Food, flowers friends and fun rounded up for the Dookie Show

Allan Shields and Ron Sidebottom kept the hotplate smoking nicely and the hungry not queuing for long at the Dookie Lions Club barbecue.

Ivy, Lily and Evie take to the skies on the famous ‘Kracken’.

“This is our first year at Dookie and it’s not bad at all,” said Rori, holding the calm before the storm while her partner nicked out for lunch.

Looking more than cool in their shades, Taylah and Norah Jones enjoyed some bubble fun with their parents Julia and Jack.

Reece and Amy Stannard didn’t need to come far from Nalinga to treat Charlie (left) and Bayley to the display of children’s art.

“Shows like this are the very fabric of the country,” said Michael Wheeler, here with wife Sue Langley. Although visiting from Docklands, the Dookie Show is Sue’s heyday stomping ground. “We haven’t been back for a long time, so we are really enjoying it,” Sue said. “I used to enter lots of things back then, including roses and ceramics, and the kids competed with biscuits and cakes.”

The Champion Performance Fleece, won by the wool from David Miller’s Merino .

Twins Patrick and Nicholas Osborne, 11, found their first year of competing in the open section of the poultry competition not too much of a challenge as they pulled off third place rooster with Patrick’s French Maran and first prize for his brother’s Orange Peking Bantum.

John Beattie was honoured with the new name of the Dookie sheep shed in recognition of his 57 years of breeding Lincolns. He won the Group of Three prize this year from the now trimmed-down flock he runs on 2.3 hectares at Yarrawonga. Great-grandson of a female selector who worked land between Dookie and Devonish, Mr Beattie downplayed the naming honour. “I don’t know that I deserve it,” he said.

Eileen Poole and granddaughter Sophie Baker, 3, enjoyed the children’s nursery with Jack.

Rolly Holmes has been breeding poultry for ‘about 40 or 50’ years. Although once again triumphing - this year winning Reserve Champion Bird of Show with a bantam White Leghorn rooster - Mr Holmes was happy to talk about his glory days in the mud. “I’m from Violet Town and I’ve played many games of football out here against Dookie,” he said. “In those days they didn’t have good coverage on the oval and if it rained the day before, you’d come out covered in red mud.”

Jared Mackelman, Matt Cooney and Carlie Mackelman had a quiet day showing off their three cattle.

Take a stretch. Winton’s Charlie Baxter has found over the last year enough time from her full schedule as a trackwork rider to retrain retired thoroughbred Wozniak for his first show season. Mother-in-law-elect Julie Grace said thoroughbreds were often difficult to re-home. “It’s because they can have a bad reputation, so there are a lot of competitions now that are really fixated on thoroughbreds.” Possibly due to her professional vocation, Charlie took the day's first place in Open Hack in her stride: “It will be interesting where this goes.”

Barry Waddell has seen the misfortune of a motorcycle mishap 40 years ago turn his expertise to judging horse competitions. “It’s a more than satisfying substitute for riding because it’s me being able to give my opinion back to the industry, on the day.” Mr Waddell has judged in ‘nearly all’ of the Royals along the east coast.

Elise Zorzutti rode purebred Andalusian Annavale Lola to win the Champion Show Hunter Hack. Ms Zorzutti works as an Emergency Department nurse in Myrtleford and yet finds time for training the 10-year-old mare. “She’s meticulous,” said her mother Bronwyn. “Absolutely clean to the bone.”

Isla Feldtman, 3, found time before entering the Pony Club Ring to pose with Nemo. Her father Sam has been riding from a very young age as well. “I still compete, but here is the next generation.” Although from Kyabram, Sam said the family made the journey 'all the way' to Benalla for one reason: “They have a fantastic club there.”

The Benalla Pony Club’s reins were shortened in style with Maddie Van der Zalf on Jasper being joined by Summer Symes on Ruby (centre) and Rylee Dowell at the ready on Arckie.