Love of Australian flora and fauna creates extraordinary win for Emu and Possum
23 Oct 2024 / Melbourne Royal Competitions, Melbourne Royal Show
The Art, Craft & Cookery exhibition at the Melbourne Royal Show is always full on interesting, quirky, and inspiring creations from apple pie making, fruit cake judging, fashion creations, photography exhibits and more. One class that never fails to amaze is the Best in Show Decorated Cakes competition and this year, Penny Bunz and her incredible Emu and Possum creation took home blue-ribbon glory in the feature event. The stunning native creation was such a hit with fans, it also picked up the Most Popular Choice Award.
According to Melbourne Royal Judges, the real to life Emu and Possum decorate cake creation offered a “wow factor” with a “fantastic display of everything, especially those legs and head”, while showcasing “lovely bright colours” and a “lovely, shaped board”.
Penny first started decorating cake 16 years ago and picked up the Best in Show Decorate cake in 2019 with her Renaissance Cat and Dog creation, while also finishing in first place numerous times in the wedding cake category.
While Penny is no stranger to success, this year’s victory meant a lot as it was a true representation of her love for Australian flora and fauna and a true expression of her style and aspects of cake decorating.
“I was so excited to find out I had won Best in Show. I love the Show and it’s such an honour to have my cake chosen and to see it on display with big, beautiful blue ribbons. I’m very proud!
“When you make something that is a real expression of your personality and you put it out there to be judged, it is always a little daunting. This was such a lovely surprise.
“Emu and Possum was inspired by Australian flora and fauna. I had the idea of creating a botanical topiary and so wanted to combine these together. For me this piece is special as it represents my style and favourite aspects of cake decorating. Flower making, sculpting, colour, realism combined with fantasy, eclectic ideas and originality.”
The awe-inspiring creation took approximately three weeks to make with many hours dedicated each night to ensure every detail of Emu and Possum was captured to perfection.
“Making competition cakes is very stressful, so I decided to make something that was joyful. I love making sugar and wafer flowers as well as sculpted cakes. I love incorporating pops of colour as well and I thought the flowers could replace feathers on an emu. I liked the idea of little creatures taking a ride on the emu’s back.
“This piece took me three weeks. I spent a few hours most evenings on it making flowers and leaves and two weekends planning out and building the body. I’m not sure how many hours in total but it was a hectic three weeks.”
Penny will be back next year to compete at the Melbourne Royal Show and looks forward to setting herself a new challenge.
“I will definitely be back to compete at the Melbourne Royal Show. I love the challenge and it’s so much fun to bring a spark of an idea to life. I love art and craft in all its forms so to see it celebrated is wonderful!”
To view all the results for the 2024 Art, Craft & Cookery Competition, visit www.melbourneroyal.com.au/art-craft-cookery/results/