2009 Late Autumn Show

A dark cloudy morning turned into a bright sunny afternoon for the last show of 2009, attracting a large number of visitors to Blenheim High School hall. This show is sometimes thought of as being mainly a chance for the specialist growers of chrysanthemums and dahlias to demonstrate their skills, but this October there were plenty of other flowers to be seen, from late roses to prolifically flowering fuchsias, encouraged by the very mild weather.

Of course, chrysanthemums, particularly those of Dennis Cooper and Bill White, dominated the show benches by their sheer size and impact. However, there were a good number of entries for the handicraft section, and the photography classes are clearly becoming a major attraction. As usual, the Floral Art display was absolutely stunning. Based on the theme of “Masquerade”, the exhibits included “Fireworks”, “A Mask” and “Pierrot”, the entries for which were eye-catching black and white arrangements. The professional standard of the exhibitors was rewarded by the compliments of the judge, who singled out Joan Pryke’s display for the “Diploma for Best in Show”.

There was an encouraging number of entries for the domestic classes, and in particular, several new junior exhibitors, both in cookery and in crafts. Let’s hope this trend continues!

The list of prize winners for the annual trophies is included below. Well done to everyone!

Annual trophies & awards 2009:-

Banksian Medal, Gordon Norris.

Horace Bourne Memorial Trophy and Fuchsia Shield, Dennis Cooper.

Banksian Medal Runner-up, Yasha Gursoy.

Sir Gervais P Glyn Bowl, A P (‘Sam’) Hardie Cup, Seymour Salver and Cacti Shield, Mary Wood.

Ebbisham Cup, Brenda Allen.

Miss G Anderson Shield, Margaret Angus.

Floral Art Cup, Sheila Stracy.

Floral Art Runner-up Cup, Joan Pryke.

Floral Art Intermediate Cup, Jill West.

Newcomers, June Herbert.

Domestic Cup, Heather Pryce.

Runner Up and Preserves Cup, Jennifer Booth.

Kay Marrable Cup, Sheila Lay.

Cullerne Trophy, Terry Eddowes.

W. Maydon Junior Challenge Cup and under 7 Trophy, Madeline Sims.

Under 7 Trophy, Owen Hillion.