MALLEE farmer Mark Roberts is a third-generation Speed Lions Club member, following in the footsteps of his dad and grandfather.
His grandfather, the late Bob Roberts, was a founding member of the Speed Lions Club and brainchild behind the Mallee Machinery Field Days.
Mr Roberts fondly recalls his grandfather telling him stories of how the field days began.
“He used to tell me how a group of them got together and organised a few manufacturers to hold demonstrations out in the paddock,” Mr Roberts said.
Following its success, the Speed Lions Club was formed and the club worked towards finding a permanent site for the event.
“He was always very proud of what it had become,” Mr Roberts said, adding his grandfather had the opportunity to return to the site in 2018 to help celebrate the event’s 40th anniversary.
His grandfather died in 2020 and the following year, Mr Roberts signed up to the Speed Lions Club, upholding his grandfather’s legacy.
“The club was dwindling at the time and they were in need of more members,” Mr Roberts said.
“The field days is such an important part of the area and I didn’t want to see it fade away.”
Mr Roberts said it was rewarding to be part of a club that injects so much money back into the local community.
“The reward is that you get to see the local community benefiting from the event, helping local schools, sporting clubs and others in need,” he said.
One of his most memorable field days was when he was a teenager, around 15 or 16.
“It had rained the day before and the site was a wet, muddy mess,” Mr Roberts recalled.
“There were puddles and wheels spinning everywhere.
“Farmers always talk about wet years and how much rain they’ve had, and whenever I think of a wet year, that memory has stuck with me ever since.”
In the true spirit of the Mallee, the show has always continued on, despite the weather – in rain, hail or shine.
Hoping for the perfect weather conditions this year, Mr Roberts is gearing up for another successful event.
“It’s the display of all the latest and greatest in farming and agriculture that I enjoy most,” he said.
“To have everything in the one spot, right on our back step is pretty impressive.”
