History
In the years approaching 1878 there was a strong feeling among the farmers (Agriculturalists and Pastoralists of the Crookwell District) that they really needed an opportunity to show the wider community the variety and quality of their produce. So a public meeting was called in August 1878 and as a consequence, the Crookwell P & Association was formed. Annual membership was set at half a guinea.
The inaugural Crookwell Show was held in 1879. A site was chosen in Roberts' Paddock on what is know as Crookwell Heights. These days, that site is occupied by the Crookwell High School. The show remained there for three years until the government allocated a parcel of land on Kialla Road, just south of where the Crookwell Hospital is. A pavilion was built but became too small to cater for all the Show's needs. A new pavilion was planned over a 5 year period and was build in 1900, and opened in time for the 1901 Show.
The Crookwell Horticultural Society was formed in 1894 and they held their first show at the Crookwell Skating Rink that same year. They then began to use the P & A Association's Showground and Pavilion. When the new pavilion was completed in 1900, it had a grandstand attached to the side that could seat two hundred people. Above the doorway was inscribed "Crookwell A. P. & H. Society". The "H" was an accidental error. however, it brought about the amalgamation of the two societies-and the name was officially incorporated in 1902.
The society went from strength to strength and the Show was very popular and attracted visitors from far and wide. Besides the Sheep, Cattle, Poultry and Horticultural Exhibitions even such as Equestrian and Wood Chopping were big attractions and the competitions were very fiercely contested. It became apparent that the Showground and all of the facilities at the Kialla Road ground were becoming inadequate. It constituted a need to find a more suitable site. "Greyland Orchard" of 74 acres were purchased from Joseph Wray for 2 300 pounds. A team of volunteers dismantled all of the facilities on Kialla Raod and reconstructed them at the new site. other new facilitates included water recirculation, a jockey's room, a special clock room for ladies, a bandstand and publican's booth and the Crookwell Racing and Trotting Club assisted in the formation of the track. The grounds were completed in time for the 'Jubilee Show' in 1927.
*The above information, and more, can be found in 'Upland Pastures - History of Crookwell District' by William A Bayley 1950