Port Stephens Ulysses Branch

Transcription

1 November 2013 Port Stephens Ulysses Branch President: Merilyn (aka Leo) Evans Ph , Mob Secretary/Treasurer: Anne Crowley-Mulvay Mob Committee: Anne Crowley, Eve Johnstone, John Beddoe, Bob Lucas Ride Coordinator: John Beddoe All sensible correspondence to: PO Box 356 Salamander Bay NSW 2317 Newsletter correspondence to: Bob , Hi Everyone, President s Report Member of the Month Well the rain in the last few days has certainly made up for the last few weeks of none or very little. John and I are in Tuncurry for our annual fishing trip. The fish have not been as plentiful as last year and the weather far from perfect, but it is a great crowd here and a lot of fun is had by all. We were looking forward to having lunch with the Branch last Sunday at the Bellevue Hotel in Tuncurry but the ride was cancelled due to the bad weather. I would like to thank all the book packers who turned up on 27 th October to pack books to go to the villagers in New Guinea. 15 people turned up on the day and I must admit when I looked in that shed I thought this is impossible, but in true Ulysses spirit everyone jumped in, and in 2hrs we had sorted and packed hundreds of books. WELL DONE GUYS!!! I know Jacquie was so happy; some of the books had been sitting there for years. Kerrie made her usual yummy cakes - thanks Kerrie, and of course there was Ethica coffee and bottled water provided. thanks Anne The following Thursday some of us headed off down to Bargoed House for yet another great weekend of camping and the usual frivolity. The kayaks were a hit; I have heard that Billy has since purchased one. John E won the fishing competition; Big John s curried mince was sensational. It was good to see Sue Ford there - I think she actually enjoyed herself, but she could have done without the hiccup as they were leaving. Girls, don t forget our next lunch is on Thursday 28 th November at Lemon Tree Passage Bowling Club, commencing at 12.30pm. If you are attending and have not yet let me know, I need final numbers by Tuesday 26 th. Our next Branch meeting is on 29 th November. DON T FORGET, THERE IS NO DECEMBER MEETING. The Salvation Army Christmas Toy Run is on 1 st December, and our Branch Christmas Party is on 14 th December. More details on both these events will be available at the November meeting. Hope to see you all there. If I do not see any of you before the New Year I hope you have a wonderful Christmas, and that Santa is good to you. Stay Safe, Leo (Merilyn) Evans.

2 Secretary s Report Not sure whether the Treasurer or the Secretary forgot this Birthdays: November: December: Ken Williams, Brett Davis, Elvis Easthope, Marilyn Couch, and our lovely Sue McGarry and Trish Beddoe 70 ish girls (you re looking good!) Jackie McCallum, Shirl Stark, Col Williams, Dennis Mahoney, Ron Skinner and our President Leo (Merilyn) Evans. Anne TYPICAL TAX OFFICE STUFF The Australian Taxation Office suspected a fishing boat owner wasn't paying proper wages to his deckhand and sent an agent to investigate him. ATO AUDITOR: "I need a list of your employees and how much you pay them". BOAT OWNER: "Well, there's Clarence, my deckhand, he's been with me for 3 years. I pay him $1,000 a week plus free room and board. Then there's the mentally challenged bloke. He works about 18 hours every day and does about 90% of the work around here. He makes about $10 per week, pays his own room and board, and I buy him a bottle of Bundaberg rum and a dozen Crown Lagers every Saturday night so he can cope with life. He also gets to sleep with my wife occasionally". ATO AUDITOR: "That's the guy I want to talk to - the mentally challenged one". BOAT OWNER: "That'll be me. What'd you want to know? LAST WISHES Three friends from the local congregation were asked, "When you're in your casket, and friends and congregation members are mourning over you, what would you like them to say?" Artie said, "I would like them to say I was a wonderful husband, a fine spiritual leader, and a great family man." Eugene commented, "I would like them to say I was a wonderful teacher and servant of God who made a huge difference in people's lives." Al said, "I'd like them to say, 'Look, he's moving!'"

