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--- 199712 [2016/04/22 14:29] – [Letters. Letters, Letters] kennettj
+++ 199712 [2016/04/22 14:46] – kennettj
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 |Committee Members| Suzanne Garland & Don Wills|
 |Delegates to Confederation| Jim Callaway & Ken Smith|
-**
-DECEMBER 1997**
+**DECEMBER 1997**
 In This Issue, No. 757
-P   2	Conservation Corner. Management of National
+|P   2 |Conservation Corner|
+|       |Management of National Parks by Aboriginal Land Councils|
-Parks by Aboriginal Land Councils.
+|       |Willow Eradication Walks|
+|P   4	|Army Training in the Grose Valley: Part 2 by Ralph Sutton|
-Willow Eradication Walks
+|P   5	|Song Book|
+|       |SBW Christmas Party|
-P   4	Army Training in the Grose Valley: Part 2
+|       |SBW Balmoral Barbecue |
+|P   7	|Getting my Knickers in Navigation Knots by Elwyn Morris|
- by Ralph Sutton
+|P 8	|70th Anniversary Celebrations: in review |
+|P 10	|A Bicycle in Burgundy by Tom Wenman|
-P   5	Song Book
+|P 12	|November General Meeting by Barry Wallace|
+|P 13	|Letters, Letters, Letters|
-	SBW Christmas Party
+|       |Club Coolana|
+|P 14	|Footnotes|
-	SBW Balmoral Barbeque
+|        |Social Note|
+|        |Illegal Flower Pickers|
-P   7	Getting my Knickers in Navigation Knots
-by Elwyn Morris
-P 8	70th Anniversary Celebrations: in review
-P 10	A Bicycle in Burgundy by Tom Wenman
-P 12	November General Meeting by Barry Wallace
-P 13	Letters, Letters, Letters
-	Club Coolana
-P 14	Footnotes
-	Social Note
-	Illegal Flower Pickers
 Advertisers
-P  3		 Alpsports
+P  3		 Alpsports \\
+P  6		 Eastwood Camping Centre\\
+P  9		 Willis's Walkabouts\\
+Back cover	 Paddy Pallin
-P  6		 Eastwood Camping Centre
-P  9		 Willis's Walkabouts
-Back cover	 Paddy Pallin
 ====== Conservation Corner ======
@@ Line 93: / Line 70: @@
 There are two methods by which new AoNP can be created.  Firstly, where State land is claimed by an Aboriginal. Land Council under the Aboriginal Land Rights Act 1983 and is found to also be needed for the essential public purpose of Nature Conservation, the land my become an AoNP. This will involve additions to the National Park estate.
-Secondly, where land is already a National. Park it can become an AoNP by being placed on Schedule 14 of the National Parks and Wildlife Act. The process for this requires an application being made by any person to the Direct-General of NP&WS, the Director-General making a report to the Minister, the Minister making a recommendation the area be added to Schedule 14 as long as it is at least as significant to Aboriginal people as the other lands on Schedule 14 and an Act of Parliament being passed.
+Secondly, where land is already a National Park it can become an AoNP by being placed on Schedule 14 of the National Parks and Wildlife Act. The process for this requires an application being made by any person to the Direct-General of NP&WS, the Director-General making a report to the Minister, the Minister making a recommendation the area be added to Schedule 14 as long as it is at least as significant to Aboriginal people as the other lands on Schedule 14 and an Act of Parliament being passed.
 AoNP provide a valuable opportunity for the public to enjoy the usual benefits of land being a National Park as well as the special benefits of aboriginal culture and Aboriginal input into the management of the lands. For their part some Aboriginal people can have their traditional ownership of their land formally acknowledged as well as have the opportunity to have input into the management of those lands.
