26-636: The Royal Agricultural Society of New South Wales Challenge Shield , or RAS Shield was the New South Wales Rugby Football League 's first premiership trophy. It was presented to each year's premiership winning rugby league team, and was won by South Sydney, Newtown and Eastern Suburbs. The first club to win three successive titles would take permanent ownership of the shield. The Eastern Suburbs club achieved this feat winning premierships in 1911, 1912 and 1913. The hand crafted black mahogany shield embossed with silver
52-714: A option to renew for another 10 years. A move which Clover Moore, member for Bligh in the New South Wales Parliament , opposed at the time. In 1811, Governor Macquarie proclaimed Sydney's second common , an area of 1,000 acres (4.0 km ). In 1882, The Agricultural Society established its grounds within the site, which henceforth became the venue of the Sydney Royal Easter Show—an annual expression of national pride in Australian produce and industry. The period from 1902 to 1919 saw
78-592: A result, assumed a very tangible form. A service of silver plate and a heavy purse of sovereigns was presented to me at the annual general meeting, when I was asked to assume the management of the concern. This is the origin of the exhibitions which for many years have been held annually in Sydney and other cities in Australia. From the 1870s the Society faced financial difficulty and high rent and empty coffers forced
104-492: A show advertised in the course of six months from date, offering £800 in prize-money, and certificates for horses, cattle, sheep, poultry, pigs, wool, wine, farm and dairy produce, as well as implements, machinery, and manufactures.” The meeting was rather taken aback by the bold proposal, but there were amongst the members of the moribund society a few men such as Sir E. Deas Thomson , Sir W. MacArthur , John Oxley , John Wyndham, Howard Reid—now, I am sorry to say, all gone to join
130-496: Is "a not-for-profit organisation committed to supporting agricultural development and rural communities in Australia." The society has been responsible for holding the Sydney Royal Easter Show since 1823. Eleven officers were elected and the Society staged its first Show at Parramatta in 1823. However the Society lapsed in 1834 due to the pressure of drought and economic depression, but re-formed in 1857 under
156-684: The Sydney Cricket Ground , Sydney Football Stadium , and the Hordern Pavilion , a multipurpose entertainment venue. From 1926 until 1996 the Showground's main arena also doubled as the Sydney Showground Speedway , a motorcycle speedway track. Officially known as Speedway Royale, the speedway attracted large spectator attendances throughout the summer months. Claimed to be the fastest speedway in
182-615: The RAS to look for a new venue. The City Council offered 40 acres of unpromising, sandy scrub at Moore Park for an annual rent of £10. With the help of the NSW Government and public subscriptions the Society built a showground , which saw the show move from Prince Alfred Park and remain for the next 115 years. The Society had become the Royal Agricultural Society in 1891, when Queen Victoria gave her permission for
208-444: The Royal Agricultural Society of New South Wales offered their showground as a Village for the 1938 British Empire Games . By the late 1980s the Sydney Royal Easter Show had outgrown its Moore Park facilities. In 1994 the NSW Government approved its relocation to Sydney Olympic Park at Homebush. The first Show was held there in 1998. Sydney Showground (Moore Park) The former Sydney Showground (Moore Park) at Moore Park
234-692: The Sydney Showground in February 1972 as part of their 1972 Australasian Tour . Footage from the show is featured on disc two of the Led Zeppelin DVD released some thirty years after the event. Bob Dylan performed here on April 1, 1978. The Sydney Showgrounds was also the venue for the annual Sydney Big Day Out music festival held in January between 1992 and 1997. The 1997 event was titled 'Six and Out - Big Day out' then indicating
260-546: The expansion of the showgrounds to the south. From 1920 to 1937, the grounds were further expanded to the north, with the addition of new squares and judging rings. The dominant visual elements of the complex by this time were the peripheral walls, the Members' Grandstand clock tower and the tower of the Anthony Hordern building . The country's sesqui-centenary celebrations of 1938 led to a further building program at
286-538: The first game of rugby football sanctioned by the breakaway New South Wales Rugby Football League premiership , essentially the first game of rugby league in Australia . Played by a New South Wales team against New Zealand's rebel 1907 tourists , it attracted a sellout crowd of approximately 20,000. After that the Agricultural Ground hosted the first ever interstate matches between New South Wales and Queensland. Sydney's Royal Agricultural Showground
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#1732791975286312-442: The free use of the newly-erected Cleveland School, for fine art, manufacturers’, and horticultural exhibits, I built sheds, pens, &c., all over the paddock. Entries came in far in excess of our most sanguine expectations. The great day was approaching. The 26th of August came, but with it one of those downpours which are only met with in tropical and semi-tropical countries. Our poor show certainly looked very dismal. The first day
338-487: The genesis of rugby league in Australia, and its connection to the game's first great star, make it one of the most important rugby league treasures held in a public collection in Australia. Royal Agricultural Society of New South Wales The Royal Agricultural Society of New South Wales was founded on 5 July 1822, when a group of Sydney's leading citizens formed the Agricultural Society of NSW, and