3 MINUTES OF SOCIAL MEETING 25 October 2013 (at Soldiers Point Bowling Club) Meeting Opened: 7.35p.m. Apologies: As per the attendance sheet Attendance: 23 President s Report: Thank you to Jackie McCallum, retiring Treasurer/Secretary. Welcome and thanks to Anne, new Treasurer/Secretary. Thank you to Leonie McCarthy for her great efforts updating branch flag and sewing a cloth bag to store the branch flag. Leonie requested the branch make a donation to UCARF in lieu of payment. Tony Crick s name entered on Ridden On List on Branch Website. Laraine suggested branch donation to Bush Fire Appeal. Volunteers for book packing on Sunday at 145 Tilligerry Track to meet at Paul s Corner at 9.00am for 9.30am start at Tanilba Bay, followed by lunch at RSL. Trip to Bargoed House Camping Weekend to meet at Paul s Corner 9.00am 31 October Donkey Ride to Glen William 10 November 2013, all to meet at Paul s Corner 9.00am ride to Kurri Kurri to meet Hills Branch at 10.30am. Girls lunch Thursday 28 November 2013 at Lemon Tree Passage Bowling Club. Toy Run 1 st December 2013 (not 8 th as previously mentioned). Branch Christmas Party 14 December 2013 need volunteers to assist Col will organise meat. RV Group AGM Mudjimba with branch attendees: Susie & Pete, Bob & Marilyn, Brian and Jackie, Ian and Robyn. Calendar for 2014 with Ulysses dates marked and Ulysses photos - $11.00 plus postage and $14.00 plus postage orders and money to be taken November Meeting. Presented Peter Cragg with 70 th Birthday Badge. Secretary/Treasurer s Report: Correspondence in: Flyer received advertising the Quilt Exhibition at Tomaree Community College November Correspondence Out: Send cheque to Blue September $ Send cheque to UCARF $ Send thank you card to Leonie McCarthy.

4 General Business: Col Williams & Spike hosting a Garage Sale at Col s Place 6.30am 26 October. Jack handed out copies of DVD on Safe Riding Course Pick Up A Harley. Jack spoke about the Dream Racer Movie Night. Balance in Accounts: General Account $695.77; Meet & Greet Account $ Raffle Prize Winners Wally Thurgood, Chris McCarthy & Steve Edwards. October Meeting Raffle $84.00; Fines $6.00 Meeting Closed From: Elaine Holland Sent: Friday, 30 August :33 PM Subject: Hello from Scotland GARY AND ELAINE CHASING NESSIE Yes, we are still touring Scotland, working our way around very slowly! The scenery is fabulous. We are currently at Durness in the top left hand corner. On the map it showed a major road but in actual fact turned out to be 50 miles of single track road with passing places, a challenge in our over sized motorhome! It feels remote but we are rewarded by the scenery. The camp site is sitting high up on the cliff top with views out over the sea and wind howling around us. We have visited more castles on route as well as Culloden battlefield, Loch Ness, John O Groats and a whiskey distillery where we took a tour which ended in the warehouse with millions of pounds worth in barrels maturing before going to be bottled. The fumes nearly knocked us out! Love from Elaine and Garry Hope all is well with you

5 PROPOSED RIDES & EVENTS Port Stephens Branch Rides:- 15/12/13: Beachcombers Hotel on Lake Budgewoi for lunch 05/01/13: Mystery Breakfast ride (on motorcycles this time!) - to be advised 19/01/13: The vineyards and lakes ride to Old Bar Tavern for lunch 16/02/13: Via East Gresford and Hunter Valley to Dungog for lunch 02/03/14: Bucketts and Lakes Ways ride to Bellevue Hotel, Tuncurry for lunch For further information about rides, refer to our website:- Upcoming Events:- 01/12/13: Christmas Toy Run at your preferred choice of venue 14/12/13: Branch Christmas party, in the grounds of Soldiers Point Bowling Club commencing at 11am. $5/head for lunch & tea/coffee. BYO plates, cutlery, grog, chairs, and sun protection. For those wishing to receive a pressie from Santa (optional), bring a wrapped gift to the value of $10, labelled boy or girl, to be placed in Santa s bag. No live snakes this year, please! OLDER AND SMARTER A teenage boy had just passed his driving test and asked his father as to when they could discuss his use of the car. His father said he'd make a deal with his son: 'You bring your grades up from a C to a B average, study your Bible, and get your hair cut. Then we'll talk about the car.' The boy thought about that for a moment, decided he'd settle for the offer, and they agreed on it. After about six weeks his father said, 'Son, you've brought your grades up and I've observed that you have been studying your Bible, but I'm disappointed you haven't had your hair cut. The boy said, 'You know, Dad, I've been thinking about that, and I've noticed in my studies of the Bible that Samson had long hair, John the Baptist had long hair, Moses had long hair and there's even strong evidence that Jesus had long hair. You re going to love the father s reply... Did you also notice that they walked everywhere?