@@ Line 100: / Line 77: @@
 The Kowmung Committee aims to rid the Kowmung River of introduced plants.  While many are beyond our resources to tackle or would require the removal of feral grazing animals to be effective, the eradication of willow trees is something which can be achieved within a couple of years.  Already around 20 km of has been targeted with high success rates on follow-up walks.  On the weekend 31/01-1/02 1998, we will be completing the missing link between Orange Bluff and Ferny Flat and over Easter we will target upstream of Christies Creek.  Both trips will start and finish at Kanagra Walls.  The pace of work is never overwhelming and the surrounds are certainly an agreeable work environment.  If you're interested contact John Macris 02 9526 7363 (home).
 ====== Army Training in the Grose Valley (Part 2) ======
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 by Ralph Sutton
-In Part 1 of this article, published last month, the author described the walk in February 1944 from Scheyville to Blackheath via Richmond, Windsor, Yarramundi, and the Grose River to Blue Gum Forest.  In this part the author details some of the historical and geographical information about people, places and events .
+In Part 1 of this article, published last month, the author described the walk in February 1944 from Scheyville to Blackheath via Richmond, Windsor, Yarramundi, and the Grose River to Blue Gum Forest.  In this part the author details some of the historical and geographical information about people, places and events.
-First Exploration
+First Exploration\\
+The first major European incursion into the Blue Mountains was in 1813 by Gregory Blaxland, William Charles Wentworth and William Lawson. George Evans in 1813/14 surveyed the land from the Blue Mountains to the Macquarie River, beyond Bathurst. The road over the Blue Mountains was built under the supervision of William Cox in 1814.
-The first major European incursion into the Blue Mountains was in 1813 by Gregory Blaxland, William Charles Wentworth and William Lawson.   George Evans in 1813/14 surveyed the land from the Blue Mountains to the Macquarie River, beyond Bathurst.   The road over the Blue Mountains was built under the supervision of William Cox in 1814.
-The Hawkesbury River System
+The Hawkesbury River System\\
 The Hawkesbury River drainage system is over 480 km long.  It rises as the Wollondilly River near Crookwell and flows through deep gorges to join the Coxs River, when it becomes the Warragamba River (now flooded by the waters of the Warragamba Dam). Near Wallacia it flows into the Nepean which, at its junction with the Grose River south-west of Richmond, becomes the Hawkesbury River. The Hawkesbury then flows on to the Pacific Ocean at Broken Bay.
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 Historical Notes
-It is thought that the Dharuq tribe of Aborigines occupied what is now the North Richmond area of the Hawkesbury River at the time of the first settlement in 1788. In March that year Governor Phillip took an exploratory party by boat to Broken Bay. On 17 April, when exploring what is now Middle Harbour - and westward along the north shore of Port Jackson, he recorded: And when about fifteen Miles from the Sea Coast, we had a very fine View of the Mountains inland, the Northern-most of which I named Carmarthen Hills, and the Southernmost Lansdown Hills. A mountain between I called Richmond Hill and from the rising of these mountains I did not doubt but that a large River would be found...Richmond Hill was so named, in honour of Lord Richmond.  The gap separating the Carmarthen Hills and the Lansdown Hills, as named by Phillip, when he probably was in the Pennant Hills area, is the Grose River Valley. South-west of North Richmond is a hill which is almost certainly to be Phillip's Richmond Hill. In a third expedition Phillip's reconnaissance party reached the area by boat but as rapids in the river prevented his sailing further upstream his party camped at the foot of a "high mountain" on 5 June. On the following morning he climbed with his party to the top of the hill, from where he could see clearly on his left the Lansdown Hills and on his right the Carmarthen Hills. He felt sure that he was on the hill which he had called Richmond Hill. He named the Hawkesbury River after Baron Hawkesbury, the Earl of Liverpool.  About that time, on an expedition from Rose Hill (now Parramatta), Captain Watkin Tenth discovered a river as "nearly as wide as the Thames at Putney" which Phillip later named Nepean after Evan Nepean, the Under-Secretary of State for the Colonies. At that stage he did not realise that the Nepean and the Hawkesbury were the same river.
