Page 152 - Friendships Through the Years

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The 4 annual City walk on 12 May was to the recently opened Crown Casino.
Fifteen attended, inspected the huge complex, a small number had a very small wager and
then lunched there at one of the numerous restaurants and cafes.
The Club was shocked to hear news of the sudden death of Gerald Frogley on the
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morning of Monday 27 April 1998, as he and his wife, Rona, were preparing to leave
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for the Club’s 11 annual Car trip to Albury. The trip went ahead, the group stayed at the
Australia Park Motel, Albury. Eighteen units were utilized and 33 attended. Jack and
Aileen Coffey again organised an excellent barbecue at Bandiana.
The highlight of the “happy hour” was the members’ and ladies versions of
graffiti, which had been scrawled on the Lilydale Railway Bridge for over 25 years:
“Julie 4 Willie”. People were asked to tell us who they were, what they were doing and
what they are doing now. Some weird and wonderful thoughts came to light. One was
that they were two steam engines in the Lilydale railway yards, which were in love.
Another was that two people from Mars had written the graffiti. The CSIRO became
involved by taking samples of the paint that the Martian had used. There were stories of
love that had both happy and unhappy endings; “hookers” also got a mention. Jack
Coffey excelled with a poem that was a classic and was read out at a later meeting after
we returned from Albury.
For some years the Club had conducted a walk around Lillydale Lake followed by
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a barbecue. For a change, on Wednesday 28 October, 34 member and ladies drove to
Jean Aird’s Wonga Park property for a bush walk and barbecue. It was a great success,
with lovely weather. The visitors stayed from 10.30a.m to 2.30 p.m. Jean is the widow of
our foundation Treasurer, Albert, who died in 1995. She attended our meetings and
outings regularly, and her offer to give something back to the Club was much
appreciated.
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The previous year’s innovation of a Buffet luncheon at the 15 annual Christmas
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“do” at the R.A.C.V. Country Club, Healesville, was repeated again for the 16 annual
Luncheon. Seventy-eight attended and at the same cost - $20. McKenzie’s coach was
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again used, for the 17 successive year.
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At the 16 annual bowls tournament, again played at the Heathmont Bowling Club, this
Club had two rinks involved. Henri Lausberg, Harley Brown, Geoff Paul and Brian
Walsh were in one rink and the other consisted of Max Rees, Tom Whitefoot, Don Jones
and Keith Taylor. Again no results shown in our records, the Minutes or the newsletter.
There were a number of outstanding outings and functions in Martin’s year, the
second last of them being, possibly the best outing the Club has ever had. In March 1998
there was coach trip to the Toolangi “Forest Discovery Centre”, a bush walk, then a
picnic lunch at Queen Elizabeth Park, Healesville.
In April there was a coach trip to Shepparton including a visit to the Ardmona
Cannery at Mooroopna. (Lots of “seconds” were purchased and stored away in the
coach) and then to the Shepparton Equestrian Centre. Lunch was included for $27.
In June, 30 members and ladies attended an unusual and enjoyable function. It
was an “Olde Time Cinema Show” in the Lake Community room, followed by a picnic
lunch and fellowship. Several quite amusing, and very old, black and white silent films
were shown.