Learning how this event works, what goes into to making it a success, and understanding why people keep coming back each year is a complex puzzle.

But it’s one that works.

We live in a society where everyone wants to be the boss. And the saying “too many chiefs and not enough Indians” is bandied around often. Yet at Henty there is a constant flow of hard workers.

In fact, everyone works really hard for the greater good. And it is not just for the three-day duration of the field days.

It’s an all-year-around project.

Whether it be making sure the crops for the trial plots are planted on time, receive the appropriate inputs and are looking just right for the big days or ordering just the right amount of food. All of these tasks are tackled with professionalism. 

If you find yourself carrying heavy parcels throughout the site there are people and strategies to cope with this too. Have you ever seen how busy that parcel pick-up area gets?

And the many judges which are selected to give their opinion on popular competitions like the coveted Machine of the Year or to scrutinise the yard dog trials all participate willingly in this event too. Day one of the event kicked off with a backdrop of sunshine this year but it wasn’t the case last year. The field days received much-needed rain.

This was a classic incidence when hard work and volunteers were able to shine.

At one stage it was so wet in the car park that nearly every vehicle had to be towed or pushed out. 

This meant the popular parking attendants had to go above and beyond wearing a high-vis vest and ensuring cars were parked as efficiently as possible.