RASV Journalists Tours 1957-1989

Each year, between 1957 and 1989, in the lead up to the Royal Melbourne Show, The Shell - RASV Journalists Tour took journalists on a guided tour of a particular region in Victoria to highlight agricultural industries and the plight of farmers and their families. The tour also provided media exposure in the lead up to show – often visiting prize winning livestock exhibitors and examples of agricultural innovation and achievements.

First started in 1957, the tour was modelled on the Australian’s Wool Bureau’s Olympic Journalists Tour held in the lead up to the 1956 Melbourne Olympic Games. The Shell/RASV tours ran for an average of 5 days and were a well-oiled machine, navigating the regional areas of Victoria with a busload of journalists from print, radio and TV. In the lead up to the event, RASV staff would scope out the region and recommend places and people to visit. Once the region and itinerary was established various media outlets would be invited to send a representative on the tour with a final media contingent of 20 plus being selected.

Local Government Council representatives, VASA members and RASV councillors would also assist in contacts and events in their local area that would coincide with the tour. The Local Council would sometimes organise a civic reception as part of promoting their region.

The Shell Company sponsored the event for 30 years and covered the cost of all transport, accommodation and meals for the media contingent. The RASV provided staff, produced the extensive Tour information folders, managed all the planning and logistics and hosted the Final Night Dinner which awarded a number of trophies including the Shell/RASV – ‘Hardest Working Journalist’ Skull trophy. Similarily the ‘Hardest Working Photographer of the Tour’ were awarded the ‘Russ Jennings’ Camera Trophy.

The maps show the range and depth of the Tours over their 30+ year history, highlighted by some photos and media clippings from the 1984 Tour, which concentrated on the Gippsland region and travelled from Warrugul, north-east to Nowa Nowa and then back through to Sale. Over a period of 5 days 27 Journalists visited a range of industries including the Nowa Nowa  Sawmill, Lakes Entrance Fishing Co-op, Gippsland Wineries, Rowse Brothers Dairying, Potato growing and Horticulture, Central Gippsland Herd Development Centre and many more. Civic receptions were held for the Tour in both Bairnsdale and Maffra and the final night presentation dinner held in Sale.