Mr Wall’s children, 15-year-old Louise and 12-year-old Harry helped with the harvest, selecting a few pumpkins for themselves to enter into the show’s junior division. 

The family lives on a property in Black Range, where they have been growing their own produce and living almost completely self-sufficiently since the late 1980’s. 

While Mr Wall believes his pumpkins will compete well, his real pride is in his apples and pears that he has been perfecting for decades.

“We bought there 28 years ago and the orchard was the first thing we put in,” he said. 

In total, Mr Wall is entering about 40 produce exhibits into the Bega Show from his property, alongside the butternut and Queensland blue pumpkins grown at the Jennings property in Jellat Jellat.

The Walls have been growing pumpkins for five years and have exhibited each year at the Bega Show.

“Each judge has their own preference in a pumpkin, like height, width, roundness or symmetry,” Mr Wall said.

“So I try to pick a few different style pumpkins to suit different tastes.”

​He said 15 years ago there were five or six families exhibiting their fresh produce at the Bega Show, but with a shifting focus on ring and cattle events, that number dropped to just two last year.

“That’s why it’s great to have the kids involved out here, they are keeping the competition alive,” he said. 

During the harvest Louise stumbled across a sweet treat, finding a watermelon growing alongside the pumpkins.

The family finished their afternoon work with a slice of watermelon and a dip in the nearby Bega River. ​

The Bega Show opens on Friday, February 16 at 8am and continues over the weekend, closing Sunday evening.