WITH another Perth Royal Show at an end, it is a time for the staff and councillors to reflect on a whirlwind eight days.
Putting together Western Australia's largest annual community event and welcoming hundreds of thousands through the gates of Claremont Showground takes a full year of preparation and hard work.
However, before the planning for 2020 begins in earnest, there is - at least - a short respite to take stock and look back with some satisfaction at what was, undoubtedly, the most successful shows in recent times.
When asked to quantify that success, I am reminded to refer back to the theme which we agreed upon for the show earlier this year - 'Connecting Communities'.
This theme could be better thought of as a mission statement for the 2019 Perth Royal Show, for it underpins everything that we hope to achieve by delivering this event.
And so, the question follows, did we fulfil this mission?
Ultimately, that is answered by the show's many stakeholders, not least the farmers, growers and primary producers who travel great distances to the city to educate, share their work and their stories with the people of metropolitan WA.
The Perth Royal Show is the biggest and best opportunity for them to promote WA's world-class agricultural sector and to showcase their dedication and skill against the best our State has to offer.
For many, it is their Grand Final.
I know from the many hundreds of people from our regions who I spoke to during the event that the enthusiasm of city folk and their willingness to engage with agriculture through the show leaves a lasting impression.
It makes them feel connected to the city and suburbs in a way that is not often evident in everyday life.
We are told that the gap between city and country has never been larger - that there is a growing disconnect between these two worlds and that our children are growing up without an understanding of where their food comes from.
And yet, to walk through the Discover WA pavilion, on day eight of the show and see the near 2000 Thank a Farmer messages, handwritten and drawn by city children; the crowds meeting farmers in the cattle lanes, or the WA Dairy Pavilion; or the Sheep Pavilion; was to see that connection alive and well, enabled by the Perth Royal Show.
In this sense, I believe that we can be confident that we were successful in 'Connecting Communities'.
This is an important measure of the show's successes.
With 188 years of history at our backs, there is considerable responsibility upon the Royal Agricultural Society to continue in providing a home for the country among the high rises and highways.
The weight of that responsibility has been thrown into sharp focus this year by speculation over the future of the show's place in city life and rumours of the Royal Agricultural Society being forced to move from its home in the western suburbs.
As an organisation, we have always been insistent that a move away from Claremont was never in our plans and that any decision over any possible move would be with the Royal Agricultural Society.
What is more, we have been actively engaged in plans to improve Claremont Showground for several years, working alongside the WA Planning Commission.
However, in spite of these facts, rumour and conjecture persisted.
The Royal Agricultural Society has always enjoyed the support of the Premier Mark McGowan and the State government.
The statement of support for the Perth Royal Show and the endorsement of our plans, which was made to the media little more than a week before the 2019 show, served to quash any uncertainty and put any rumours of a relocation to bed once and for all.
I know that I speak for the organisation as a whole and those who are invested in all that the Royal Agricultural Society does to support our farmers and country endeavours, when I say that we are enormously grateful for the support of Mr McGowan and Agriculture and Food Minister Alannah MacTiernan and Planning Minister Rita Saffioti.
In short, Claremont Showground and the Perth Royal Show are here to stay, but we are acutely aware that changes are needed to enable this organisation to continue its work and improve upon its ability to deliver meaningful projects and initiatives which support rural WA and celebrate the best in WA.
The management plan, currently with the WAPC, is the first step on a long road to achieving these improvements.
It sets out a framework for redevelopment of parts of our facility including the rejuvenation or replacement of some pavilions or spaces which could be better utilised in supporting and enabling our current activities.
It is also an opportunity to ensure that the showground is a more open and welcoming place through the whole of the year.
We hope to be able to bring down some of the walls and fences, open the spaces to the public and provide facilities for community groups, charities and those organisations which closely align with our work in the agricultural sector.
That said, this will be a steady and considered redevelopment.
Each change will align with our responsibilities of bringing the country to the city, celebrating the best in WA and delivering the Perth Royal Show each year.
There will certainly not be any overnight changes.
However, in time, we hope to supplement our existing infrastructure with the facilities it needs to create a world-class facility from which our 2019 mission - to connect communities - can be fulfilled time and again for the benefit of future generations.