Yarn with Garry O'Neill, carnival ride operator

Watch out Wills and Kate – the Sydney Royal Easter Show has a king of its own.

Carnival rides tycoon Garry O’Neill is the man responsible for bringing smiles and laughter to thousands at the Show every day. He currently leads a crew of 200 who help to operate his family-oriented rides and stalls at the Kids Carnival.

 “I know for a fact that I’ve owned more, manufactured more, and imported more rides out of anybody in Australia,” Garry said.

Like a horse on the Double Decker Carousel, Garry’s life and ambitions took on thrilling leaps and bounds. As a child, his father operated game stalls while his mother was part of the Show’s vibrant 1940s vaudeville scene, performing hair-raising levitation acts with Show illusionists, including Les Levant. The young Garry dreamed of owning carnival rides because of their unfailing ability to thrill and it did not take him long. While at University, he operated his first ride – a spinning tentacle sensation called The Octopus.

Along the colourful timeline of his career, Garry managed and owned amusement parks – the stuff of children’s fantasies. “With the amusement parks, I had a lot of animals. I had tigers and camels, emus, kangaroos, buffaloes, everything. The Bengal tiger was probably the craziest animal I ever owned,” he said.

In 1975, Garry’s dream of operating at the Show kicked off. Along with his wife, he installed dodgem cars at the Show – the first of their kind in Australia. He then struck a business partnership with the son of the legendary Jimmy Sharman, a partnership that would last around 20 years. Today, he is a proud father of five, with his youngest daughter Taylah having made national headlines as an Olympic mogul skier at the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia.

When it comes to carnivals in Australia, Garry said the Sydney Royal Easter Show reigned supreme for its immense popularity with the public and for its “world-class” rides and equipment.

“This is probably the best show in the world for just about everything. For the food, the rides, the animals, and the agriculture,” he said. “It’s a complete package.”

The Show has been a constant part of Garry’s life.  “I’ve been coming to the Show every year, probably since when I was still in a pram. I don’t think I’ve ever missed a year,” he said.