rivettingKateTaylor

Months and months of preparation – district and regional finals, sponsor negotiations, contestant preparation (from profiles to suit measurements), ticket printing and some hard-on marketing – all boiled down to four fantastic days in Palmerston North last week.

I’m still recovering. And my percentage of the work was tiny (not for me personally – but over the whole scheme of things!)

And they weren’t without their hassles – including the technical convenor coming down with Norovirus at the start of last week meant not only did she have to hand over months of work to someone else at the critical moment, but all the paperwork had to be destroyed and reprinted in case of lingering infection risk.

And good on the practical convenors who didn’t blink an eye (in public) about the growing volume of mud underfoot at the railway land (and good on the council for turning a blind eye). Thank goodness for the extra contingencies in the budget that allowed for about 300 cubic metres of mulch and bark to be delivered (and an extra well done to the poor buggers who had to spread it).

Convenor Gary Massicks deserves the “I-stayed-calm-in-the-midst-of-near-catastrophe” award and hence, there was no catastrophe. A seating plan hiccup for the Regent on Broadway, not discovered until the doors were actually opened at show time, resulted in some non-existent seats including the one which would host the bottom of the boss of the principal sponsor. Shuffle shuffle. Gary appeared to go into survival mode (actually I stole that comment from him – he said it had to be fixed. Then and there.) She’ll be right. And it was. Good on you Charlie. Must have been those Irish rugby shorts from the green-themed Speeches Dinner.

Seeing the sponsors and Young Farmers dressed up for the speeches dinner was fantastic. We had ninja turtles and army personnel. We had a pea pod (go Roz!) and other miscellaneous plants and vegetables. Irish rugby players, Aussie Rules players, a couple of Turbos (who got beaten by the Magpies last week but that’s another story) and some truly hideous green ensembles from a bygone era (including mine – thanks Mum). The theme was “Keep It Green” so we also had a few rastas and hemp-lookalikes too.

Another bonus for me for the week was seeing a great old friend of mine who had travelled up with her son for AgriKids (the Heriot Hillbillies won the team event – and also included my cousin’s boy!)

And then you can’t forget the effort of the contestants. Phew.

I have to interview the winner, Tim in the next week or so for the Young Country magazine.  What a winner. All the guys who get to that level are great but he is such a true blue, rugby-playing kiwi farmer bloke.

Right. Better go and unpack my suitcase from the Grand Final. We have been home for three days after all.

At least my boots have surfaced – at the front door of the Palmerston North Travelodge where I left them.