Leeton Family and Local Historical Society column | SunRice Festival history | February 2022

Among the girls were Cassie Fahy, who was sponsored by the Sports Club, Marlene Leighton sponsored by the Chamber of Commerce, Geraldine Lynes sponsored by the Servicemen's Club and Jeanne Sheldrick sponsored by the Stock and Rural Agency.

Their nerves were not helped by the number of dignitaries in attendance, including the Honourable Hugh Robertson who was the Member for Riverina, and a consortium from Okinawa Japan who had been invited to the area by the Australian Department of Trade and Primary Industry on behalf of Ricegrowers' Cooperative Mills.

While the women waited patiently for the result, they could not have known that they would in fact, be the first of many following in their footsteps, sharing in common their sweaty palms and racing hearts, as they awaited the results of who would be honoured in what would later become known as the Leeton SunRice Festival.

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Leeton's local festivals however dated well before the 1959 Irrigana Festival, in fact right back to the town's beginnings.

Local churches would stage Harvest Festivals to celebrate the end of the harvest season and to raise money.

While it is difficult to determine when the exact first Harvest Festival was held, it is known that St Peter's Church Leeton held one on February 27, 1916 followed shortly after by the Presbyterian Church Yanco.

Festivals were held right across the shire in those days with the Stony Point Church Building Fund reporting a profit of 54 pounds, 16 pence from their 1918 Harvest Festival.

By 1959 the festivals had gradually combined into the one and a competition was held to name the festival.

High school student Janet Morphett's (Simpson) suggestion of The Irrigana Festival impressed the judges and she was duly named winner and the festival had its first name.

In 1970 John Knight gained support from the community to have the festival celebrate our rice industry and it was renamed the Leeton Rice Bowl Festival with John the first festival director.

In the year 2000 the festival evolved into the Leeton SunRice Festival to reflect our local rice processing and packaging industry brand name.

Initially the festival ran over a two-week period and then 10 days, but it is now held biannually over the Easter weekend.

John Knight and his team laid the successful format for future festivals which are still in place today.

And as for the 1959 winner?

After a procession of floats through the streets on the Saturday night, the Honourable Hugh Robertson announced Miss Jeanne Sheldrick as the Irrigana Queen for 1959.

All the funds raised during the 1959 went towards the construction of a new Olympic-sized pool for Leeton.

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