Scooter Club Reunion

Three years ago I received a call from a friend, who I hadn't heard from in 40 years. We used to belong to the same Judo Club and Scooter Club in Pt Moresby, Papua/New Guinea back in the 60's. A few of the club members had been in touch over the years and they set about trying to find me and were successful, which is another story. So every year we have a small get together for lunch. Last week it was our 3rd reunion. Since then I delved into my box of slides from the 60's, to find pics of us on some of our scooter trips. I have scanned them but remember the quality is from 40 years ago. Del, one of my friends from the Judo Club and the Scooter Club in the sixties. Now she lives near Ipswich not far from Brisbane. She belongs to a cycle club and goes on long distant rides. (Del is on the right). We were in our 20's then.

One of our trips was to Brown River near Pt Moresby. It is always tropical weather in P/NG except high in the mountains.

The boys , Charles and Graham had fun swinging from the bridge into the river.

Scooters of the 60's, mine was a Honda 50cc in the background.

Another trip was to a Idler's Bay. We drove along dirt roads to this beautiful tropical beach with no one there except us.

We had a barbecue lunch over an open fire. Charles was a fine cook.

We had the latest technology, a portable tape recorder, for dancing on the beach. Bob and Del. 

The next trip was into the foothills of the Owen Stanley Mountain Range behind Pt Moresby. We had to get permission to enter this cattle station at Bisianumu.

We had been riding uphill for a long time and now we were high in the hills.

We found this beautiful swimming hole in the fast running creek and the water was freezing coming down from the mountains.

We had fun

but you had to be careful.......

.....not to get swept over the waterfall.

As if that wasn't enough thrills for the day on the way down the mountain we stopped at Sogerie Weir where there is a flume (concrete water channel) feeding water into the weir it is quite fast flowing and it goes underground through a pipe and grates into the weir so it is dangerous to swim in it but heaps of fun getting floated down at speed.

I can't believe we ignored this sign.

First you have to balance on the side and walk a mile and a half up hill. This is where I chickened out as I got dizzy walking on the wall with a drop on one side and speeding water on the other. The others continued and I waited for them to come........

.....bobbing down, shrieking with excitement. I hopped in and went a short distance it was fun but scary as you had to...

....grab the wall and haul yourself out before you got dragged into the pipe.

We continued on down the hill past the weir and stopped at a picnic spot and.....

...bandaged up Del's foot that she had scraped in the concrete channel. Then home to someone's place for fish and chips for tea.

The next trip was to Hombrom's bluff up in the foothills again. We stopped at.....

......the Sogeri markets to buy fruit for morning tea.

Del, Graham, Elwyn, Charles, Bev, and Bob.

The view looking back towards Pt Moresby you can see the dirt road we came up.

Looking towards Sogeri with the road snaking through the hills.

Riding down the hill. The road was corrugated and it made your hands and arms tingle.

Down we come to beat the afternoon tropical downpour.

We pull into the only hotel up there at Sogeri. P/NG.

40 YEARS LATER we sit around the table of another hotel -in Brisbane, Aust.

Graham from Tamworth, NSW. Del from Ipswich, Charles from Modanville Northern Rivers NSW. His wife Penny, me, Bill, Diana (Graham's wife), Merle and George (Del's Sister and BIL)

SOMETHING NEW

After our reunion lunch, Bill and I tried something new.....

We caught the bus home from the city (trying to save on parking fees)

Our first time on a city bus.

It was raining but we were on the bus way at the side of the freeway, no cars.

A bus station

A plugged in teen

Another bus station

All the cars jammed up going slower than us, he he

The last station is ours we find our car for a short drive home. That was fun and cheap on pensioner off peak ticket. yea!

