And he should.

He has been on the Armidale show committee for about 40 years and on the Uralla committee for 60 years - 50 of those as chief steward.

He has also worked at the gates of the Guyra show for 17 years.

A familiar face at many shows in the region, his passion for shows began when he entered the Uralla show to compete in the vegetable section as a junior farmer.

“When I left school I went in the junior farmer competitions and we had the three-show inter-district exhibit of Armidale, Uralla and Walcha,” he said.

Mr Williams won the competition, which entitled him to a three-week stint at the Hawkesbury Agricultural College.

It was this accolade that ensured his place on the show committee, something that would become a major part of his life.

“To my knowledge I have missed one Uralla Show and one Armidale Show - I think that is a fairly good record,” he said.

Agricultural shows have changed a lot in Mr Williams’ time - not always for the better.

“When I joined Uralla show committee, there were 50 members on the committee and you had to either wait for them to die or leave the district to get on,” he said.

“Today there are only seven of us on the committee - that is how it has dropped off.”

Mr Williams attributed the decline to a society that now has many more options for entertainment and stricter insurance and occupational health and safety regulations.

He said shows would continue to be important events for rural communities though.

“I see a lot of people that I only see once a year and we look after each other,” he said.

Now 78 years old, Mr Williams continues to farm sheep and cattle, is still wool classing and said retirement was not on the radar.

“I’m still on the farm and I work seven days a week,” he said.

He stands by his father’s credo ‘hard work never killed anyone’.