Memories of those days were swapped yesterday when a former secretary to the Yorkshire Agricultural Society, Martin Young, and retired show secretary Alan Martindale met for lunch with former show managers Barry Jackson and David Ward.

They laughed as they remembered struggling down the stairs with a heavy safe from the society's offices in Clifton Fields, Shipton Road in York, only to see a removal man from Whitby Olivers pick it up and carry it with apparent ease.

It is a far cry from the conditions in which the society's present staff work in purpose-built, multi-million pound accommodation, preparing for a Great Yorkshire Show which costs around £2m to stage.

The four agree that the society's sale of land to Sainsbury's for the construction of a superstore on the edge of the showground unlocked the finance which gave the Great Yorkshire Show security. Mr Martindale said: "I think this saved the Yorkshire Agricultural Society from some of the problems that other shows are now facing."

The society has also became far more of a business enterprise, using the showground and its expanded facilities, including Pavilions and the Yorkshire Event Centre as year-round operations instead of just for the three days of the agricultural show.

Mr Martindale, whose home is in York, has the longest memories of those who attended yesterday's lunch at the 150th Great Yorkshire Show as guests of the society. He joined as an office junior at the age of 16 and became show secretary in 1991.

On the eve of today's visit by the Queen and Duke of Edinburgh, Mr Martindale, who retired in 1994 after 43 years, recalled organising the reception for their last visit in 1977. That was during the Queen's Silver Jubilee celebrations.

Lt Colonel Young, who now lives at Moffat in Dumfriesshire, joined the society as secretary general – now chief executive – in September, 1978, and remained in the post until he retired in 1992.

In that time he gained a reputation for being prepared to tackle even the most humble jobs. On one occasion the Yorkshire Post photographed him sweeping up the inevitable after donkeys were taken on to the President's Lawn.

The former Army officersaid: "We used to do the annual move to Harrogate on the day the Royal Show started and I got out of it by going there."

He was involved in three Royal visits – Princess Margaret's in 1982, the Duchess of Kent's in 1987 and the Princess Royal's in 1992.

Mr Jackson and Mr Ward, who continued to live in York when the society moved to Harrogate, both became show managers. Mr Jackson retired in 1999 when he was succeeded by Mr Ward who retired in 2003.

Overall the four agreed that the society they helped to develop into today's thriving organisation is continuing to run shows that they would have been proud of.

Lt Col Young said: "I was a soldier for a long time and there was nothing worse than getting something going and making a success of it and then going back and being disappointed by what it had become.

"The nice thing about the Great Yorkshire Show is that it is as good as it was.

"We are proud to have been associated with it."