With continuing COVID restrictions uncertainty, as well as the trauma of the bushfires' anniversary, the 2021 Cobargo Show has been cancelled.
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The Cobargo AP&H Society committee revealed it made the difficult decision to cancel last week.
The Cobargo Show is traditionally held in early February each year, with the village's 122nd held in 2019.
In 2020, all rural shows throughout the district were cancelled due to the summer bushfire crisis, but the ongoing trauma of that tragedy, coupled with the pandemic, continues to affect planning for major events even into next year.
"The committee felt the community has been so supportive of the show in the past that we could not possibly hold the show under COVID restrictions, which limits the number of people who can attend," a committee spokesperson said.
"It would be unthinkable to not allow everybody the pleasure of attending our show.
"The constraints of holding an event are extremely onerous and with the safety of all who attend a priority, we felt we had to act responsibly to make the decision to cancel."
The committee said the anniversary of the devastating bushfires that hit the village and region in December and January was also "another emotional hurdle we all have to overcome".
More than that, committee members are among those who have been directly affected "and are still working extremely hard to rebuild their property and lives".
However, the committee said even though the show had been cancelled, several projects were already on the drawing board for the interim to upgrade the showground.
"We will also be participating in making a 'no-show scarecrow' as a sign of unity among the show movement in support of all shows through this challenging time," they said.
"As a committee we feel that our next show needs to be the best ever and we need to give it our all for the sake of our community.
"We would like to take this opportunity to thank our sponsors. The sponsorship collected for the cancelled 2020 show will contribute towards our aim of making the 2022 Cobargo Show the most celebrated and incredible show ever."
The news was greeted with sadness, but plenty of understanding after the committee posted the news to its Facebook page on Friday.