In 1883 a ‘Bowral and Mittagong Horticultural, Poultry, Pigeon, Canary, and Industrial Society’ was formed to hold an annual show and bazaar. To draw up a code of rules, a committee met in September at the residence of Bowral station-master Copeland Bennett who, as told in a previous series, was active in community and church matters. He acted as chairman of the committee. 

The Bowral Free Press and Mittagong, Burrawang and Kangaloon Advocate (BFP) had commenced in July that year, being the first newspaper published in Bowral. By October it was reporting that the HPPC&I Society would hold its first show in February of the next year and would donate proceeds to the town’s three churches and the School of Arts building fund.

Before even holding an event, the society ran into difficulties and ceased to function. As mentioned in the previous article, Bowral’s new School of Arts building opened in July 1885. It provided a library and space for community and recreational activities.

During 1886 meetings were held separately at Mittagong and Bowral to organise an annual flower show in each town. A Bowral Horticultural & Industrial Society was formed for this purpose and a successful Flower and Fern Show was held at the School of Arts in February 1887. In April that year a Chrysanthemum Show, which included other flowers and fruits, was held in Mittagong. Its proceeds went to the newly established Mittagong School of Arts, which used a cottage for premises.

The code of rules and bye-laws drawn up by the earlier Society at Bowral, based on those of the NSW Horticultural Society, were published locally. Subsequent Flower Show Societies followed similar arrangements. The bye-laws stipulated that members could exhibit for free, with non-members to pay a small entrance fee in each class, to be eligible for the prizes; nurserymen and professional gardeners could exhibit together on equal terms in classes assigned to them; amateurs had to personally cultivate their own exhibits without the assistance of a professional gardener; all flowers, fruit, and vegetables exhibited for competition had to be grown by the exhibitors; and roses had to be exhibited either in clusters produced upon a single stem of the current season's growth, or by single blooms. 

In December 1887 the BFP reported on a meeting, held in the Mittagong Church of England schoolroom, to consider forming a town horticultural society. It was attended by 17 of the principal townsmen. Mr PLC Shepherd was voted to the chair, and Mr JCE Murphy acted as secretary. The chairman declared it highly desirable that a horticultural society be formed to inculcate a love of flowers, as no healthier or better occupation could be given to the members of a family. The last show had been held under the auspices of the School of Arts, but they now proposed to devote the funds as a nucleus for a permanent society. The matter was taken up heartily and the Horticultural Society came into existence, but its first show, described in the next article, did not take place until April 1889.

The first annual show of the Bowral Horticultural and Industrial Society was opened in February 1888 by the Mayor, Mr J G Morris. According to the BFP there were some 850 exhibits, including flowers, pot plants, fruit, vegetables, art specimens, canaries and poultry. These were displayed in the School of Arts hall, committee room and in a large marquee, procured from Sydney, at the building’s rear.

Cut flower collections included dahlias, gladioli and new summer chrysanthemums, zinnias, marigolds, begonias, marguerites and many varieties of roses. Vegetables included potatoes, being in the judges’ opinion perhaps the best ever shown in the district. Plums, peaches, apples, pears and nectarines were of excellent size and jams, preserves and pickles were well represented. Mrs Sophie Corrie was a large exhibitor, gaining prizes for her candied fruits, hop beer, jams, preserves and minerals.

Also exhibited were oil paintings, water colours, pencil sketches and etchings, showcasing the town’s artistic talent.