Along Point Nepean Road, banner printing says, ‘Wittinglsow’ and behind the sign, the Rye carnival is fully operational with all the music and excitement of the fair.
The Rye carnival was founded by Tom Wittingslow in the mid-1950s to rival the carnival in nearby Rosebud. Today, Tom’s grandson Michael, his wife and two of their four children run both the Rye and the Rosebud carnivals.
Tom Wittingslow started a ‘guess your weight’ stall at a penny arcade in Bourke Street, Melbourne in 1932. Tom had a motto, ‘keep smiling’ which probably helped him when he was a prisoner of war during World War 2 in the notorious Changi gaol. After the war, Tom built his travelling sideshow and dominated The Brisbane, Adelaide, Sydney and Melbourne shows as well as touring to suburban and country fairs. The whole operation comprising of 55 different rides was ‘the biggest carnival in the southern hemisphere.
Tom Wittingslow died in 2000, aged 86 years old and the running of the carnival was passed down to his grandson Michael. To Michael’s delight, his son Morgan wants to continue the showman dynasty. Morgan says he enjoys the diversity of running a fair from keeping the mechanics in top shape to dealing with the public. His first memory was riding a beetle in the Lady Bug ride which he said was very thrilling for a young boy. Morgan is attracted to the career because it will mean lots of travel and an opportunity to take the business to new places.
Morgan says, ‘It’s the only place I seem to fit in. I know what I’m doing; I know what’s going on.’
Wittingslow now runs events all through the year from suburban events at Epping to the yearly Moomba Festival at Southbank.
The Rye carnival opens nightly from 6pm and will be on until 29th January. The next event will be at the Hastings Festival during February.
