The Ekka

I remember when I was young, my parents would take me to the Royal Annual National Show... or the RNA. Us kids called it 'The Ekka'; a place of wild rides and a huge pavilion that sold sample bags - the most expensive being around $10 or so.

We loved it! And I was always getting lost because I was the shortest person in the family. So, when my back was turned, my folks and older brother would decide something and think I was listening and they'd walk off... of course being little and young, my mind was on other things (exactly what? I couldn't tell you right now, but at the time they were important). I'd turn around and - *poof* - they'd be gone. Now, you'd think that I'd would've panicked and run screaming around the place like most litttlies do today; right? Wrong. My parents had back-up plan in case this happened ( and this was for most places we went). I was to walk straight to the police station and sit outside it and wait for them. The police station at the Exhibition was right next to the Sample Bag Pavilion - you couldn't miss it! It was huge! On the years I did get separated from my parents, it was like a homing signal... I'd turn around and walked straight there, sit on the seat outside and wait. About ten minutes would pass, and the next thing I'd see them walking up to me saying: 'Well, there she is! Can't say she doesn't follow directions!'

But I did love the exhibition. It's big. It's noisy and there's so many rides! And the food there...well, it's not always the healthiest, but then, when you're out at a huge amusement park, you can't have everything!
My favourite thing about the Ekka is the rides. There's so many of them and there isn't a single one that nobody will hate. I used to love the Pirate Ship, Dodgem Cars and The Swings (the one that spins around and then rises up, lights up and almost feels like it's going to take off! It's up near the Royal Brisbane Hospital). However, I wasn't one to go upside down... it just made me feel like I was going to puke. So, I picked out rides that made feel like I was going to fly, but my stomach wasn't.

I remember one time, I went there with a group of friends. We were old high school friends and two of us were in wheelchairs. One wanted to go on all the rides and I organised with the engineers to get her out of her chair in to the ride when our turn came up. She had such a great time that when we got her home, she went to bed really early after a light dinner. I'm sure she still remembers that time fondly; I'm not sure as we don't keep in contact any more. Even though we don't, that day still brings a smile to my face; that I brought joy to her day at the Ekka when she had never been on the rides before.

However, the Exhibition has been around for so long, I don't think Brisbane has seen a year where it didn't exist. Even in the hardest of times, the show still went on and people still attended. And I remember when World Expo '88 was in town, it was still as popular as ever; and the Brisbane City Council thought it would be empty.

Life without the Exhibition would be pretty dull around Brisbane. It's an event we all look forward to every year no matter what age we are; whether we're going or not. And it's a matter of whether we've been there in our youth that shows how well we remember it. It's the joy and happiness of the fun and excitement of each year that the Exhibition brings to Brisbane each year - where the Country and City meet - and let's hope it keeps going for generations to come.