6 A DAY OUT ON THE CHOOK CHASERS Went for an exploratory run on the chookie with JE, Jack and Billy the other day. John had been spruiking about some magic camping spots he d discovered on a lone ride (he s used to doing it alone), and Billy is always keen to find a new camping place, so away we went. Followed the northern shoreline around through Tahlee and Carrington and into North Arm Cove, and sure enough, there were some really beautiful spots! Unfortunately the evidence was there to indicate that other people have already found them and are using them pretty frequently, so if we're gonna camp there one day we ll have to get in really early or do it mid-week. Then across the highway, out to Booral and threw a left into Karuah National Park, and another left in to a place called Tattersall s Rest Area. It s another really serene spot, right on the Karuah River directly opposite the Branch Creek confluence (remember that term, Big John?). JE then got a phone call and had to scamper off to Raymond Terrace or somewhere to buy some material for Merilyn, so we meandered back to Karuah RSL for lunch, and then did a more in-depth version of the morning s exercise around the Tahlee area, at Billy s request. Back to Karuah for fuel well, some of us made it to the servo ( and that s gotta be worth a fine!), and noticed some familiar bikes in the carpark at the RSL, so I said hooroo to Jack and Billy, and wandered in there to find local Coffee Club members Trev, Al and Brian (yes, Brian out for a ride really!) in there for a late lunch. It d taken them around 5 hours to get from Paul s Corner to Frothy Coffee Tattersall s and back! I joined them for the ride home after a most enjoyable and relaxing outing, and no broken ribs, for a pleasant change! pix & words by Bob Good old Paddy Paddy calls Aer Lingus to book a flight. The operator asks "How many people are flying with you?" Paddy replies "I don't know! It s your plane!" thanks Merilyn, I think...

7 Hi folk Well, Here it is, Movember again already, and Christmas is almost upon us! As is usual for this time of year we re all going to be flatout with gift shopping etc, as well as all the partying. WELCOME ABOARD, ANNE! Welcome and congratulations to our new Secretary/Treasurer Anne for filling the gap left by Jackie s resignation. We wish you well in your new role, and thanks to Jackie for her contribution whilst in that office. BUGGERED HOUSE? Haven t received a report from the Bargoed House revellers yet, but by all accounts it was a fun stay once more, with at least one fineable event. Evans again took out their own fishing trophy, and JE did manage to send me this pic of his 52cm flattie: Bob s Blurb train when I rang them recently, and were having a really beaut time in Cairns. Unfortunately the latest results weren t what they were hoping for - but with Ron s positive attitude I m sure he ll give it what for for a while yet! BEST WISHES, LARAINE Laraine still struggles to cope with Peter s ongoing battle, but is pretty confident he ll be with her for Christmas this year. Stay strong, Laraine! GOOD NEWS, BRIAN On a brighter note, Brian received good results recently, after the first tests since his radiation concluded. Good on yer mate! JUST BIDING HIS TIME... Big John is waiting with bated breath for a life-changing announcement from his employer. I really don t think AusGrid would notice any difference, John, regardless of their decision any huge race winners on the day, but a good time was had by all. FISHING CHAMPS John and Merilyn have been up at Tuncurry for their annual fishing trip over recent weeks, and according to JE the fishing was pretty frantic! I can see these guys hosting their own fishing show in the not too distant future move over, Rex Hunt and ET... GOODONYER MARC! What a great year for 20yo rookie Marc Marquez, taking out the Moto GP championship by just 4 points after a ridiculous black flag call at Phillip Island, and an incredible finishing run by reigning champ Jorge Lorenzo. Just proves the capability of those Hondas! CUP DAY AT LTP SKINNER S GO NORTH Ron and Kerrie were about to board the Kuranda Railway A few of our seemingly dwindling social set turned up for Melbourne Cup Day at Club Lemon Tree recently, and enjoyed terrific hospitality at the hands of the great staff out there. I don t think there were When I read about the evils of drinking, I gave up reading...

