committee
was instrumental in putting on a gospel show package on the
Tuesday night, thus boosting the Show. The J.A.S. branches
were asked to compete amongst themselves. Farms were judged
for the champion farmer competition.
The
2003 and 2004 staging of the Hague Show under the leadership
of the Chairman, Mr. Desmond Leakey, former Member of Parliament
and his Committee showed even more increase in the representation
of small farmers at the Show and the legacy of the overall
success of these shows never cease. Committee members ensure
that the orthodox of the Hague Show continues year after year
in the face of many challenges. To note a few hard working
members, mention is made of Ms. Bevolyn Harvey – Branch
Organiser, J.A.S., Ms. Denise Gordon, Secretary, Mr. Donald
Robinson – Parish Manager, R.A.D.A. and Mr. Charles
Brooks, R.A.D.A.
The
2005 Show will have a Food Court Booth to include yam and
its by-products, cassava, papaya, oranges among others. The
Young Farmers’ Competition will give a first hand look
at our future farmers.
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