Meet 5 Royal Adelaide Show veterans

Posted 14 August, 2018 Lauren Ferrone. Images: Liam West

We chat to Royal Adelaide Show veterans about iconic rides, smart poodles, fluffy scones, the perfect wood chopping swing and all things that go bang.

 

Garry Lynch

Takes show-goers for a spin With the important job of operating some of the most popular and hair-raising rides at the Royal Adelaide Show, it’s probably a good thing Garry Lynch isn’t afraid of heights – or clowns. The 64-year-old showman’s family has run amusement rides and sideshows at various Royal Shows for four generations, including the iconic laughing clowns (which his dad bought in 1950), the dodgem cars, the Gravitron, Cha Cha and Ali Baba.

 

  The Lynches first got into the carnival business in 1936 when Garry’s grandfather started a stall selling wooden dolls at the Royal Adelaide Show. Garry’s dad then took over and, at the age of 15, Garry left school to join the business. Now his son Wayne is also involved. “I started by collecting ticket stubs from show-goers on the rides,” Garry says.

 

 

Now with two 30-foot long caravans to cart his rides, Garry hits the road for six weeks of the year, travelling to shows around Australia. It’s not all fun and games though. Safety is at the centre of what he does, and before each show, a team of electrical engineers complete a thorough inspection of the rides. “There are obviously strict processes we go through before allowing the public on any of the rides, like testing the safety bars and locking devices each morning.”

 

At the end of a long day at Wayville, it’s all worth it to see the smiles on showgoers’ faces. And while his two-year-old grandson is too young to hop on the scary rides, he does have a blast on the dodgem cars. “We get him into one of the cars and shut down the rest so he can have a go,” Garry says. Seeing his grandson zoom around the track is always a heart-warming sight that reminds Garry of his own days as a young showman.

 

Karen Moralee

Trains show dogs Dogs may be a man’s best friend, but Karen Moralee’s four-legged furry mates are that and so much more – they’re star athletes. At the age of 17, Karen entered her miniature poodle in the Royal Adelaide Show for the first time. Nearly three decades later, she’s still training poodles and German Shepherds to become champion show dogs.