364-597: The great majority. These were the men to help any country or society out of difficulties. I had very little trouble, with the co-operation of such help-mates, in reconstructing the society on a new and firm basis. I gladly entered into my new honorary functions. The Cleveland Paddock (now the Prince Alfred Park) was then a quagmire with a filthy drain running across it—a plague spot. This I at once selected for our new show-grounds. Draining, fencing in, and levelling, were easy works, soon accomplished. Having obtained
390-525: The name of the ‘Cumberland Agricultural Society.’ In 1859 the Society renamed itself the Agricultural Society of NSW. The Society's Shows, known at the time as Exhibitions, were held at Parramatta until 1866. At a meeting in February 1867, it was proposed to wind up the society, but an energetic proposal to revitalise the Society's fortunes was proposed by Society member Jules François de Sales Joubert (a nephew of French general Barthélemy Catherine Joubert ): The Agricultural Society of New South Wales, of which I
416-416: The old adage has it, “Nothing succeeds like success.” Before the end of the year our members’ roll had increased from 63 to 2000. The society was fairly on its legs, with a substantial credit balance, central offices, a library, laboratory, &c., &c., and last, though not least, a monthly journal. The gratitude of the stock-breeders, as well as that of the citizens of Sydney, for having brought about such
442-575: The other being the Harold Park Paceway , located only 4 km from Moore Park in the suburb of Glebe . Since the departure of the Sydney Royal Easter Show to the new showground, the old showground has been redeveloped as Fox Studios, and later Disney Studios Australia , a commercial venture designed at supporting Australia's film industry. It is in close proximity with some of Sydney's largest public venues, namely
468-702: The premiership three years in succession. The club has presented the shield to their captain, Dally Messenger , 'as a token of appreciation of his captaincy. The shield was passed on from generation to generation in the Messenger family until in 2005, Dally Messenger III handed it over to the National Museum of Australia in Canberra . The shield is now part of the National Museum of Australia's National Historical Collection. Its association with
494-698: The showground, including the Government Pavilion and the Commemorative Pavilion. Aside from the Royal Easter Show and rugby league matches, the venue was used for World Series Cricket games in the late 1970s as the nearby Sydney Cricket Ground was unavailable. At its peak, the old showground could hold over 90,000 people. The Main Arena at the Sydney Showground was also used as one of two Sydney Harness racing venues,
520-429: The usage of "Royal". The Royal Agricultural Society Showground also became an important part of the history of rugby league in Australia , hosting some of the new code's first matches. The Royal Agricultural Society Shield was designated the newly formed NSWRFL Premiership 's main trophy in 1908. During World War II the Sydney Royal Easter Show was cancelled when Moore Park was requisitioned for military use. In 1938,
546-463: The world in 1937, the 509 metres (557 yards) long "egg shaped" track was also the site of some spectacular crashes and some tragic deaths. Although solo motorcycles were first to race at the Showgrounds they were soon joined by sidecars , speedcars and later Super Modifieds . In the 1950s stock cars began to appear joined much later by demolition derbies . The showground was the venue for
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#1732791975286572-456: Was a member, held a meeting in February, 1867, when a very unsatisfactory balance-sheet, showing a debit balance, was produced. A resolution proposed to wind up and close that institution, was seconded, and would have been carried, had I not moved as an amendment, “That, instead of winding up this useful institution, it be re-constructed on a broader basis, a new council appointed, the seat of the society removed from Parramatta to Sydney, [Pg 80] and
598-560: Was donated to the NSWRFL by the Royal Agricultural Society of New South Wales in its first year of competition. Leading journalist Claude Corbett wrote in Sydney , Sun, newspaper on, 1 May 1914, The Royal Agricultural Society Shield, which was presented at the inception of the League's first grade competition has been won outright by Eastern Suburbs, who upset all calculations by winning
624-412: Was something disastrous. On the night of the 26th, however, stars came out—mine must have been among them. On the 27th the gate [Pg 81] returns gave £l,100! This kept up well throughout the four days; but what crowned all our efforts was the high price realised for all the blood stock offered at auction. It had been a bold enterprise, but the great success achieved amply rewarded us for our hard work. As
650-594: Was the site of the Sydney Royal Easter Show in New South Wales , Australia from 1882 until 1997. The Show was moved to the new Sydney Showground at Sydney Olympic Park, built for the Sydney 2000 Olympics . 24.3 hectares of the Moore Park site was then leased by the Royal Agricultural Society and the Government of Bob Carr on 27 September 1996 to Fox Studios Australia for a period of 40 years with
676-744: Was then venue for the first Ashes test on Australian soil . The showground also became the venue for the NSWRFL 's grand finals until the late 1920s, and eventually hosted 183 first grade rugby league games. The final ever Rugby League match played at the ground was on 11 April 1987 between North Sydney and St George in front of 24,000 spectators. Norths won the match 18–16. The venue hosted concerts by many famous artists, including Led Zeppelin , ABBA , David Bowie , AC/DC , The Police , Alice Cooper and KISS , among others. Alice Cooper played to over 40,000 fans at this venue on 26 March 1977. English rock band Led Zeppelin played to over 25,000 fans at
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