THERE was a time when the lions roared in Mingenew.
That is, members of the Mingenew Lions Club.
It was a very active and forward-thinking club with a solid focus on building the town and the wider Mid-West agricultural region.
And in 1983, the hardy band of club members, faced with a slow decline in population throughout the region, decided to try and reverse the process.
That was the birth of the Mingenew Lions Mid West Expo which started an exponential climb as a must-attend event on the WA rural calendar.
The event also galvanised the town as volunteers - townies and farmers - who joined forces to ensure the event's success.
Over the years, the once enthusiastic "movers and shakers", have gracefully aged or gone to that big field day in the sky.
The Lions Club expired 10 years ago.
While remnants of enthusiasm still existed, over the past several years, "signs" started to appear pointing to the demise of the town's stellar business and social event.
That was readily apparent to a group of eight expo enthusiasts who last year - in the face of the event being panned by exhibitors - felt something should be done.
Chaired by local farmer Helen Newton, they have been working quietly as a management committee for more than 12 months to revamp the expo.
With their sites firmly set on showcasing agricultural innovation, the group has focused on setting up the event structure for it to thrive in the future.
Their efforts have included development of a strategic plan, an overhaul of the organisation's restructure, a renewed corporate partnership program and a rebranding initiative with a new logo released.
And on February 29 this year, a formal annual general meeting was held where changes were made to the constitution and the re-badging of the organisation as the Mingenew Midwest Expo.
The transition committee was endorsed as a Board of Management with Ms Newton being the chairperson.
It includes franchise holder Anthony Smyth, local farmers, Justin Bagley, Geoff Cosgrove, Hellene McTaggart, Fiona Dempster and Darryl Beatty and Mingenew Shire Council chief executive officer Martin Whitely as a co-opted member.
At the meeting, special mention was made of committee members Donald Heitman and Gordon Campbell who joined the committee to provide their experience as "transition directors".
The new event will now be held on Wednesday, August 10 and Thursday, August 11 and according to board member Justin Bagley, there's a new energy in the town.
"It's fair to say people are a bit pumped at the new direction we're heading in," he said.
"It became obvious Expo was getting stale, attendance was stagnating and there were fewer volunteers at the management level which made it difficult to co-ordinate the event."
Mr Bagley agreed, saying there needed to be a date change.
"Three of the past five harvests have started early, clashing with the expo," he said.
"This has impacted on our volunteer force and attendance numbers, simply because of the logistics involved in harvest.
"I think everybody agreed the expo was being held too late.
"You could put it down to changing of the seasons but I think the early-maturing hybrid canola varieties are the main reason we're seeing headers out earlier than historical patterns."
The stark reality - based on exhibitor surveys and analysis of attendance patterns - was a do-nothing approach that would see the show's demise.
"When we formed ourselves as a committee last year we sent survey forms to all people who have exhibited at expos through the years," Mr Bagley said.
"We got a 95 per cent positive indication that an earlier date was preferable."
Now there is a defined focus for the "new" event and Mr Bagley said there was a positive feeling throughout the town and district to make it a big success.
"We've adopted a more professional approach to the event," he said.
"And really we had to because of a host of reasons, including compliance and safety regulations.
"All expo sub-committees are being overhauled on the back of new ideas to make the event more presentable and enjoyable to visitors.
"We're also mindful the earlier date will hopefully attract more tourists who will be in the Mid-West for the wildflower season.
"It emphasises the fact that Expo is not just a small town event but it has regional significance, which was always the vision of the Mingenew Lions Club when they started the event."
Former Expo secretary Kym McGlynn is now event officer, former Treasurer Cherie Potaczala has been appointed finance officer and Jenna Denton is the new marketing officer.
"There has been a very positive reaction to the date change and the new board," Mr Bagley said.
"Everybody is behind us and we've had many positive emails from exhibitors, who can expect a prospectus by the beginning of April."
Already new ideas are percolating on the board table, including involving more schools, including Geraldton, to promote agriculture.
There's also discussion in expanding the reach for volunteers and regional businesses, for example food vans.
"We'd like to see these opportunities taken up by other regional community groups as opposed to commercial businesses," Mr Bagley said.
And answering the annual question from critics, 'Why doesn't Expo rotate with Newdegate?', Mr Bagley was quick off the mark.
"We'd never get Expo going again if we started rotations," he said.
"There's a continuity of volunteers and equipment suppliers because of the expectancy of the event every year.
"If you start disrupting that pattern it is harder to organise the event.
"And sporting clubs and community organisations would lose significant income on a bi-annual rotation."
p Applications are now open for exhibitors at www.mingenewexpo.com.au