HISTORIAN and author Rob Linn has been working on documenting the history of the Royal Agricultural and Horticultural Society of South Australia, organiser of the Royal Adelaide Show, for the past four years.
His book, Sharing the Good Earth, will be released next year, in time to mark the Show's 175th anniversary.
The history of the society has not been put in book form since the 1980s.
Rob, a society councillor, said the society had been the backbone of agriculture, horticulture, and the pastoral industry since 1839 – just three years after white settlement in South Australia.
"The University of Adelaide's Roseworthy campus came about because of the society as did the Adelaide Botanic Garden and the Department of Agriculture," Rob said.
"When SA started exporting horticultural produce to Europe, the society was a pioneer with research on how to best ship it overseas. They also undertook comprehensive research on insect and disease problems.
"The society also encouraged local manufacturers to provide more suitable machines for SA's climate and soil conditions."
The first Royal Adelaide Shows were held on showgrounds off Frome Road in the heart of Adelaide. The event did not move to its present site at the Adelaide Showground until 1925.
"When the show was held off Frome Road, there was an underground railway from the train station to the showgrounds, which showed the support the government gave to the event," Rob said.
Archives at the showgrounds were a valuable source of information when Rob was putting the book together, with a treasure of minute books dating back to 1856, and about 4000 photographs.
"There are very few organisations in the world with an archive as good as this one," he said.
Rob has conducted more than 50 interviews for the book.
There will be 400 numbered leather-bound editions, and anyone securing a copy will be eligible to have their name in the book. There will also be 600 hard-cover and 1000 soft-cover copies available. *Full report in Stock Journal, January 24 issue, 2013.
