Page 82 - Friendships Through the Years

animals. The animals, which attracted the most attention, were the gorillas in their new
enclosure, and particularly the baby gorilla, Bazundi. We arrived back at Lilydale at 9.30
P.M.
The first of the annual events in Les’s year was the second annual coach trip
(again organized by Carl Adamson) to Harrietville. Thirty-one Probus members and
ladies, plus three members of the Lilydale Garden Club, travelled in an Horizon’s Travel
th
Coach on Monday 28 October 1991, via Yea, Seymour, Euroa, Glenrowan (where we
visited the Ned Kelly “computerized” show), Bright and booked in at the Snowline Motel
Hotel, Harrietville. We stayed there for four nights, and visited Mt. Buffalo, Falls Creek,
Mt. Hotham, Bogong and Bright on the following days. The cost was $280 per person.
A lot of our overnight Coach trips, and some of the day trips, could not have taken
place without the support of people from outside the Club. The Lilydale Garden Club, in
particular, was very supportive. Carl Adamson had a lot of contacts, and when the Probus
members could not (or would not) attend our outings, Carl made sure that they went
ahead by going outside the Club. That is still necessary today on certain trips, and there
are a number of ladies (particularly) who have no connection with Probus but continue to
support us.
The ninth annual Christmas luncheon at the R.A.C.V. Healesville attracted 59
persons who paid $20 per head.
The bowls tournament (also the ninth annual) was again held at the Heathmont
th
Bowling Club on Wednesday 11 March 1992. Three teams were selected:(1) George
Newman, Maurie Barnes, Graham Nott and Jack Walton; (2) Brian Walsh, Graeme
Kenyon, George Sank and Pat Wilkinson and (3) Geoff Paul, Allan Millsom, Roy Smith
and George Denham. Geoff Paul reported next day at the March meeting that:“The
teams had four wins from six games, a good performance.”
The next annual event was the fifth trip in succession to the Yarra Glen Races on
th
Thursday 16 April. Twelve persons were there for a fine but very cold day. Mixed
reports: mainly that they enjoyed their lunch but not much else!
th
The fifth annual car trip this year was to Lakes Entrance from 27 April to the 1st
May. Ten units were booked and 20 attended, staying at Sherwood Lodge Motel. This
was Arthur Coster’s old ‘stamping ground’ and he organized all the outings. There was a
trip to Paynesville and Metung on the M.V. Thunderbird; one to Nowa Nowa to see
wood carvings, and the last day by car to Paynesville, Metung and Bairnsdale.
Les Wanstall’s annual report presented at the annual general meeting in July
stated: “Those who attended the Car Trip to the Lakes will not forget the “Happy Hour”.
How true! It became the start of something big and has been a feature of the car trips ever
since. It came about by accident.
On all the previous trips, small groups got together in their rooms before the
evening meals and had a couple of drinks and nibbles, but nothing organized, and often
four or five different groups in that many units. At Lakes Entrance, Jack and Aileen
Coffey, on the first night out, decided to ask a few people to their room for pre-dinner
drinks. Before they knew it, they had asked the whole party! It was a great success and
they were “hanging from the ceiling”. They only had drinks and nibbles, no games nor
“hanky panky” nor “Julie for Willie”. That came at later car trips. The following nights
the same thing happened in President Les and Wilma’s room, then Rex and Connie
Wyatt’s unit and the last night in Neville and Win Meaby’s room.