Monday 25th September to Friday 29th September 2017
saw the return to Peak Hill for the group’s 13th Annual National Meet.
With 74 Campers expected to arrive over the next couple of days the
Yellow Gazebo was set up and the Rego team of Margaret & Barry Pierce (Grannyshortlegs),
Sue Christie-Cox along with Jason and Kevin were ready for business.
Friday saw the first of the campers roll in and a slow but steady stream
arrived throughout the day. Day’s end saw around 30 campers registered
and in various stages of set up. A “starter pack” of firewood was
dropped off by one of the hard-working team from town, the first night
of fires began and the first of tall tales and true were spun.
Saturday dawned, and it wasn’t long before the first
of the main contingent of campers started arriving. The Rego team was
kept busy on a hot and windy day and even though the Showground was
filling up there were still spots available for those who may have had a
minor technical issue with power the day before and decided a relocation
to a new spot away from the scene of embarrassment was in order.
Day 3 Sunday and the Showground had filled
impressively. A few campers were still to arrive and those wanting
raffle tickets and to pay for the various tours organised kept the Rego
Team busy. 7 pm rolled around, the Pavilion filled, and Kevin and Jason
officially opened the meet with the Grand Opening. Kevin giving a
welcome and history of the group and Jason running through the weeks
programme. The Deputy Mayor of Parkes Shire, Councillor Barbara Newton,
welcomed us all to the region and thanked us all for coming, along with
wishes for a successful and enjoyable time in Peak Hill. We for then
were treated to a welcome from a local Elder and a young lad playing the
Digeridoo. Following this David and Joy Wilkinson’s ever popular
“Getting to Know You” session was held, with all the National Meet first
timers introducing themselves to the old timers. The night was still
rather chilly so returning to firesides was very welcome, with the
tradition of building new friendships and rekindling old ones.
Monday saw even more campers arrive, including the
next generation of campers with Jess Cox being one of the campers to
arrive with her twin daughters Ivy & Mia. They may have even stolen the
title for youngest campers to attend a National Meet, being only just 9
months old!
A later 9.30 am start on Monday morning was welcomed
and the Pavilion Kitchen filled with friendly chat from the Ladies’
Cuppa and Chat. Thank you to Donna Zwerus for hosting the morning.
Dave and Jan Cook’s Camper Walkabout again attracted
a group of those interested in hearing the good, not so good and
interesting bits about some of the many different campers we have
attending the Annual Meet. This is a wonderful opportunity for those
thinking of changing campers or for just seeing how others set up and
the solutions that may have been found to common problems.
3 o’clock and Jenny Peisley and Donna Zwerus had an
interested group gathered to learn about Dreampot Cooking with Curried
Sausages on the menu. This is always a popular learning opportunity and
a big thank you to Jenny for making the trip in from Dubbo.
One of the highlights of the Meet is the Annual
Auction and this year was no different. The Pavilion was packed, and a
vast array of items were donated by members ranging from folding fire
pits to handcrafted knitted items and what was to be the favourite item
of the night, 2 dozen scones with jam and cream donated by Leyton Davies
& his wife. Sean McCombe was the lucky (or keenest bidder) winning the
tray and sharing all but 3 scones with others. Many thanks to all those
who generously donated items for the auction which raised $2,417. The
proceeds were donated to the Peak Hill Pony Club ($2,000) and the Peak
Hill Tennis Club ($417Once again, the chilly night saw firesides as the
place to be.
A Guided Tour of Peak Hill Gold Mine was first
activity on offer on Tuesday morning, lead by the very knowledgeable
local John Van Der Reyden. Those who took part in this returned with new
found knowledge on the history of gold in Peak Hill.
11am and the Pavilion Kitchen was the venue for an
Information session on Installing Nutserts and Drawer Slides presented
by Terry Hunstone from Ovesco. For those who don’t know what a Nutsert
is, it is a female thread (nut) used in thin sheet metal or areas with
no access behind the sheet. It is like a blind rivet and has at one end
either a flange or a small countersunk/rimless flange, and a portion of
plain barrel. Terry followed up at 3pm and gave a very informative
presentation on installing Gas Struts. Again those who attended came
away much the wiser.
It wouldn’t be a Tuesday night at a National Meet if
the Trivia Night wasn’t on. Jan Cook with help from David & Joy and
David Wilkinson works hard during the year gathering questions and
putting on such a well organised and fun evening. Many tables were
decorated, and the Kid’s table went to great effort. The popularity of
the night even had Sherri driving all the way to Peak Hill from Sydney
especially for the Trivia Night! $280 was raised from Gold Coin
donations gathered at the door & this money was donated to the Peak Hill
Tourist & Business Association at the closing ceremony.
Wednesday is Community Day and we weren’t
disappointed with the great brekky cooked up by Peak Hill Junior Rugby
League Club. Followed up at 11.00am by John Van Der Reyden taking a
group on a Historical walking tour around town. John yet again proved to
be extremely knowledgeable on all things Peak Hill.
Wednesday afternoon took a slightly sporty flavour
with the Nyngan Cup Hardys -v- Softys being the sporting event that the
Nation stops for (ok it might have only been 10 people, but the
potential was there) and Barefoot Bowls being hotly contested in town.
The annual Nyngan Cup boules tournament was held at
Peak Hill this year in hot, muggy conditions. Teams hotly contested the
right to represent the "Hardies" or the "Softies". After preliminary
rounds, Anita Beer and Joanne Roche won the "Softies" banner. Joanne was
2016 champion with her better half who was a late scratching this time
around. The "Hardies" were represented by Dave and Jan Cook. A closely
fought contest resulted in a 11 - 10 victory to Dave and Jan.
