The Southern Field Days is the biggest event on the farming calendar for the South Island and the second largest field days in New Zealand, held bi-annually to alternate with the South Island Field Days at Lincoln, Canterbury.
The Southern Field Days were first held in 1982 on Ken Bowmar’s property situated at Waimumu, approximately 12 kms out of Gore, Southland. The first field days attracted 60 exhibitors over 2 hectares of land. Working demonstrations were the primary focus.
Since we began, the Southern Field Days have grown considerably.
In 1996 the Southern Field Days purchased 12 hectares of land next to the original site. At that time we became an incorporated society of the Eastern Southland Young Farmers Club. In 2004 the Southern Field Days purchased another 26 hectares of land, now giving the Society a total of 38 hectares.
We now have exhibitors from all over New Zealand and Australia here to display their products.
The Southern Field Days are organised by the Eastern Southland Young Farmers and we are proudly able to say that we are still run by current and past members. The Southern Field Days Committee is made up of 21 volunteers. Each member is either a farmer or works in the rural field and will give 2 weeks of their time to set and run the Field Days.
Southern Field Days Chairman Mark Dillon is in his second term. Mark farms 350 hectares in Riversdale, running sheep, beef and grain. His wife Sonia is a school teacher, and they have 2 young children; Blaine, 26 months and Rylan, 6 months.
Mark has been on the Southern Field Days committee for over 13 years and brings a wealth of experience to its organisation and execution.
Contact Mark on 027 221 0080
Justine Williams is the publicity officer for the Southern Field Days. She has been on the committee for 6 years, is married to Richard and has a baby daughter Miea who is 2 months old, she is on a 364 hec sheep/dairy grazing/grain farm in Balfour.
Nicky Eade is the Field Days secretary. As the only paid member of the committee Nicky works from home dealing with all the preliminary organising, exhibitors, bookings and event management.
She and her husband Blair are sheep and beef farmers and have two children; Molly, 9 and Martha, 8. 2012 will be Nicky’s 3rd field days as secretary, and there is nothing she doesn’t know about booking, planning and organising exhibitions, stalls and events and anything else that needs doing in the months preceding the Field Days.
Contact Nicky on 03 236 7200
Chairman: Mark Dillon 027 221 0080
Secretary: Nicky Eade 03 236 7200
Senior Vice Chairman: Logan Evans
Publicity Officer: Justine Williams
Tractor Pull: Logan Evans, Andrew Welsh
Working Demos: Luke McCraw, Callum Black
Security: Brent Dickie
Inventions: Lisa Anderson
Past Chairmans: Grant Dickson, Stan MacGibbon, Garth Shanks
Past Secretary: Bev Catto
Committee members