The Donnybrook Apple Festival 1965

Mt. Barker got down to the business of staging its second festival under the chairmanship of Tom Toone. Unfortunately, although the Mt. Barker Chamber of Commerce published a booklet as a tourist guide with an insert for the festival program I have been unable to obtain a copy and this is the only festival I haven't had access to a program. There were six queen contestants this year, three from Mt. Barker, two from Bridgetown and one from Donnybrook. The Mt. Barker Queen was Mrs. Kath Chamberlain with contestants Vicki Baird and Kathleen Wood. The Bridgetown Queen was Marisa Opak with Janet Chapman and Donnybrook's sole contestant and their Queen was Jeane Viahov.

Three to four thousand saw the start of the program on Saturday morning. Cars were bumper to bumper in Paddock Road leading to the show ground where it was held. The festival began with a procession of humorous floats which many thought was the best procession seen in Mt. Barker. The procession went along Lowood Road to greet the Reso train at the Railway Station and Festival Chairman Tom Toone welcomed the passengers. On arriving at the ground, the best-decorated float was won by the community from the Mt. Barker Native Reserve. A lot of work had been put into its preparation, depicting the assimilation of the Aboriginal Australians into the white community .It featured some boys standing in a patch of scrub painted for a corroboree, some children in their school uniforms and an older girl, Shirley Colbung looking very neat in her uniform as a nursing aid. The drapes around the float were the work of Belia Kelly and illustrated figures from the Dreamtime. The most humorous float was entered by Apex and the winning Queen float was the Mt. Barker entry with their Queen, Kath Chamberlain seated on the top platform in front of a golden crown. The other two contestants and two young flower girls were seated below her. Saturday's program included clay pigeon shooting by members of the Albany Gun Club, a Golden Shears shearing competition, sheaf tossing competition and throwing the rolling pin (for women only!)   (Courtesy of Doug Henderson's book "Apple Queens & Festivals")

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