The sawdust has been dumped and the carnies are rolling in for what could be the last ever Royal Launceston Show.
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Royal Launceston Show Society president Jock Gibson said costs of relocating the show would be too much to be worthwhile, if the community wouldn’t support the event.
“Obviously we can’t stay at this site for too much longer … the show society is in a fairly ordinary financial situation, so we’re asking the community to show us whether they want a show or not,” he said.
Part of the land that the show runs on has been gifted to the University of Tasmania for its relocation to Inveresk.
Mr Gibson said the costs to relocate the showground could not be met by the show society.
“Basically it’s up to Launceston to decide whether they want the show to go ahead. To relocate the grounds is going to cost a lot of money,” he said.
“We don’t have the money to fund a move, so we’d be depending of all levels of government to help us.”
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Mr Gibson said the show’s attendance had been dropping over the last few years.
"It’s a decision that has to be made [whether] a community wants a show or if it doesn’t,” he said.
“There is no point spending huge funds on a new showground if it’s not going to be supported [by the community] because we’re not going to survive.”
Mr Gibson said if the community supported this year’s show, it would prove to the government bodies that funding future events would be worthwhile.
The UTAS masterplan identifies other areas of potential development within the showground.