+It is thought that the Dharuq tribe of Aborigines occupied what is now the North Richmond area of the Hawkesbury River at the time of the first settlement in 1788. In March that year Governor Phillip took an exploratory party by boat to Broken Bay. On 17 April, when exploring what is now Middle Harbour - and westward along the north shore of Port Jackson, he recorded: And when about fifteen miles from the Sea Coast, we had a very fine view of the Mountains inland, the Northern-most of which I named Carmarthen Hills, and the Southernmost Lansdown Hills. A mountain between I called Richmond Hill and from the rising of these mountains I did not doubt but that a large River would be found. Richmond Hill was so named, in honour of Lord Richmond.  The gap separating the Carmarthen Hills and the Lansdown Hills, as named by Phillip, when he probably was in the Pennant Hills area, is the Grose River Valley. South-west of North Richmond is a hill which is almost certainly to be Phillip's Richmond Hill. In a third expedition Phillip's reconnaissance party reached the area by boat but as rapids in the river prevented his sailing further upstream his party camped at the foot of a "high mountain" on 5 June. On the following morning he climbed with his party to the top of the hill, from where he could see clearly on his left the Lansdown Hills and on his right the Carmarthen Hills. He felt sure that he was on the hill which he had called Richmond Hill. He named the Hawkesbury River after Baron Hawkesbury, the Earl of Liverpool.  About that time, on an expedition from Rose Hill (now Parramatta), Captain Watkin Tenth discovered a river as "nearly as wide as the Thames at Putney" which Phillip later named Nepean after Evan Nepean, the Under-Secretary of State for the Colonies. At that stage he did not realise that the Nepean and the Hawkesbury were the same river.
 Captain William Paterson of the New South Wales Corps, who had arrived in the colony in October 1791, was sent to Norfolk Island as the commander of the detachment located there.  In March 1793 he returned to Sydney and, having had wide experience in exploration in South Africa, led an expedition in September to find a way through the mountains to the West.  Although he failed to find such a route, he did discover the Grose River and named it after his commanding officer, Major Francis Grose. Equipped with light canoes, his reconnaissance party carried them over the rapids in the Hawkesbury River and over the rapids and waterfalls in the Grose River, then rowed up the latter to its junction [55481 with a tributary which is now named Wentworth Creek.
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 Shortly after arriving in Sydney in July 1807, Ensign Archibald Bell of the New South Wales Corps purchased the Richmond Hill property [6948] from John Bowman, to whom it had been granted in 1803. A little later he was granted 500 acres, adjoining the land which he had purchased. He named the property Belmont and on it he built a timber home. That house was replaced by a stone house in 1834. Experiencing financial difficulties, Bell sold the property and it was subdivided. When he died about 1837, aged 62, he was buried in Belmont Park with his wife and granddaughter, Elizabeth Georgina Bell. In 1860 Henry Newcomen purchased the property on which the stone house stood. He demolished it and re-built - and later, rebuilt again. The present mansion - the St John of God Hospital - was built on the site in 1889.
-Back in Governor Phillip's time the Green Hills area of the Hawkesbury valley became important as it supplied agricultural and pastoral products for the early settlement at Sydney.  However, as a result of its flooding in 1806 and the resulting losses of crops and livestock, Governor Lachlan
+Back in Governor Phillip's time the Green Hills area of the Hawkesbury valley became important as it supplied agricultural and pastoral products for the early settlement at Sydney.  However, as a result of its flooding in 1806 and the resulting losses of crops and livestock, Governor Lachlan Macquarie, in December 1810, selected the sites for five towns which he believed would be safe from flooding - Castlereagh, Pitt Town, Richmond, Wilberforce and Windsor. On 11 October 1817 he laid the foundation stone of St Matthew's Church in Windsor, which had been designed by Francis Greenway.  Gradually the name of Green Hills died away.
-Macquarie, in December 1810, selected the sites for five towns which he believed would be safe from flooding - Castlereagh, Pitt Town, Richmond, Wilberforce and Windsor. On 11October 1817 he laid the foundation stone of St Matthew's Church in Windsor, which had been designed by Francis Greenway.  Gradually the name of Green Hills died away.
