And So The Legend of Woodford Barry was born...
Barry is a retired dairy farmer from the outer blocks of Woodford. He comes from a long standing Woodford family and is a straight shooter, tells it how it is and takes no crap. Sound like a pretty tough bloke, well I guess he is but he has a heart of gold, a connection with the community, a bloke who'll give you a fair go and would help anyone.
Barry is the type of community minded bloke who volunteers at a number of places but his heart belongs to the Woodford Showgrounds.so much so he and a mate have a building named after them but they've never let the show society put up the sign. He rarely misses a show meeting and can be found hammering, building and fixing things on the showgrounds and is always one of the first to volunteer.
As a proud member of the show society and a person who shows great pride in the grounds, you can almost understand the hesitation of the society and its members like Barry in hosting 1500 campers for the Splendour in the Grass Festival in July 2010, but host it they did. Expecting the worst after hearing many horror stories, Barry and the crew nervously opened the gates to the intial trickle of festival goers camping on the flat lush grass of the show ring. As they slowly trickled in, the anticipation of something being busted and wild parties happening, signs were placed at the entrance. No this, No that, No alcohol, No drugs when some smarty pants decided to change one of the signs to No sex, No fun...... little did they know how wrong they were..... about the No fun that is.....
Now the wonderful Barry spent the entire time of the festival at the Showgrounds with he and his wife taking up quarters in the old police station such is the history and character of the place. They stayed up most nights well into the night interacting with, showing people to their sites and running the machinations of 1500 campers, their needs and wants.
The legend that is told and to be passed down from generation to generation goes like this......
Barry was keeping an eye on one of the campers who was drinking and starting to get louder and louder, now Barry tolerated this for a little while but drinking in a place that was clearly marked as no drinking made this young whippersnapper one to watch. The security guards also on the lookout for potential trouble makers had also narrowed in on this young'un. Barry not wanting any trouble and on the first night not wanting anyone kicked out for loud behaviour decided to counsel our young gentleman. So siddling up to him Barry spoke to him nice and quietly in that firm no nonsense manner that only farmers can do and said "young fella, you saw the signs as you came in about there being no drinking didn't you?" "yeah so" "well mate you might want to put those drinks away and quieten up a bit" he said "you see those security guards over there" "yeah" "well this is the first night and they're just itching to find someone to make an example of and your heading in the right direction for it to be you" he said. At this stage occupants of neighbouring tents had popped their heads out of the tent door and were surveying the scene. The occupants a group of young female american tourists were taking in the scene not sure which way it would go, was there a fight on, would someone be booted out....... The cocky young guy full of bravado and booze then said with a bit of a plastered smile "those guys don't scare me" as he put his hand to his upper arm, pushing back his sleeve to show his flexed muscles, as only a half cut cocky young guy can do.
To which Barry replied "Young fella, I've seen bigger ripples on a saucer of milk!"
To which, in typical twenty something year olds fashion, deflated the ego, the once flexed muscles drooped downwards as if they were melting icecream and great peels of laughter rang out from the young american tourists. The girls coming from their somewhat hidden spot to introduce themselves to Barry and in their american twang wanted to meet a real live australian farmer - "wow, you're a real live aussie farmer - Woodford Barry". They then proceeded to get photos and treat Woodford Barry like a rockstar.
Not only did those girls take away with them a memory they will never forget, they twittered and facebooked it all over the world.
And so the legend of Woodford Barry was born.
Woodford Barry, continues to this day promote the fact that these young people were the best behaved bunch of young folk he has ever met and has no problem in proclaiming that he would not hesitate in giving these young people a place to camp in his front yard. Of course he'll be at the showgrounds again this year so you'll have to come there, he had too much fun!!
The Woodford showgrounds last year held approximately 1500 people and is set to increase to 3000 this year on a nice flat ground with hot showers and clean toilets and just as much as the show society had a ball with the patrons being there (and the patrons were perfectly behaved), the huge volume of letters that came into the show society saying how great it was, prove just how much of a ball the festival goers had staying at the showgrounds.
http://www.woodfordshowgrounds.com/
No comments:
Post a Comment