TA: How’s sunny Queensland and the holiday with the Bride and kids?
AT: Well strange as it might seem not everything has gone 100 per cent according to plan. Struck hurdles on the first night in Geelong after booking a room over the internet site whatif. Pictures looked sensational on the website but they were obviously from a completely different motel. Arrived and there were letters missing off the sign out the front. Never a good start. Thought I had entered a time machine and arrived back in 1952 when I opened the room. It smelt like old grannies, not that there’s anything wrong with that. Light switches didn’t work, got down to zero degrees and the heater was sparking more than producing heat. And then the traffic, I thought some of the trucks were driving through the room.
TA: Geez you’re not bad at sooking.
AT: Settle Tim, I haven’t started yet. Then the Bride decided at 5.30am it was time to get up. I had a shave, shower, fuelled up the car and had the traditional McDonald’s brekkie before the sun had even thought about coming up. Caught a flight out of Avalon and got to Queensland and it started raining. Went to Dream World with the kids on Wednesday. Not the value it used to be. They want another $10 per person for anything decent you wanted to do. And of course it rained, heavy rain, lots of heavy rain.
TA: Go anywhere else?
AT: Yesterday headed to Movie World. Much better value but I have officially sworn off rollercoasters — forever. Went on the Superman ride. Had everything clenched that tight I might have caused myself a permanent injury. It was Bill’s first rollercoaster ride and he said it was good. Handy that because I never saw a bloody thing and I got close to having an embarrassing accident. Temperature hit 30 degrees and I think I got sunstroke but it could be the after effects of the rollercoaster.
TA: On a local level I had a chat with Vicki Jellie during the week and she said she was amazed how much people have get behind Peter’s Project to develop cancer care facilities in the south-west.
TA: Vicki told me the heartwarming story about getting a phone call from Alex Egan to go out to Midfield Meat. When she got out there Alex passed her an envelope which had been posted to the meat works which contained a donation of $10,000.
AT: Any idea who made the donation?
TA: All confidential but Vicki said the person had a small Warrnambool business and thought it was a great local initiative, with major benefits for local people. Vicki said she was amazed how many groups had got behind the project. Different church guilds have made donations of about $1500. Things are being put in place so in the near future donations can be made on the website. On a different topic where were you when Julia Gillard became prime minister of the country?
AT: Pretty cut-throat business politics. I’m just wondering what position Julia’s going to play because it was only two weeks ago she said she was more chance of playing with the Western Bulldogs than being prime minister.
TA: Speaking of high fliers, I got an invite to the Rotary Club of Warrnambool East changeover dinner on Thursday night. Bruce Skilbeck was inducted as the new president, taking over from former policeman Glen Riddle in the top job. Warrnambool lawyer David Ryan told the audience that he had three parking tickets from a recent trip to Bath in England. Each ticket was worth 65 pound. The new motto for the club this year is building communities and bridging continents. The saying fits perfectly with the inaugural Stewart Dumesny award, which was presented to Damien Smith and Andy Graham for their hard work in East Timor helping connect water to a town.
AT: I happened to catch a glimpse of the races from England the other night and I thought I saw former chief Victorian steward Des Gleeson in the box next to Queen Lizzie. Would that be right?
TA: It was Gleeson. He and Helen have been overseas catching up with family and thought they would get to the races before going to Italy for a few days and then back to Port Fairy. Veteran jockey Neville Wilson and wife Carol were also in the crowd.
AT: I was very sad to hear that Ian Amoore passed away yesterday. Ian and Logie Watson helped build the district league into the successful competition it is today. Rest in peace mate after a life well lived. In footy news, Dave McVilly is expected to play with South after serving his suspension for running through Richmond’s Mark Coughlan. Until next week, hooroo.
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