+In 1856 Captain J. S. Hawkins RE and his party of Royal Sappers and Miners, which had been engaged in survey duties in Tasmania, arrived in Sydney. They were put under command of Lieutenant Colonel George Barney, then Surveyor-General, who set them to work investigating possible extensions to the infant railway system. In February 1857 Hawkins was appointed a Railway Commissioner but, on his departure for England, his detachment of Royal Engineers (which they had become by authority of an Order-in-Council of 17 October 1856), now under command of Sergeant Henry Quodling, was placed under control of the Chief Commissioner of Railways, Captain B. H. Martindale RE, who had arrived in New South Wales in July 1857.  One of the tasks which Quodling and his men undertook, under Martindale's newly appointed Engineer-in-Chief John Whitton, was a survey of a possible extension of the railway system up the Grose River valley and by tunnel through the Darling Causeway and then on to Hartley and Lithgow. A labour force of 49 men was allotted to Quodling's team for the construction of a track along the valley. The arduous task was completed in March 1860 but construction of a railway along the Grose River valley was not approved and the "Engineers Track" gradually fell into disrepair.  In 1892 a water supply pumping station for Richmond was established on the Hawkesbury River, just below its junction with the Grose River.
-In 1856 Captain J. S. Hawkins RE and his party of Royal Sappers and Miners, which had been engaged in survey duties in Tasmania, arrived in Sydney. They were put under command of
-Lieutenant Colonel George Barney, then Surveyor-General, who set them to work investigating possible extensions to the infant railway system. In February 1857 Hawkins was appointed a Railway Commissioner but, on his departure for England, his detachment of Royal Engineers (which they had become by authority of an Order-in-Council of 17 October 1856), now under command of Sergeant Henry Quodling, was placed under control of the Chief Commissioner of Railways, Captain B. H. Martindale RE, who had arrived in New South Wales in July 1857.  One of the tasks which Quodling and his men undertook, under Martindale's newly appointed Engineer-in-Chief John Whitton, was a survey of a possible extension of the railway system up the Grose River valley and by tunnel through the Darling Causeway and then on to Hartley and Lithgow. A labour force of 49 men was allotted to Quodling's team for the construction of a track along the valley. The arduous task was completed in March 1860 but construction of a railway along the Grose River valley was not approved and the "Engineers Track" gradually fell into disrepair.  In 1892 a water supply pumping station for Richmond was established on the Hawkesbury River, just below its junction with the Grose River.
 On 20 April 1911 the SS Paloona arrived in Sydney Harbour with twelve youths, aged from 17 to 20, who had come to Australia under the "Dreadnought Scheme" to train at the Government Agricultural Training Farm near Pitt Town, under the direction of W.F. Schey, the Director of Labour in New South Wales. As a tribute to Schey, the farm became known as "Scheyville'.
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 For the SBW not too much happens in January, but what does happen is well worth noting.  Wed 7 January,  there is a barbecue at the south end of Balmoral Beach.  It starts after work between 5 PM and 6 PM and goes till it finishes.  BYO food and drink and if you're smart a chair (NB at this Balmoral no Corgies).  Alter your menu to suit if there's a fire ban.  If it's raining ring Peter Dalton for alternative arrangements.
 ====== Getting My Knickers in Navigational Knots ======
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 Maureen Carter had an even harder time, she told me, because when she was driving in Ireland in snow last January after visiting Miriam’s family, the crucial road sign was covered in ice. ‘How did you navigate?’ I wanted to know. ‘By the sun,’ she said. ‘But it’s in the wrong place - in the south!’ ‘That’s not wrong if you’re born in Wales,’ she reminded me.
-I even had trouble in England, on the smaller Devon one-lane lanes going round the edges of rectangular fields, with high hedges and blind corners and zooming local traffic. Sadly, the Romans had  never got round to straightening these nightmares. Once we wound up in a farmer’s backyard; it was in his interests to give crystal clear directions to the nearest two-lane road.
