It is with great sadness that I write about the passing of the Henty Machinery Field Days song.
‘There was movement at the station,
For the word had gone around,
The professionals are coming to town,
For the Henty Machinery Field Days coming in from miles around.
Bringin tractors, trailers, seeders and balers,
Trucks, 4 wheel drives and ploughs,
Bringin headers and scrapers and big cultivators,
With experts who can show a man how.
And fifty thousand people will all be coming too,
Seeing things for better or for worse,
Cause everybody knows when a farmer’s going places,
He goes to Henty Field Days first.
Going to the Henty Field Days,
Lot of good people there,
See you at the Henty Field Days,
Nothing like it anywhere’
I read the sad news in The Border Mail today.
This song was an icon of my childhood. Most people I know who grew up in Albury or country NSW or Victoria know the song. And we can sing it on cue.
The original song is being replaced by another song. I don’t even want to write about the other song. The Henty Field Days just won’t be the same without the original song. It’s 30 years old.
The Henty Field Days is a farming expo held each September in a small country town called Henty, close to Albury NSW.
When I was at primary school, in a very small farming town, a lot of the kids used to take the three days of the Henty Field Days off to go to with their parents. I was a bit jealous of them going. I didn’t go to the Henty Field Days until I was about 14. And when I did I hated it. Boring. There were tractors and trailers, seeders and bailers. Just like the song said. Nothing a 14 year old girl, not the slightest bit interested in farming, would like.
My parents have been a lot. They seem to enjoy it. Years ago, Mum bought me a cute necklace that I recently made into a brooch. She also came back with a funny varnished tree stump coffee table thing one year. It had may small table tops set on the outreaching branches. My Dad hated it.
Though for me, the Henty Field Days is a really boring event, I will miss the song. It’s something that Albury and North Eastern Victorian people can identify with.
Oh! I hadn't heard this news (the BMM isn't my idea of quality journalism ;))
It's not just Albury and surrounds that will miss it, it's all of Victoria and NSW.. talk to just about anyone who grew up on a farm and they'll sing you the jingle by heart.
So sad. But when it's still stuck in my head next week I don't think I'll miss it as much 😛
I know, I was so upset by this. Back when being 'in the country' was still new and amusing, the Henty Field Days song was my favourite part of it. Now it's been replaced by just some country sounding song.
>: (
I hate change for changes sake. And I cannot for the life of me work out why anyone would give up the level of brand recognition and market capital that exists with that song. Stupid.
I bet they hired someone to do a new marketing strategy. Probably paid them heaps too. What bollocks.