Harley Clappison

Harley Clappison was Director of the Royal Agricultural Society of Victoria (RASV) from 1971 until 1980. He joined RASV after a career that included working with Sir Reginal Ansett at Ansett Industries. While Harley had been to the Show as a child, he did not come from an agricultural background. The role appealed to Harley because it promised a new challenge:

Well I was told the Royal Agricultural Society needed a CEO and needed some changes, and I thought, well that's interesting, I wonder what sort of changes they are, and I virtually came to find out.

Harley had a lot of ideas about what could change at RASV, but found it difficult to initiate some initiatives because of the long history and tradition that infused the society and the Show. One project he was able to implement, however, was the introduction of turnstiles at the Show entrance so that attendance numbers could be more accurately measured. He also found tenants for some of the showgrounds buildings to produce incoming revenue throughout the year. ‘That was a new thing’, he recalled, ‘we actually got revenue in, which we hadn't been getting, and that's what annoyed me’. Harley also initiated a wool show, which was a great success amongst those interested in wool and sheep. In April 1978, the first issue of ‘Royal’ was produced, the official journal of the Royal Agricultural Society of Victoria.

When looking back at the changes to the Show since his leadership, Harley felt that there had been a shift away from the agricultural focus and more towards the fairground aspects. ‘So many changes have been made’, he commented, ‘which to me have resulted in it being a fair where you get people involved because they want to buy a showbag. That's not an agricultural show to me’. During his time as Director of RASV, Harley worked with some amazing people. He recalled:

It was a great little group, they all worked together. I had no problem … I had a very good staff, wonderful staff.

Harley Clappison stepped down as Director of RASV in 1980. He passed away in 2014.