[1st March 2022] Statement from Paul Powell, President, Wagin Woolorama:
It is with deep sadness that we announce the cancellation of 50th Wagin Woolorama to be held on the 11th and 12th March 2022 due to the State Government announcement of Level 2 COVID-19 restrictions yesterday.
Over the past 24 hours we have explored multiple avenues to bring the 50th Event to our community, patrons and attendees. We would like to thank Woolorama Patron Peter Rundle MLA and Event Health Management for their advocacy and support leading into the show and especially in the past 24 hours. The event management team has invested significant resources to take every precaution to look after patrons, exhibitors, staff and volunteer health. Yesterday's announcement by the State Government has determined that the 50th Wagin Woolorama is not safe to run on the 11th and 12th of March 2022.
I feel enormous pride in the hard work; dedication and courage of all those involved in the preparations for our 50th Wagin Woolorama Event. The fact that we were unable to deliver our 50th Wagin Woolorama next weekend is no reflection on the efforts of our staff, volunteers, competitors and committee. I would like to thank the stewards, sponsors, exhibitors, staff, volunteers and patrons for your hard work and ongoing commitment and support. We will be back in 2023 to celebrate our 50th Wagin Woolorama as the premier regional agricultural show of WA celebrating agricultural excellence and rural living.
The cancellation of the Wagin Woolorama has far-reaching implications for our community and industry. The cancellation of the Wagin Woolorama now makes 9 WA Agricultural Shows that have been impacted due to COVID-19 restrictions resulting in cancellation for 2022. Our local businesses, community groups and the region's agricultural industry rely on this annual event and the economic boost that it brings with it.
We encourage the WA Events industry and Agricultural Societies who are planning to run in 2022 to continue despite the challenging restrictions. The benefits these shows provide the community far outweigh the additional workload associated with COVID-19 Event Safety management.
Our COVID-19 cancellation policy guarantees to refund all Trade Fair and competitor fees, committed sponsorship and purchased event and camping tickets if Woolorama is cancelled due to COVID-19 restrictions. We ask for patience as we begin to process these refunds over the next 7 working days.
