David finds joy at the animal nursery
WITHOUT David Budden’s tireless commitment and dedication, one of the Heritage Bank Toowoomba Royal Show’s most popular attractions would not be the same.
Mr Budden has celebrated more than 30 years of volunteering to organise the animal nursery section of the show, which every year entertains thousands of children and their families.
The Toowoomba Regional Council worker said he started helping out the year after the show was moved to Glenvale in 1985.
“I was in rural youth at the time, and someone asked Toowoomba Rural Youth if they’d come and help out and I just never left,” he said.
“I just enjoy it – I just like working with animals and kids.
“It’s just a week’s holiday for me.
“You see the joy on these kids’ faces, so it’s a nice little family environment, with puppets, country music.”
But while the event is fun for Mr Budden to organise, that didn’t mean it was easy.
“I’m here from 5am until we finish, and with weather like this, who knows when you go home,” he said. “It’s probably 12 months on and off (you work on it), and then the last two weeks are full on.
“We started with seven people on the animal nursery and it’s whittled all the way down to me.”
Along with stewarding it every year, Mr Budden helped build the undercover pavilions back in 1989, and even planted trees for shade.
He said his whole family was now involved in running the nursery section.