The photographic essay captures the vibrant atmosphere of the 2025 Camden Show, showcasing various activities, displays, and exhibitions. Highlights include the Woolworths produce pavilion, enthusiastic attendance from parents at performances, and contributions from local services like the Rural Fire Service, NSW Fire Brigade, and police, enriching the community experience.
Category: Camden Show
Exploring Historical Themes: Pictorial History Camden & District Presentation Summary
This presentation examined the role of the historian and researcher and presented the importance of history and the role of a historian. Dr Ian Willis discussed the significance of historical consciousness and collective memory, emphasising the role of a historian as a researcher, analyst, interpreter, and storyteller. The presentation also highlighted "Pictorial History Camden & District," a book by Kingsclear Books, and covered aspects such as structure, select bibliography, index of names, and district maps. Additionally, various related sources and themes, such as the Whiteman and Macarthur families, were explored. The presentation concluded with suggestions for experiencing the past through community festivals, local studies, and living libraries.
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Camden Trainee Teachers Camp 1924: Unveiling a Mysterious Journey
In 1924, a group of trainee teachers from Sydney Teachers College visited Camden for practical training, sparking local curiosity. This visit was part of a tradition that began in 1921, providing hands-on experience in local schools. The program's success was notable, drawing attention from education authorities and the media, and leaving a lasting impact on the community.
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Yearning, Longing and The Remaking of Camden’s Identity: the myths and reality of ‘a country town idyll’.
This article discusses the concept of a "country town idyll" in Camden, an idealised version of a country town from an imagined past that uses history to construct imagery based on Camden's heritage buildings and other material fabrics. The paper delves into the origins of the idyll, examines its development, and investigates its validity in its contemporary context. It shows how its supporters have used history as a community asset to remake Camden's identity and explore how the 'country town idyll' has been used variously as a political weapon, a marketing tool, and a tourist promotion.
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The art of embroidery with Menangle artist Elaine Balla
Menangle embroidery artist Elaine Balla has created many highly skilled embroidery works that have been exhibited at the Camden Show and the Campbelltown Arts Centre. This blog post adds to the literature outline the story of women's role in the history of arts and crafts through embroidery and its role in the history of women's agency and storytelling.
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Camden Show 2023
The Camden Show is on again after floods and Covid stopped it in recent years. The show is back with all the bells and whistles of the past with some new innovations. A must see is the 2023 Camden Show.
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Young Woman trumps the Showgirl
In late 2022 the Camden Show Society announced that Rubey Williams had been named the Camden Show 2023 Young Woman of the Year. The competition had been rebranded by the Royal Agricultural Society in 2019.
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Camden, a Macarthur family venture
The establishment of Camden, New South Wales, the town in 1840, was a private venture of James and William Macarthur, sons of colonial patriarch John Macarthur, at the Nepean River crossing on the northern edge of the family’s pastoral property of Camden Park. The town’s site was enclosed on three sides by a sweeping bend in the Nepean River and has regularly flooded the surrounding farmland and lower parts of the town.
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Camden, the best preserved country town on the Cumberland Plain
The historic town of Camden is hailed by architect Hector Abrahams as the best-preserved country town on the Cumberland Plain. Established in 1840, it offers a glimpse of Victorian and early 20th-century charm. Visitors can explore its heritage precinct, rural landscapes, historic villages, and even relive the town's aviation history.
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Camden Showgirl, the enduring appeal of a rural pageant
The Showgirl competition (formerly Miss Showgirl) is a complex mix of paradoxes and apparent contradictions reflecting many aspects of rural life. The pageant is an exercise in women's agency with differing representations of womanhood.
