Page 140 - Friendships Through the Years

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The 3 annual City walk on Friday 18 April was by train and tram to the Queen
Victoria Markets, North Melbourne. Twenty-six members and ladies spent money on the
bargains in the market stalls. They also enjoyed a good quality lunch together in a most
unlikely locality in the market area at the Mercat Cross Hotel. Bert Walker gave a
glowing account of the outing at the next meeting in May, particularly the lunch at the
pub and some of the bargains he and Joyce picked up at the Market.
Donald McLean also commented at the May meeting on his first car trip with the
Club and he obviously enjoyed it. It was the tenth annual car trip, this time to the
Mulwala Services Club Motor Inn, just over the river from Yarrawonga. It was from
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Monday 28 April to Friday 2 May 1997. Eighteen units were occupied, (32 people)
and the accommodation was excellent. Jack Coffey’s traditional barbecue was held on the
banks of the Murray River and Lake Mulwala, at the Yarrawonga Rowing Club. Keith
McLennan is a Life Member of the Rowing Club, and arranged with the President and
Treasurer for the use of their facilities. It made for a lovely outing. Roy Bowles, the
Treasurer and also a Life Member of the Rowing Club, told the members the story of the
Club and the area and showed them around the boatsheds.
On Wednesday was a visit to the Mt. Prior Winery along the N.S.W. side of the
river (the other side of Corowa.) The brother of Margaret McLean, Donald McLean’s
wife, owned Mt. Prior. He provided a wine tasting and a gourmet lunch. All told it was a
very pleasant day.
It wasn’t possible for the Motor Inn to provide a separate room for the happy hour
as had happened on the previous four trips. However they made available an area near the
swimming pool exclusively for us. It was in the open, but the weather was perfect, and
we managed to get through each of the four happy hours (one each day!) without rain and
always finished in daylight and before the mosquitoes drove us inside.
For entertainment there were Limericks, Celebrity Heads, Ladies hats and Men’s
ties. Jack and Aileen Coffey conducted an unusual quiz. Members brought their photos
of the Mulwala trip to the June meeting and Neville Meaby showed a video he had taken
of the trip.
The outing in February 1998 was to the R.A.A.F Museum at Point Cook using
Panorama Coaches, 42 members attended. It was the hottest day of the summer. The
thermometer reached 42 degrees and there was a very strong, hot wind. Even though the
Coach was air-conditioned, it struggled to cope, particularly as the driver left the coach
out in the sun whilst we had lunch, although there was ample shade from some large trees
100 metres away from where it was parked.
Some of the R.A.A.F. exhibits we inspected were in the open and the majority of
the party looked for the shade in the large hangars. Lunch was at the Point Cook
Homestead, in the shade, but still very hot. The Homestead’s two goats accompanied us
into lunch and tried to share several of the lady’s plates of salad. We had a very hot trip
back to Lilydale. This was the most uncomfortable trip the Club had undertaken in its 15
years to this date. It was not the fault of the coach company. This trip surpassed the
coach trip to Sorrento in February 1984. That coach had “square tyres” after standing in
the sun for hours whilst waiting for the members who travelled by ferry to Queenscliff
for lunch and back.