Ringmaster, Jack Rae OAM

Ringmaster, Jack Rae OAM was responsible for ensuring that the arena entertainment and competition judging ran smoothly and in a timely manner. Ringmaster, Jack Rae OAM was responsible for ensuring that the arena entertainment and competition judging ran smoothly and in a timely manner. There are few people that can claim such a long affiliation with volunteering for the Royal Agricultural Society of Victoria (RASV) than Jack Rae OAM. During this past week, Jack announced his retirement from the RASV Heritage Committee, formally ending his roles on numerous RASV and Royal Melbourne Show Committees, in a volunteering capacity that extends beyond 70 years. Starting his farming career at 13 when he left school to assist on the family farm near Dandenong, Jack took on roles milking the cows and working with the horses. Jack’s affiliation with the Royal Melbourne Show commenced when he first attended as a young boy in the late 1930s and would later purchase livestock and machinery from the event that in those times saw animals arrive by train or simply, walked into Ascot Vale. In his late 20s, Jack would come to be one of the founding members of the Victorian Agricultural Society Association (VASA) and later, their third President. It was during this tenure that in 1971, Jack was appointed as a councillor of the RASV. From the outset, VASA had a strong affiliation with the Royal Melbourne Show and in 1956, Jack was heavily involved with the creation of the Show Girl Competition. He remembers fondly the positive impact it had on launching the professional careers of many young women and assisting them to progress in the agricultural sector. Jack was involved in the Share Farmer of the Year Competition and the Commercial Dairy Herd Competition that provided a platform for young dairy farmers to find their feet and succeed financially. Known by those at the RASV as a versatile worker with a willingness to assist and help wherever it was needed, he has been a member of the Feline Control Committee, Pig Committee, Dairy Cattle Committee, Horse Committee, Poultry Committee, Caged Birds Committee, Catering Committee, Show Girl Committee, Heritage Committee and Chief Steward of the Dairy Cattle Competition. It was Jack’s willingness to take on and master these diverse roles that made him the perfect candidate for what was his most memorable role at the Royal Melbourne Show. It is in the role of Royal Melbourne Show Ringmaster, trusted only to those with an incredible knowledge of and passion for agricultural competitions that Jack is known to many people, having spent 12 years overseeing the proceedings at the main arena of the Royal Melbourne Show. Learn more of Jack’s Story here https://www.melbourneroyal.com.au/virtual-museum/stories/oral-history/jack-weston-rae-oam/