Mulgoa was well represented at the 2023 Sydney Royal Easter Show, with local resident Thomas McDermott triumphing in the showjumping.

This year, Thomas was successful in taking home the E S Playfair Perpetual Trophy, for the Most Successful Rider in Jumping Contests.

The Most Successful Rider is determined by the rider scoring the greatest number of points across the Senior Rider sections, the Mini Prix, and the Grand Prix.

Thomas McDermott rode various horses across the different categories, depending on the skill level of the horse, to earn himself the highest number of points.

The Sydney Royal Horse Competition is one of the biggest competitions at the Show, encompassing everything from breed classes, riding, and pony club, to Rodeo, Polo, and Campdraft.

The Showjumping sections are grouped according to senior, junior, and young riders, as well as the size of the jumps contested.

The competitions of the Show showcased the efforts and skills of people from across the country in various diverse industries and niche interest areas. A total of 15,000 trophies, certificates and medals were awarded this year amongst some of the 22,400 entries.

Run by the Royal Agricultural Society of NSW (RAS), the Show provides a true taste of Australia’s vibrant culture and celebrates agricultural excellence and rural Australia.
RAS General Manager of Agriculture and the Show, Murray Wilton, said the Show this year has been an incredible success.

“Marking 200-years since the first Show, this year, we were encouraging Showgoers to come to the Show and find their happy place. Rich in fun and family traditions – we were thrilled to see people doing just that, making new memories, and celebrating everything we know and love about the Show and rural Australia,” he said.

“We shone a spotlight on the best of the best in Australian agriculture, welcoming over 6,500 livestock exhibits that represented over 480 different animal breeds, and 12 international judges across the competition who brought their world-class knowledge to the Show rings.

“For us, a key part of the Show is to give back and support our rural and regional communities, and I’m proud to share that our RAS Foundation was able to raise $56,000 for the Eugowra Community Children’s Centre to support in their rebuild following the 2022 floods, in addition to selling all their fundraising Ag Bags which contribute to the Community Futures Grant program.”