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The show is in Gisborne, and this week we meet the riders and jointies who bring the show to town. John Mahon talks to Kerre about the logistics of moving all the gear onto trucks and arriving at the right time. For about 20 years Judy Mahon has been packing up the caravan with the kids to each new location. At the Gisborne showgrounds Kerre draws a ballot to decide who gets the prime spaces at the grounds, as explained by Graeme Fisher. Max Campbell talks about the workers they employ. Denis Buckingham explains the name jointie comes from the fact that everything joins together. He explains how they make money from the sideshows. Harold Booth is the person who remembers how to put the equipment together. Robin Buckingham shows Kerre around her caravan, which she has to pack up every time they move town.
For eight months, Shane Buckingham shares a caravan with his brother. The space is small so they have to get dressed in the morning separately. Archival footage of show grounds in the 1950s. John ‘Bricky’ Buckingham talks about how the children of show people stay in the business. Kerre is shown around a warehouse where they look at the selection of toys for they sideshow prizes. One of the show women has arrived in the caravan where she is cleaning the bathroom.
Kathy McGrath makes candy floss with sugar, colouring and heat. A man gets training for ‘Round-Up’. Kerre looks at the bunkhouse where nine workers sleep and have they dinner. Divina Watene explains the menu for tonight. Prospective employees are interviewed for jobs. John Dwight, Gisborne District Council, explains the operators must qualify for certificates of safety and health for every operation. At Roselands Tavern is the ‘Showpeople vs Locals Pool Tournament’. Greg Booth says the come back to the same pub every year to try and win the shield back. Gisborne Show Day arrives and the children have fun. Sue Mahon counts all the money taken in.
At the end of the day the workers begin to pack up the show, ready for the next location. The ‘Ridies’ drive in convoy to Hastings. Corey Wills talks about sleeping three men to a room. Graham Pihema says there is no privacy, so you can’t bring a woman back. Katrina Moony picks up her dog from the kennel, which she must put in a kennel at the next location. A ridie’s truck has broken down on the side of the road. Katrina drives the big truck, and Kerre talks to her - she got her HT license 6 weeks ago. The show goes up again in the new location. Shane Buckingham is home schooled Correspondence lessons by his mother. Robyn Buckingham and her husband have been together 24 years, and get on well. Kerre talks to the owners of the show about people’s perceptions of show people.