LONG SERVICE: Peter Dunlop was awarded life membership of the NAA at last month’s show - an honour he said not only recognised his service to the association but also the even longer service his late father Colin gave to the show society.
SOME people inherit property, shares, cash or pets but for Singleton solicitor Peter Dunlop he inherited from his father Colin the job of being honorary solicitor of the Northern Agricultural Association (NAA).
And it was a position he was more than happy to take over from his gravely ill father way back in 1978.
Last month at the annual Singleton show his more than 30 years of honorary work for the NAA was recognised when he along with three other show stalwarts Colleen Moxey, Kevin Monkley and David Williams were all awarded life membership of the NAA.
For Mr Dunlop the life membership was particularly poignant because his father held his position as honorary solicitor from 1928 when he joined the A.B. Shaw legal practice up until his death in 1978.
“Dad worked for the show for 50 years so I feel this award is just as much recognition of his work as mine so it was a great honour for the Dunlop family, “Mr Dunlop said.
Mr Dunlop said he held a great affinity with the NAA and described it as a great organisation.
“It has incredible facilities and it offers so many different local organisations the chance to use the facilities,” he said.
“In past years it was mostly associated with rural pursuits then it was used for greyhound racing and rugby league games and now other things are held on the grounds like the farmers markets.
“It has evolved along with the community for example where once there were sheep and wool classes at the show they have been replaced with much larger equestrian events.”
Like many people associated with the show Mr Dunlop considers the site one of the best available in the country thanks to its heritage buildings and tree studded arena.
His work for the show over the years mainly involved licensing issues and converting all the various land titles the showground found itself on from old system to the updated versions.
His latest work was to change the title of the caretaker’s cottage located Bathurst Street and it should be completed in a couple of months.
Mr Dunlop said land had been acquired over the years including various backyards along York Street and he is hoping his work has removed all the complication from the old titles.
One of his biggest tasks was the incorporation of the NAA in 1988 when a new constitution had to be written.
Mr Dunlop, who now works part time and has moved to live at Avoca to enjoy a more temperate climate and be closer to his family who live in Sydney, said he would continue his work for the NAA.
Reminiscing about the showground Mr Dunlop spoke about how the tearoom was turned into a gym to train the Singleton swim team back in the 1940s.
“At that stage we had a great swim squad, one of the best country teams in the country and someone had probably heard about the need to keep training in winter to improve results, “he said.
“So a gym was set up in the showground’s tearoom and those that wanted to keep training in winter met there and worked hard on fitness.
“I think it paid off because Singleton produced some great swimmers over that period.”
Others uses included the site being a school holidays play centre which Mr Dunlop said occurred during the 1950s through to the 1970s.
“It was very popular with the kids and their mothers proving yet again how the facility could be utilised, “he said.
Mr Dunlop said all his work for local organisations including the NAA and the swimming and rugby clubs he did because he thoroughly enjoyed the tasks.
He described the work as simply being marvellous.