At the annual general meeting held at Haverfordwest on Wednesday evening, Mr. Dennis Reed, of Trevayne Farm, Saundersfoot, stepped down after a highly successful year as president of the Pembrokeshire Agricultural Society.

The society has, for some 230 years or more, organised the Pembrokeshire County Show, which now extends over three days and is the largest in Wales second only to the Royal Welsh Show.

A very well known figure throughout West Wales farming circles, his family originated in mid Pembrokeshire: his late parents being Bertie Reed, who was brought up at Knock Farm, Clarbeston, and his mother, nee Vi Morris, was from Churchill Farm, Wiston.

During 1935, early in their married life, the couple had moved to Trevayne where they had three sons - sadly Michael passed away in infancy and Geoffrey died tragically in a farming accident at the age of 31 years.

Situated on an area of limestone soil, overlooking the idyllic Monkstone beach between Tenby and Saundersfoot, the holding was originally just over 120 acres, but increased in size with the later acquisition of Cornish Down and Rowston farms.

Until the late ’70s, a mixed breed dairy herd of 40 milkers was kept and Mr. Bertie Reed took great pride in producing some exceptional beef cattle which he successfully exhibited each year at the Kilgetty fatstock show. Ideally located for the purpose, crops of early potatoes were also produced.

Dennis has a son, Geoffrey, who studied agriculture at Seale Hayne, and two daughters: Lois, who is a trainee solicitor, and Georgina, a teacher.

Even before the Reeds moved to Trevayne, there was a camping site run in a very small way, which has since been greatly developed to include 90 permanent caravan pitches, sites for 80 tourers and up to 100 tents can be accommodated.

A manager is now employed to run the camping site and several extra staff are engaged for the very busy summer season. Geoffrey, and his partner Anna, now confine their farming activities to a herd of Welsh Black cattle and small flocks of Black Welsh Mountain and Dorset Down sheep.

Dennis was an active member of the former Tenby Young Farmers Club and progressed to become chairman of the County Federation.

He has also been closely involved with the South Pembrokeshire Hunt and was secretary of both the South Wales Area Point to Point Association and the acclaimed Tenby Hunt Week programme.

He has also played a major role in activities with the Saundersfoot Rotary and the Tenby Round Table.

For the past 30 years, he has become actively involved with the mostly ex-YFC Music Hall Players and his portrayals of Arnold and Harcourt - earthy country figures attired in traditional red-coats with breeches and leggings - have become legendary.

The Reed family had also taken a keen interest in breeding quality blood stock and it was not surprising that Dennis - an able all-round sportsman - felt truly at home in the saddle and rode in well over 90 point to point steeplechases across South Wales and under National Hunt rules further afield. He had also played field sports and has now taken up indoor bowls.

He reflects with great pride on his past year as show president and remarks that he was invited to judge the beef cattle section of the Tinahely Show in County Wicklow which is ‘twinned’ with the Pembrokeshire Show. This was the first time that he had judged cattle since he had been a member of the Welsh YFC stockjudging team competing at the Royal Highland Show in Scotland!

Other pleasing events whilst in office have been the Variety Concert at Folly Farm which raised £5,500 for his chosen charity - the Dai Rees Foundation - and two fund-raising evenings for the County Show: a trivia quiz which attracted 39 teams and was won by a team captained by former president Dick Davies - after a tie break with Walter Simon’s NFU team - and a summer barbeque attended by over 1,000 at Trevayne.

The pre-Show Sunday evening service at the Showground Pavilion, conducted by his pastor, Father Paul Davies, Jeffreyston assisted by Rev. Caroline Mansell, was also a most memorable occasion.