+I even had trouble in England, on the smaller Devon one-lane lanes going round the edges of rectangular fields, with high hedges and blind corners and zooming local traffic. Sadly, the Romans had never got round to straightening these nightmares. Once we wound up in a farmer’s backyard; it was in his interests to give crystal clear directions to the nearest two-lane road.
 Directions were less clear in New England, USA, when hunting for a campground.  Even at the local tourist offices, they weren’t strong on miles and place-names.  ‘It’s only ten minutes from here,’ they once said reassuringly.  ‘Take a right at Dunkin’ Donuts, and a left at Adds Variety.’  ‘Adds Variety?’ we repeated wonderingly.  ‘Sure - the CVS! You can’t miss it!’  This turned out to mean ‘Ed’s Variety Store’, while CVS meant convenience store, what we’d call a corner shop.
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 The last time I saw Paris - ten minutes ago.
-On an earlier trip, we flew direct to Paris but didn’t want to drive into it but  to the small town of Epernay, only an hour’s drive north from Charles de Gaulle airport, which was already on the north edge of Paris.  I’d heard of a novice driver caught in the traffic going round and round the Arc de Triomphe at high speed, too scared to cause an accident by trying to escape, until he ran out of petrol. Our exit from Barcelona had been as terrifying when after surviving the machine-gun fire of five-lane boulevards, we ended in a high-speed underground vortex uncertain which exit to take, thinking we’d go right down the plughole.  We were quite unfit to cope with a big city, or a fast, super-expensive autoroute. No, we were using quiet little D-roads through the countryside, would do an hour’s tour of the champagne cellars when we arrived, and retire to a campground on the peaceful River Marne to catch up on our jetlag. I’d worked out the route from a map I had from a trip long before.
+On an earlier trip, we flew direct to Paris but didn’t want to drive into it but to the small town of Epernay, only an hour’s drive north from Charles de Gaulle airport, which was already on the north edge of Paris.  I’d heard of a novice driver caught in the traffic going round and round the Arc de Triomphe at high speed, too scared to cause an accident by trying to escape, until he ran out of petrol. Our exit from Barcelona had been as terrifying when after surviving the machine-gun fire of five-lane boulevards, we ended in a high-speed underground vortex uncertain which exit to take, thinking we’d go right down the plughole.  We were quite unfit to cope with a big city, or a fast, super-expensive autoroute. No, we were using quiet little D-roads through the countryside, would do an hour’s tour of the champagne cellars when we arrived, and retire to a campground on the peaceful River Marne to catch up on our jetlag. I’d worked out the route from a map I had from a trip long before.
 But a brand new high rise housing development had been plonked down on the first D-road, and we soon found ourselves back in the airport for another try. This time, once in the country, I consulted an ancient metal compass so we could turn north, and kept following the marked pointer. It was only much later that I discovered the red paint on the north pointer had worn off, leaving me to assume south was north. This didn’t help - and nor did an overcast sky with the sun struggling through in the wrong place.
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 We wound up in suburbia, where I asked a young man in his front garden where we were, and what was the way to Epernay. We were still in Paris. His chivalry aroused by my excuse that we’d just come from Australia - yes, the land of the kangaroo - he told us to follow him, leapt into his car, and after half an hour, left us on the entrance to the autoroute to Rheims, with a triumphant wave.
-Twenty francs and twenty minutes later, we managed to escape into a French village. We’d arrived at l0.30 am and it was now 2 PM, so we wolfed down the left-over chocolates, cheeses and liqueurs from the plane for lunch, and by following the River Marne, made it to Epernay in time for the last champagne cellar tour. .
+Twenty francs and twenty minutes later, we managed to escape into a French village. We’d arrived at l0.30 am and it was now 2 PM, so we wolfed down the left-over chocolates, cheeses and liqueurs from the plane for lunch, and by following the River Marne, made it to Epernay in time for the last champagne cellar tour.