Congratulations to the "Hardies". The Hardy’s v Softys trophy (kindly
hand crafted by George Mavros) now sits proudly in the corner of Dave
and Jan’s Loungeroom
A big Thank you to Ted and Pat Barker for showing
some inexperienced players the ropes with the lawn bowls – a great
effort to step up by 2 first timers at any Campertrailer meet, let alone
a National Meet.
Kevin Phillips started Thursday morning off with an
informative talk on Tow Weights. This is an often-overlooked part of
preparation but so very important. Kevin stepped through all the various
scenarios, weights, and definitions in an easy-to-understand way and
discussed options for weight reduction and distribution. Towing safely
as well as legally was the take home message.
After lunch it was off to Trevor Johnson’s camper for
a new workshop added this year, Chainsaw Maintenance. This proved to be
a very popular workshop with Trevor speaking and demonstrating all about
general maintenance such as sharpening the blade, cleaning and oiling,
and of course most importantly using your chainsaw safely.
Next off that afternoon was at 3 pm and it was Jill’s
turn for her what has become an annual event, Cobb Cooking. Again, Jill
demonstrated the techniques of using a Cobb Cooker & highlighted some
do’s and don’ts before preparing the Skinner Clans evening meal.
The ever-energetic John Van Der Reyden led a Sunset
Tour of Peak Hill Gold Mine, presenting those who took part some
wonderful photo opportunities. As the sunset and darkness fell it was
off to John Kleidon’s camper for the LED Lightstorm Lighting Show. John
has developed an impressive range of lights and there was a very
interested group assembled and John was only too happy to answer
questions and explain about the lights.
Before we knew it, the week had passed, and Friday
morning dawned. The day started off with the Caravan Walkabout lead by
Kevin Phillips. This was well attended and gave those who took part an
opportunity to get the lowdown on assorted styles and kinds of caravans.
There was a wide variety to look at and there just may have been more
vans than camper trailers at this year’s meet.
Les Scott gave a very interesting talk on the Use and Abuse of Stainless
Steel, in the Pavilion Kitchen with those who attended coming away more
the wiser on this topic.
4pm saw the migration of campers to the Grandstand
area for the Closing Event. We were treated to a wonderful display from
the local Aboriginal Dance Group. It was great to see young locals who
had embraced their culture and danced and played the Digeridoo with
great enthusiasm.
Kevin and Jason presented Certificated of
Appreciation to those who had contributed to the success of the week by
running workshops, or those from the town who were involved and
assisted. The Raffle, which raised $410, was drawn and the prizes
awarded. Monies raised during the week were then presented to
representatives from the Peak Hill Pony Club, Peak Hill Business &
Tourist Association, and the Peak Hill Tennis Club.
The Spirit of the Group was awarded to Sean McCombe.
Sean had been nominated by a few members for his enthusiasm & generosity
during the Auction nights, his willingness to lend a hand if needed &
his general nice guy demeanour. The Peak Hill Silly Billy award went to
Craig Quinn for his adventures or misadventures with power supplies.
As the Ashes urn was not at the meet, ashes were
collected in another Aussie icon, a Vegemite jar and will be added next
year. Kevin announced that next year’s meet would be held in Bungendore
NSW and declared another year over and the meet closed.
Sue, Jason & Kevin

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MONDAY
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TUESDAY |
WEDNESDAY |
THURSDAY |
FRIDAY |
Morning |
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8:00
Pavilion Kitchen
cooked breakfast
Peak Hill Junior Rugby League Club
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9:30 Pavilion Kitchen
ladies cuppa & chat
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9:00 Gold
Mine
guided mine tour
Jon Van Der Reyden
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9:30 Pavilion
Kitchen
tow weights
Kevin Phillips |
9:30 Kevin
& Karen's Van
caravan walkabout
Kevin Phillips |
11:00 Dave
& Jan's Camper
camper walkabout
Dave Cook
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11:00 Pavilion
kitchen
installing nut serts
& draw sliders info
Terry Hunstone from Ovesco |
11:00
Lindner Building
town history tour walk
Jon Van Der Reyden
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11:00
Grandstand
travelling with dogs
Jim and Joanne Roche |
11:00 Pavilion
kitchen
use and abuse of stainless steel
Les Scott |
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Afternoon |
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1:00
Grandstand
Nyngan Cup
hardy's Vs softy's
bolle competition
Greg Carthew |
1:00 Trevor
& Deb's camper
chainsaw maintenance
Trevor Johnson
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3:00 Ed &
Donna's Camper
dreampot
cooking
Donna Zwerus & Jenny Peisley |
3:00 Pavilion
kitchen
installing gas struts
Terry Hunstone from Ovesco
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3:00
Bowling Club
barefoot lawn bowls |
3:00 Gus &
Jill's Camper
cobb cooking
Jill Skinner |
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4:00
Grandstand
closing event
Rob, Kevin & Jason
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5:00 Gold
Mine
sunset guided mine tour
Jon Van Der Reyden
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Evening |
7:00
Pavilion
auction night
proceeds to
Peak Hill Pony Club
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7:00
Pavilion
trivia night
Dave & Jan Cook
Dave & Joy Wilkinson
gold coin entry
proceeds to Peak Hill Business &
Tourist Association |
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7:00 John
& Wendy's camper
LED Lightstorm lighting
show
John Kleidon |
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the week
photos
photos2
photos3
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