What a fantastic weekend!
Some arrived on Thursday, with the remainder arriving over the course of Friday. Overall we had 30 members and 12 boats.
Friday was hot. David, Wal MacCadames and Kevin from NSW took to the water for a putt. Disaster struck when Penguin's rudder broke a couple of kms upstream. An oar was jury rigged into action surf boat style to get back to camp.
Dinner was byo BBQ outside the Conference Centre, where everyone got to meet everyone else. We had visitors from Lake Macquarie NSW - Wal and Chris MacCadames and Kevin and Judy, and from McCrae on the Mornington Peninsula, Wayne and Norma Reynolds, and Abbey, David and Jan Gibson's Tenterfield terrier.
Being 4pm in a small country town with no Bunnings it was a race to find a solution. Off David and cousin Wayne went to the hardware to source a piece of timber where they managed to get a piece of pine board about the right size. Thank goodness Wayne is plumber and who tows their caravan with his work vehicle with lots of tools still in it! Together with Wal the three of them managed to fashion another rudder before dinner.
David Ayres will have to make a new flag pole as it became a victim of the low bridge between the lake and the river. Tony Remington thought he must have had a whip aerial when he saw David approach the bridge.
Saturday morning dawned fine and clear for our run downstream to the Nagambie Angling Club at Kirwan's Bridge, about an hours' putt. Russell and Margaret Hurren, WBA members who live in Nagambie, led the way and without their knowledge we had no hope of navigating our way into the clubs' mooring area. We were warmly welcomed by members and neighbors. The Angling Club has a lovely lawn sloping down to the waterfront with a number of shady trees, so some members lunched on the grass in the shade while others BBQd on the verandah. A presentation was made to Wally Curran, the club’s President and a WBA burgee is now displayed in their rooms.
After lunch we continued on down stream under Kirwan's Bridge for a further half hour or so before returning to the caravan park. Chris Kelly had booked the Entertainment Centre Bistro for dinner and all 30 of us thoroughly enjoyed our meal. Where did you put that pie Alan Chinn!
Sunday was another perfect day. A big breakfast was enjoyed by all, so with full tummies we took to the water again for a putt up to Chateau Tahbilk, where we 'taste tested' some of their reds and whites then lunched again on the lawn. David and Margaret, together with their son Tim, came for the day and joined the putt to Tahbilk.
Alas some had to return home Sunday evening but many of us stayed on until Monday morning. We had a cracker of a thunderstorm but fortunately not much rain during Sunday night. This is an ideal spot for a club weekend away and many are keen to return. Thanks to David Stott, OOD for the weekend for organizing our trips, Jenny Stott for organizing the breakfast and to Russell for organizing the Angling Club’s facilities for us to use. Russell also had some Plan Bs should the weather have been inclement. Glad everyone enjoyed their breakfast.
David and Jenny Stott
Wally Cubbin's Photos
David and Jenny Stott's Photos
Penny Braybrook's Photos
Roderick Smith's Photos
Rob Ripley's Photos