 The only time I admitted total defeat was in the south of France, where our travel guidebook had waxed lyrical about a pretty, unspoilt village and given directions from the previous village. Neither was signposted - a rare omission in efficient France. By the time I’d worked this out, it was too late. I decided that the canny villagers (possibly English?) had got sick of gawking tourist traffic and using a bit of ruthless French logic, removed the signs altogether.
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 ====== 70th Anniversary Celebrations: in  review ======
-Now that the dust has settled, the old photos have been put back in  the cupboard and the glad-rags hug up till the next galah occasion it is time to have a quite review of out 70th birthday.
+Now that the dust has settled, the old photos have been put back in the cupboard and the glad-rags hug up till the next galah occasion it is time to have a quite review of out 70th birthday.
-All the action was within an 11 day period in October.  Starting with the reunion on 11/12 October, the dinner on 17 October, picnic on 19 October and a nostalgia evening on 22 October.  To this should be added the unofficial but well attended presidential picnic on 18 October.
+All the action was within an 11 day period in October.  Starting with the reunion on 11/12 October, the dinner on 17 October, picnic on 19 October and a nostalgia evening on 22 October. To this should be added the unofficial but well attended presidential picnic on 18 October.
-Was this activity too much, too little or just right?  A good question.  The activities were planned to give maximum opportunity within minimum time for interstate travellers.  People coming to Sydney had to balance time away from home with the number of function they could attend.  People in Sydney could make the choice to suit themselves.  A guest book has been kept for all the functions just to keep a record of who was at what function.  If you missed out on signing, it will be available at the Christmas Party, so come along and you can fill in the missing spaces.
+Was this activity too much, too little or just right?  A good question. The activities were planned to give maximum opportunity within minimum time for interstate travellers.  People coming to Sydney had to balance time away from home with the number of function they could attend.  People in Sydney could make the choice to suit themselves.  A guest book has been kept for all the functions just to keep a record of who was at what function.  If you missed out on signing, it will be available at the Christmas Party, so come along and you can fill in the missing spaces.
-The reunion at Coolana was reasonably well attended with about 65 adults and untold children.  All activities were held on the river flats area, a park-like area.  The "Fire's Burning" entertainment was satisfactory, singing using the brand new SBW songbook plus some of the old song sheets, a musical play, commissioned for the event and produced by Mulga Production, supper prepared and served by Spiro.  The next day the traditional damper competition with a full range of edible and inedible offerings.  We had a large tarpaulin which acted as a focus point for meeting and talking and as insurance against rain.  The weather for the weekend was perfect; not too hot and not too cold, just right.
+The reunion at Coolana was reasonably well attended with about 65 adults and untold children.  All activities were held on the river flats area, a park-like area.  The "Fire's Burning" entertainment was satisfactory, singing using the brand new SBW songbook plus some of the old song sheets, a musical play, commissioned for the event and produced by Mulga Production, supper prepared and served by Spiro. The next day the traditional damper competition with a full range of edible and inedible offerings. We had a large tarpaulin which acted as a focus point for meeting and talking and as insurance against rain. The weather for the weekend was perfect; not too hot and not too cold, just right.
 The anniversary dinner attracted about 140 people scrubbed, polished and finely arrayed.  The dinner was a smorgasbord of good quality good quantity and served without a hitch.  Officialdom was kept to a minimum with the Minister for the Environment, Pam Allen, the only official guest. All speeches were mini speeches. Six members, Christine Austin, Maureen Carter, Helen Gray, Malcolm McGregor, Robert Pallin and John White spoke on various aspects of what SBW meant to them.
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 President Tony Holgate presented certificates of Honorary Membership and Honorary Active Membership to the those members raised to this rank of SBW privilege, who were present at the dinner: Paul Barnes OAM, Shirley Dean, Ian Debert, Frank Rigby, Marjorie Rodd, Malcolm McGregor, Grace Noble and John Noble.
