Luke Alexandrou, 22, is continuing a proud family legacy as a fourth-generation contributor to the Western District display at the Sydney Royal Easter Show.
According to The Sydney Morning Herald, Alexandrou and his cousin James Leys spent hours last Thursday night laying Dorothy’s yellow brick road out of corn, just ahead of the public opening of the district exhibits’ 125th anniversary showcase.
The cousins are among a group of volunteers behind the Western District’s entry, which competes alongside Central, Northern, and Southern NSW regions for prizes recognising both produce quality and creative display.
“Every year we still come back, and we’re only volunteers. But we do it because our great-grandfather did it, our grandfather did it, our mothers did it. Why would we not do it?” Leys told The Sydney Morning Herald.
Despite rising costs that have already pushed South-East Queensland out of the competition, Alexandrou hopes the tradition continues.
“If it’s still around,” he said.
“It’s dying, but it can pick itself back up. A perfect example is South-East Queensland: they just ran out of money. It gets too expensive, especially since COVID.”
He added that if the tradition survives, future generations in their family will also take part. “They won’t have much choice,” Leys joked.
The Sydney Royal Easter Show runs until April 22.
Source: Sydney Morning Herald.