8 Mt Kaputar NP 5 TH RV GROUP AGM MUDJIMBA (QLD) We re not long back from the RV Group s AGM in sunny QLD. Travelled up through the country with Brian and Jackie, checking out the spectacular Mt Kaputar National Park near Narrabri, then up through Warialda to the lovely Lake Glenlyon near Texas (QLD) for a coupla nights along the way. Three wise monkeys? Peter and Susie caught up with us for a night in the quaint little village of Yarraman (QLD) before heading across to Maroochydore and up to Mudjimba. The usual fun-loving crowd was there, although we missed Ron and Louise this year, and President Rick Bedford and Sherol were a few days late after accepting a mate s offer to drive their rig up for them. Rick is still recovering Sawn Rocks very slowly from massive heart surgery a few months back, so is taking things pretty easy. Apart from us six from our local branch there was only Ian and Robyn from across the creek, but we did enjoy the many Happy Hours (or so) with others with similar values, from all over this great nation. Rick and Ken were elected unopposed once more in fact, I don t recall anyone else getting a chance to even nominate! Rick is quite happy in the Preso s position, and says he s content to continue there as long as his energy remains good. Marilyn and I also caught up with some valuable old Wagga mates at Glenlyon Dam, QLD Coolum (a stone s throw up the beach), and we spent our days walking on the beach (all the way down to Maroochydore one day), touring around the Glasshouse Mountains, visiting the Buderim Ginger factory, Susie s emporium Maroochydore

9 etc. Then up to Hervey Bay for a few nights with the Mac s, and spent a day exploring Fraser Island, and another day visiting Bundaberg and tasting the wares at the famous rum distillery. Arvie, Ken & Rick Down to Surfers then, to catch up with more old Wagga mates, and there we separated from the Mac s and headed down to Lismore for a few days with our eldest son. Then down to Port Macquarie for our nephew s wedding. A tremendous wedding, and a great bonding session with our two youngest sons, but someone we all know drank a little (read lot ) more than usual, and ended up pretty unwell. I clearly Arvie at Mudjimba recall statements during the afternoon like we ve never seen Happy Hour you like this before Grandma, and I ve never seen you like this before, Sis, and I have to say that it s probably around 30 years since I saw the same person (who shall remain nameless) in that condition! If you Glasshouse Mts see said person at a social engagement and offer them a wine, don t Fraser Island highway be offended if it s declined... Anyway, a really great break away, and a good time was had (by most of us, anyway). words & pix by Bob Maheno wreck Fraser Is tadpole Port Macquarie

10 FOR SALE (Peter) These people support us.. Do the right thing and support them! John Beddoe financial services & advice Ph Jack Johnstone security system installation & service Ph , mobile Dennis Mahoney leatherwork Ph Doreen Easthope seamstress Ph Jacqueline Scocco Champagne Colours Shop 12, Austral Street Shopping Centre NELSON BAY Ph % off all hair services to Ulysses members and their guests. Always service with a smile. JUSTICES OF THE PEACE (within the Branch) John Beddoe Anne Crowley John Evans Laraine Howes John McGrath Paul Mulvay Ron Skinner 150a Salamander Way Salamander Bay merilynevans@ex .com.au 10% off for all Ulyssians! and Kim s the boss Yep, Scottie & Karl