-With all the things we had to do, as well as fitting in with the meal we ran out of time and forgot to cut the birthday cake.  At the dinner tickets for a monster raffle were sold and later drawn.  No one won the monster but the other prizes were terrific.  The raffle, prizes and ticket sales converted the whole 70th anniversary celebration from being financially doubtful into a positive cash flow situation.  Next month details on the raffle prizes.
+With all the things we had to do, as well as fitting in with the meal we ran out of time and forgot to cut the birthday cake.  At the dinner tickets for a monster raffle were sold and later drawn.  No one won the monster but the other prizes were terrific. The raffle, prizes and ticket sales converted the whole 70th anniversary celebration from being financially doubtful into a positive cash flow situation.  Next month details on the raffle prizes.
-The picnic at Manly Dam was well received.  Again we had the large tarpaulin as a focus point for meeting and talking and as insurance against rain.  No rain, fine weather, thanks again Hughie.  This informal setting was appreciated by many, easy access for those not so spry on their pins plus a menu of their own choosing.  The sausage sizzle and champagne was deemed by all to be a good idea.  The birthday cake was remembered and eventually cut by Edna Gentle one of the young ladies present.
-The nostalgia evening at the Club rooms, the last event in the celebrations was also successful.  Plenty of attendees, enough food, and a huge collection of posters, each depicting a particular event in photos and text, prepared, made and assembled by Don Matthews.  Again a small number of people made some well rehearsed, impromptu speeches.   Music was provided by a barbershop group of mixed singers (i.e. a mix of  good voices and less good voices).
+The picnic at Manly Dam was well received. Again we had the large tarpaulin as a focus point for meeting and talking and as insurance against rain. No rain, fine weather, thanks again Hughie.  This informal setting was appreciated by many, easy access for those not so spry on their pins plus a menu of their own choosing.  The sausage sizzle and champagne was deemed by all to be a good idea.  The birthday cake was remembered and eventually cut by Edna Gentle one of the young ladies present.
-The Presidential Picnic, which enjoyed only a brief life as an official anniversary celebration event, went ahead anyway as an unofficial event on Saturday 18 October.  This was attended by about 40 or 50 senior members and ex-members of the Club at an excellent venue.  Acting a little bit like a fly on a wall it was beautiful to see the affection these people had for each other; something we can all look forward to.
+The nostalgia evening at the Club rooms, the last event in the celebrations was also successful. Plenty of attendees, enough food, and a huge collection of posters, each depicting a particular event in photos and text, prepared, made and assembled by Don Matthews.  Again a small number of people made some well rehearsed, impromptu speeches.   Music was provided by a barbershop group of mixed singers (i.e. a mix of  good voices and less good voices).
-Now what did we do right and what did we do wrong.  In the absence of significant fan mail it is apparent that types of events, the venues and the associated costs found approval  with the majority of members.  The sausages and champagne at the picnic were a good thing, the tarpaulin at Coolana and the picnic was also a good idea.  The absence of name tags at the functions was a definite failing.  This was rectified at the Nostalgia Evening with "Hello my name is ….." tags.  Next time proper tags will be required.
+The Presidential Picnic, which enjoyed only a brief life as an official anniversary celebration event, went ahead anyway as an unofficial event on Saturday 18 October. This was attended by about 40 or 50 senior members and ex-members of the Club at an excellent venue. Acting a little bit like a fly on a wall it was beautiful to see the affection these people had for each other; something we can all look forward to.
-All members who attended or not, are invited to write in to record what was good, what was bad, and how the next event should be organised.  This information will go on file for the next organising sub-committee.
+Now what did we do right and what did we do wrong.  In the absence of significant fan mail it is apparent that types of events, the venues and the associated costs found approval with the majority of members.  The sausages and champagne at the picnic were a good thing, the tarpaulin at Coolana and the picnic was also a good idea. The absence of name tags at the functions was a definite failing.  This was rectified at the Nostalgia Evening with "Hello my name is ….." tags.  Next time proper tags will be required.
+All members who attended or not, are invited to write in to record what was good, what was bad, and how the next event should be organised. This information will go on file for the next organising sub-committee.
