New Wimmera Machinery Field Days committee president Sam Eagle is looking forward to the event's successful return in 2022.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Mr Eagle has taken on the role from outgoing president Chris Bartlett after a two-year tenure.
Mr Eagle had previously been the vice president and junior vice president on the committee.
He takes on the presidency at a "challenging time", as Field Days was cancelled in 2021 for the first time in the events 58-year history.
Mr Eagle said with a 24-month break between events, there was now a chance to introduce some new ideas to make the 2022 event a roaring success.
READ MORE:
"I'm more than happy to take on the (presidents) role - it's going to be a bit challenging obviously with the current circumstances, but I'm looking forward to it," he said.
"We've got a few ideas getting thrown around and we're hoping we can put some of those plans into action, to make 2022 a really successful year and a really successful return.
"At the moment, as a farmer-based committee, we're all getting quite busy with our hay and stuff, so we'll meet back in the new year and really start looking into it."
Mr Eagle said the potential for change provided a silver lining to the event's cancellation.
He said the committee might also have to look at introducing several COVID-protocols.
"We're obviously not sure what the situation will be by [March 2022], but we'll probably have to make a few changes in terms of tracking numbers, getting people's details - just a lot more electronic stuff that we haven't really done a lot of as of yet," he said.
"We might change up the structure a little bit as well - just talking to the exhibitors, patrons and committee about what they want to see and what could be done to improve the event.
"One of the positives we're taking from it is it gives us that time to really think about things, and to come back refreshed.
"A lot of the committee members have been on for a lot longer than 10 years, so it gives everyone a break to come back really excited and ready for 2022."
Outgoing president Chris Bartlett also encouraged more people to get involved with the committee.
"It's a great committee to be on and it's a good way to understand the governance behind things a bit more," he said.
Did you know you can receive updates straight to your inbox? To make sure you're up-to-date with news from across the region, sign up below.