Entertaining, informing and educating at Country Lifestyle pavilion

Physical and mental fitness, fashions that flatter, plus Boys to the Bush, Boomwhackers and a beanie festival means there will be something for everyone in the Country Lifestyle pavilion this year at Henty.

The Country Lifestyle pavilion is run by Lyn Jacobsen and Leonie Kohlhagen with a team of Riverina Group CWA members.

Compere for the fashion parades is motivational speaker Bernadette Torresan, who runs the red-carpet event, GO Fashion Show in Wodonga, while Albury MC Steve Bowen OAM will once again provide the music.

Former compere Peta Schaefer continues to train the models and will be supported by Bernadette. 

Celebrating 25 years as the Country Lifestyle co-ordinator, Mrs Jacobsen said the aim of the Country Lifestyle program was always to entertain, inform and educate.

Fashion parades have been consistently popular with field day visitors, sowing the seed for the launch of the Henty Natural Fibre Fashion Awards in 2004.

Today, the competition is one of the major natural fibre awards in Australia, attracting international entries for the first time several years ago.

The 2024 Natural Fibre Fashion Awards will culminate with the judging on Thursday, September 19 at 1.30pm.

This year’s judges are Lisa Schaefer, Grenfell, Colleen Langtry, Wagga Wagga, and Krystal Kaye, Albury. 

Demonstrations covering a vast array of topics are held between the parades, keeping a vibrant tempo in the pavilion.

Special guest is popular meteorologist and Channel 7 weather presenter Jane Bunn with Country Lifestyle visitors able to meet and greet with Jane on Tuesday at 2pm.

Among the presenters invited this year is Grace Larson, founder of The Sisterhood Project and the runner up in the 2024 Agrifutures Australian Rural Woman of the Year. 

The Sisterhood Project is a registered charity providing free infant and child first aid to disadvantaged parents and carers. Grace and her sister Skye Larson aim to save children’s lives through education and breaking down barriers. 

Stylist Jo Lucchesi will be helping women to find clothing to suit their body shape;  potting orchids with the CWA’s Ann Adams OAM; and succession planning for farming families with Commins Hendriks; craft work with Lyn Maloney, will outline the local wool industry; family succession planning with Dianna Jacobsen, Shine at Business; handy first aid tips from St John Ambulance NSW; Yvonne Booth, Henty, on the local beanie festival and fund raising for the Peter McCallum Cancer Centre; Dylan Hore on The Next Step support service, and the long range weather forecast from Karl Lijnders, Weather Matters.