Outback Birthday Bear Misses the Show

It was Bill's birthday yesterday and his choice of venue for our birthday group was the Australian Outback Spectacular show and dinner. Unfortunately, Birthday Bear wasn't allowed to come, he had to wait to join us when we had supper at our place after the show. For those who are not familiar with our birthday group, it started as a way to keep in touch with retired friends and spouses from the staff of Kuraby State School. Instead of giving presents each birthday we pass a bear around, but each time it must be dressed differently to reflect the interests of the recipient. We arrived early to pick up tickets and then all visitors were corralled in a hall and entertained with bush songs while we waited for the doors to open. There were photos, drinks and memorabilia on sale.

We opted for a silly photo. Everyone is given a stockman's hat with either a red or yellow band to indicate which side of the arena to sit, and which station we belonged to.

Bill and me with George waiting for the show to start in front of the horse stables. The horses were magnificent animals and so well cared for. No photography allowed in the show.

The show and meal was very good. We witnessed a multitude of riding skills, an incite into station life and the early pioneers. We listened to bush ballads watched sheepdog mustering and wild colt breaking. We cheered for our station/team in the pig races, camel races, and desert boat races. We saw Honda Quads verse horses in a time trial around an obstacle course and many more wonderful acts. We all enjoyed ourselves immensely. Then we all came home to find ..........

...that Ann had dressed Birthday Bear as a stockman on his horse for Bill. I had a senior moment and forgot to use a flash so pics not so good.

Bear on his horse, which has it's head in the chaff bag. (or is it a web brush?)

Bill had a happy birthday.

Bear has his shotgun at the ready. He looks smart in his jeans and checked shirt. Ann and George did a great job.

Bill cooked his own birthday apricot pie, He's a good bloke.

Paul, Bill, George, Mary, Helen and Ann. We miss Chris and Bob who are working their way around Australia actually they could be swimming around at the moment as they are in the flooded area of Queensland.

SURPRISE SURPRISE!! AND FAREWELL

What a fabulous day we had yesterday! What wonderful girls we have! Carol is visiting us from London and Sonya lives in Sydney. As Carol is leaving today she asked Bill and me to go to lunch with her yesterday to celebrate Bill's birthday, which is next week but she won't be here then. She asked us to meet her in town at the Watt Restaurant at The Power House Arts Complex in New Farm. She was dropping off husband David at his parents place for a farewell lunch with his family. We arrived at the restaurant before Carol and asked about a table booked for us, they said yes there was a table for four. That's funny there is only three of us and we sat wondering why Carol had booked for 4. Then suddenly Carol appeared with her sister Sonya in tow. What a grand surprise to see Sonya here from Sydney too. Carol and Sonya had cooked up this surprise for Bill's birthday and to say goodbye to Carol. Sonya had flown from Sydney just to have lunch with us and then she had to fly back the same day for an early start at work today. Can you believe that??

A surprise visit to Brisbane from Sydney by Sonya for her Dad's birthday.

Carol and Sonya cooked up the idea.

It was so exciting to have the four of us together for lunch, this doesn't happen very often. Tomorrow Sonya will be back in Sydney and Carol will be on her way back to London.

We had mushrooms for the entree...... ...I had lamb... ...Bill had eye fillet... .......Carol had Barramundi fish .....

....Sonya had Rissotto...

Chocolate bread and butter pudding.....

...Cheese and crackers all washed down with Rose wine. What a great lunch and with BOTH our girls.

Sonya didn't need to be at the airport until 6:00 so we went for a walk to New Farm Village and had a coffee then we walked back to the restaurant and bar but .......

......it was too crowded with the local yuppies so we went to the park next door.....

....and enjoyed the view of the Brisbane River.

Sonya and Carol, our beautiful, thoughtful daughters. We miss you already. Carol took Sonya to the airport and said their goodbyes for another long time. Carol stayed with us last night but this morning.........

....she packed and we took her to the airport where we met David, who had come from his parents' place and they had a coffee at the airport with us where we tried hard to be happy and say goodbye for another long time. They would be flying now and close to Singapore, where they will stay overnight and then fly on to London tomorrow.