The Wilkinson Family
From Fleece Committee Chair to the Art, Craft and Cookery kitchen
Dr Roger Wilkinson
In 2022, Roger Wilkinson was awarded the President’s Medal at the 2022 Melbourne Royal Show for outstanding contributions to the sheep and fleece competitions for over 37 years service, but his Melbourne Royal days are far from over. In fact, they’re quickly rising in the cookery competition.
Dr Wilkinson was born into a Melbourne Royal Show family; his grandfather and father were Life Members in a time when you could purchase the honour for a certain multiple of the annual membership fee. For his father, it was a 21st birthday present from his parents, and would have been for Dr Wilkinson too if it had still existed.
Dr Wilkinson first entered the Show in 1981 and came second in the Romney junior judging competition. He won it the following year and earned a spot on the official Romney judging panel, going on to judge at Royal Shows in most Australian states and New Zealand.
He began exhibiting sheep in 1983 with his family and always enjoyed staying in a locker on the Showgrounds. Since the passing of his father in 2012, Dr Wilkinson has exhibited fleeces every year and sheep occasionally.
In 2002, Mr Wilkinson joined the Fleece Committee and has been a member of the Fleece Committee ever since. When talk of disbanding the fleece competition arose in 2007, he was determined to rebuild it instead.
“I think my enthusiasm for the competition resulted in me being asked to become the Chair of the Fleece Committee and I’ve been the Chair ever since,” Dr Wilkinson said.
“Working with the rest of the committee to reinvigorate the Fleece Competition is my proudest Melbourne Royal achievement.”
Strengthening the bond between competitions is another passion of Dr Wilkinson’s, and with the help of good friend and chair of the Arts, Craft and Cookery Committee, Susan Campbell-Wright, he staged a particularly amusing event in 2016.
Mrs Campbell-Wright was the featured handspinner in a handspinning demonstration in the Art, Craft and Cookery pavilion, using some Romney wool from one of Dr Wilkinson’s young rams. As luck would have it, that same ram was entered in the Show, making for a great live addition to the ACC demonstration.
Dr Roger Wilkinson with his well-behaved Romney ram in the Arts, Crafts and Cookery Pavilion at the 2016 Melbourne Royal Show.
“I had never led him any distance before but with some practice walks he quickly became used to being led around the showgrounds between the pavilions. Movement was slow because the ram and I were continually being stopped by people wanting to pat him,” Dr Wilkinson recalled.
“People’s number one question was ‘what’s his name?’, so I had to make up a name for him on the spot. I called him Henry. We took a bucket with us in case he decided to leave some calling cards in the Art, Craft and Cookery pavilion, but he was well-behaved.”
More recently Dr Wilkinson has become interested in baking and has entered exhibits in the last four Melbourne Royal Shows. He’s taken out a few second and third prizes and in 2023 he received the blue ribbon for apple pie, which was judged live at the Show.
From various steward roles in sheep, fleece, and the ACC (some years all three), to also having been a member of the Sheep and Goat Committee for 15 years, there’s not many aspects of Melbourne Royal Show Dr Wilkinson hasn’t been involved with – and he wouldn’t have it any other way.
“The more strands there are to my involvement with the Melbourne Royal Show, the more satisfaction and enjoyment I gain from it and I think that is why I keep involved – to make a better Show.”
Mr David Wilkinson
David Wilkinson, who was born in 1923 and died in 2012, left a lasting legacy with his significant contributions to the Melbourne Royal Show. Hailing from a family deeply immersed in the event, it came as no surprise to those who knew the Wilkinsons that David was given a life membership to the Royal Agricultural Society of Victoria for his 21st birthday.
Establishing his Romney sheep stud in 1961 and his Cheviot stud in 1974, David was a dedicated exhibitor of both sheep and wool. David regarded his week at the Melbourne Royal Show as an annual holiday, and always spoke affectionately about his fellow sheep exhibitors and their shared experiences.
As a steward in the RASV sheep competition from 1963, David generously shared his knowledge through stewarding training classes and even crafted a comprehensive guide for aspiring stewards. His informative descriptions of sheep breeds adorned sign boards around the sheep pavilion at the time, and in recognition of his multifaceted involvement he was honored with the esteemed President's Medal in 2002.
Later in life, in 2007, David found pride in serving as a sheep judge, and today, his son Roger carries on his legacy with the Romney and Cheviot studs.