Peter Leaver

Peter Leaver began working as a professional photographer for the Royal Melbourne Show and the Royal Agricultural Society of Victoria (RASV) in the 1970s. He first got involved with the Young Farmers’ Association and from there formed a connection with RASV. Peter worked closely with the public relations and media teams to photograph and showcase the Show and RASV. He even photographed Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh when he visited the RASV Council.

Of his time photographing the Show, Peter remembers:

I was very much there to photograph what the public relations department wanted me to shoot. So it was functions, it was events, it was ceremonies, I was racing all over the showgrounds photographing presentations, awards.

Some events stand out in his memory, such as the Garryowen equestrian competition:

You had to be there to photograph the finals, the announcement and presentation … And then the Grand Parade … I used to get up on the roof of the grandstands around the arena and photograph some aerial views. They also got me in a light plane and shot aerial views of the Show happening … You could really, for me, shoot stuff that was interesting and spontaneous and I really enjoyed that. 

Peter recalls fighting his way through crowds to get the right shot, even standing in the thick of things as animals or cars raced around him. ‘The trick, in things like the Garryowen,’ he says, ‘is you put on a really nice wide-angle lens, and sharpen your elbows, and go in front of everyone else!’

At times Peter travelled around the state photographing farms, animals and people for RASV. He photographed the Show and the activities of RASV from the 1970s until the early 2000s. But for Peter, it has been more than just a job:

You just see so many processes and so many things happening, and how so many things work, and talk to so many people. That's the other side of photography. And the Show and the agricultural community is no exception to that. Just [getting to] meet the characters, the people, who have dedicated their lives. It's hard, hard work and long hours, and you just say ‘wow’. And to be part of that is a privilege, it is.