 ====== A Bicycle in Burgundy ======
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 It was only later, when perusing the leaflet which he gave me that I realised, of course that wasn't his name, he was merely asking me if I wanted to hire a bike.  My linguistic confidence plunged to an all time low, and I felt rather Basil Fawltyish.  Up until then I had been rather proud of my linguistic and travel accomplishments, having negotiated the Paris metro - albeit at some monetary cost - (I did rather better at the ticket machine on my return journey), and arrive at Beaune.
-Beaune, as you have no doubt deduced from the title, is in Burgundy.  It is an ancient city in the centre of a wine growing area, and wine shops are sprinkled generously along its delightful narrow and winding streets, and in its many squares.  My reason for being there however, whilst rather curiously decided upon, was not because of the beautiful wine produced in the region, nor because of the fame of its cheeses, but because of an architectural gem located in the very heart of this area at Vezelay, the church of  'La Madeleine'.
+Beaune, as you have no doubt deduced from the title, is in Burgundy.  It is an ancient city in the centre of a wine growing area, and wine shops are sprinkled generously along its delightful narrow and winding streets, and in its many squares.  My reason for being there however, whilst rather curiously decided upon, was not because of the beautiful wine produced in the region, nor because of the fame of its cheeses, but because of an architectural gem located in the very heart of this area at Vezelay, the church of 'La Madeleine'.
-Beaune itself also boasted some ancient and beautiful buildings, chiefly the 'Hotel-Dieu', built as a hospital in the middle ages and endowed to cater for the poor and rich alike.  It was notable for its decorated roof, 'Great Hall of The Poor' and the 'sumptuous decor of the vault'.  It continued to be used as a hospital until the early 1970's but now is purely a tourist attraction, restored complete with beds and furniture of the medieval period.  The display of ancient medical instruments is somewhat discomforting.  The work of the hospice continues, partly supported by the vineyard which it owns.  It is good to feel good about drinking a bottle of wine!
+Beaune itself also boasted some ancient and beautiful buildings, chiefly the 'Hotel-Dieu', built as a hospital in the middle ages and endowed to cater for the poor and rich alike.  It was notable for its decorated roof, 'Great Hall of The Poor' and the 'sumptuous decor of the vault'. It continued to be used as a hospital until the early 1970's but now is purely a tourist attraction, restored complete with beds and furniture of the medieval period.  The display of ancient medical instruments is somewhat discomforting. The work of the hospice continues, partly supported by the vineyard which it owns. It is good to feel good about drinking a bottle of wine!
-Vezelay, however was my objective.  In discussing the route I should take, 'Louis' commented that I would find many places of interest in the region, ancient and beautiful castles, churches, and monasteries.  So whilst a route was planned with his help he said that he had no doubt that once I was embarked on my trip I would probably wish to deviate to see some of the many gems that were dotted around the region.  So it was that I mounted the bicycle which I had hired, and it seemed, in contrast to my former pedestrian mobility that I had wings.
+Vezelay, however was my objective.  In discussing the route I should take, 'Louis' commented that I would find many places of interest in the region, ancient and beautiful castles, churches, and monasteries. So whilst a route was planned with his help he said that he had no doubt that once I was embarked on my trip I would probably wish to deviate to see some of the many gems that were dotted around the region.  So it was that I mounted the bicycle which I had hired, and it seemed, in contrast to my former pedestrian mobility that I had wings.
 The next morning I 'saddled' my bicycle with my pack, partly depleted with some contents displaced to a single pannier bag supplied with the bike.  I also had a small front bag secured to the handle bars, which I found useful for carrying my wet weather gear, jumper and lunch.  A transparent map pocket on top proved most useful.  The weather on leaving Beaune was cool, around 14 or 15 degrees, and shortly it began to rain.  It was about the middle of June and I anticipated correctly that there would be a minimum of tourists around.  Clearly I had miscalculated regarding the weather which I had thought would be quite warm.