A celebration of our community

There’s a buzz in the air.

The Wimmera Machinery Field Days will return to Longerenong next week – one of the last events to resume after COVID-19 caused unprecedented challenges in recent years.

Little did the organisers of the 2020 event know the world as we knew it was about to change – dramatically – within weeks of the Wimmera Events Centre gates closing. Talk at the time was of an illness being experienced overseas – it, quite literally, felt a long way from our shores; but within about a week, a worldwide pandemic was declared and a short time later, lockdowns began.

Of course, there were attempts to return the event in 2022 – but border closures and threat of illness was too big a challenge to overcome.

Next week, after that extended rehearsal-run, the event brings with it an air of opportunity and excitement once more.

Accommodation venues are filled to capacity in Horsham and well beyond. It’s a chance to showcase the fantastic lifestyle opportunities the region offers existing and prospective residents.

The majority of conversations about the field days also link back to common themes of socialisation and a sense of community – and after the extended time away, this is perhaps one of the most anticipated social benefits of the event.

Then there’s the unexpected benefits to businesses and communities across the region.

Today, The Weekly Advertiser publishes the largest edition in its 25-year history.

With a 60-page liftout celebrating all things field days and agriculture, advertising spaces for today’s edition ‘sold-out’ weeks in advance.

We chose to ‘cap’ the volume of advertising available to ensure our team could bring its readers the best possible product, without overexerting our own capabilities and risking a quality experience. That’s in an era when newspaper readership and advertising is, traditionally, in decline. Not so for readers and advertisers of The Weekly Advertiser.

The field days is an important event for our community, and local journalism celebrates and records the days of our lives.

Support is critical to the success of any endeavour, and it appears we’re all in good hands.