FREO AND THE REUNION - PART 1 (21 - 23 OCTOBER 2013)

Let me begin this missive with the comment that it will be unashamedly self indulgent...boys and girls at play in various venues during three days of good fun, good friends, good will and good cheer.  

For the uninitiated, those of us who served with the Australian Police contingents in the United Nations Peace Keeping Forces in either Cyprus or East Timor gather once every two years for a reunion, a march to commemorate UN day, and the AGM of our National Organisation.  Sadly many who have so served do not see fit join in this revelry, but those of us who do certainly make the most of it, or have done so for the ten years Liz and I have been participants.  

This particular reunion was the first in which the lads from East Timor have taken the lead role in managing events...and a fine job they did.  One of these, Greg Glossop, is a good mate of ours and will feature in many of the forthcoming pictorial revelations.

To my utter amazement I Iearnt that there were some within the ranks of the WA chaps who were a little miffed that Fremantle was the chosen over Perth as the venue.  Freo is fantastic. Magnificently restored and preserved buildings, a grand hotel, the Esplanade, to provide accommodation (for those who chose to use it)  and the venue for registration and the closing dinner, a plethora of dining alternatives all within easy walking distance and a range of pubs which could not fail to impress even the most fanatical of affectionados. Throw in several significant museums, the Freo docks, the fishing basin, yacht club and the local beaches and the picture is complete. As you may have gathered by now, I am one of Freo's greatest fans.  I have been there three times to date and love the place.  

But on with the show.  After registrations during the day, we all made our way to the Fremantle Oval clubrooms where 'opening night welcoming drinks and nibbles' was the order of business.  This gives all who have made the trip the chance to meet and greet and sets the scene for the reunion. 

I was particularly pleased that a SAPOL colleague and great mate, Gary Casey, had been able to make it.  He has had a rotten run of recent illness which still necessitates the use of walking sticks, but he was here.  He actually served in East Timor with Greg Glossop.  An unholy trinity was emerging!  I suspect it was just as well Greg was so busy with his official duties.  We might otherwise have ended up in more strife that we did. I'm right behind you, GC!

What a wonderful evening it was.  The bar was certainly open for business and the finger food just kept coming....and coming....and coming...and it was high class stuff. 

It was great to catch up with Les Ransom (Tas), Pete McDonald (Vic) and Roger Sharp (ex-Vic), some of my colleagues of the Ist/8th Contingent, Cyprus May 1971-72 

  

and other mates of long standing such as Rod Walker from the AFP (whilst Casey was making a nuisance of himself!)








It was indeed a great start to the festivities which we concluded that night with a group shot of Greg and his lovely wife Deb, GC and the Marshies.  But for now it was back to camp and off to bed. A cruise on the Swan River awaited us on the morrow.






I had forgotten just how large the Swan River actually is.  The reality certainly hit home as we sat on the dock the following morning awaiting the arrival of our cruise boat (which I pictured here as it made its way downstream to the main Port of Fremantle).  Frankly I didn't care how long it took to reach our embarkation point....the large container ship at the left of picture was being turned in the basin by two tugs as she prepared to depart the port.  This was fascinating to watch.




The two tugs first worked in unison to pull the ship directly off the wharf.  With the forward tug then pulling on its attached line and the tug at the stern pushing directly on the ship's hull, they turned it through 180 degrees in the channel.  It was not just the manner in which this manoeuvre was completed which impressed me, it was the speed with which it was done.  This was no small ship.







When the crew was casting off lines I though we would be well off on our cruise before this ship was under its own steam.  Not so. In no more than fifteen minutes, these two tugs had completely turned the ship and it was off down the port channel








and away to sea.  What a diversion as we awaited our own adventure for the day. Strangely, Liz did not seem to share my excitement about the whole business.  Mind you, she doesn't get too excited about fishing either.....must be a girl thing!




And then it was our turn, if not to sea, at least upstream along the mighty Swan to Perth city and return, a luncheon cruise of nearly three hours.  I will confess to some reservations about what would likely be on offer as far as food went, but I had to pull my head in.  What a spread! And I haven't included the sweets table. Toss in a couple of complimentary drinks (not that many of us really needed more alcohol after opening night!) and this was the real deal.






Our upper deck table was pretty quick out of the blocks.  We were sitting back relaxing whilst others were still tucking in as the various riverside Perth suburbs slipped by.









Things were a touch more congested downstairs, but of course, a visit to the lower deck was a prerequisite for a drink...the bar was at the forward end of the boat on this deck.









We had no sooner finished lunch when the Perth CBD loomed large.  Whilst the Swan is very shallow in these reaches, it is surprisingly wide in parts....up to four kilometres from one bank to the other. We continued upstream and turned off the end of Barrack Street before making our way back to Freo.  









In many ways a cruise along the Swan is reminiscent of a trip on Sydney Harbour, with the exception there are very few bays and inlets.  But there are plenty of well populated large boat marinas






and some seriously expensive real estate.  All the Spanish red roof areas which can been seen

climbing the hill over several levels in this shot and extending for quite a distance along the river front are all part of the same 'house'.  I must say that I was a bit slow off the mark taking this picture which does not really do justice to the enormity of this compound.  Apart from the main house, it includes two three bedroomed guest houses, staff quarters, a fully equipped theatre, gym, boat house etc, etc.  And the price?  It last changed hands at a cool $57 million!!  There is still some serious money in Perth long after the end of the excesses of the Alan Bonds of the world.

Our reunion hosts had included free tickets to the Fremantle Maritime Museum in our goodies bag, and I was quick to make the most of this on our return.  Again, strangely, Liz went looking at the shops.  I really only had time for a quick flit through this most impressive museum, which features as its main attraction, our America's Cup winning yacht, Australia 11.  This, and many other of Freo's attractions are on my 'return visit with plenty of time' list.

Now I just know you will find this pretty hard to believe, but I had to then be persuaded to join 'The Musketeers' at the not too distant Sail and Anchor pub for a couple of local ales before Liz and I caught the very handy local ring route bus back to within 500 metres walk of our caravan park.

Which leads me to make one of my few negative comments about Freo and the West in general...the price of a pint is exorbitant, particularly in the more trendy establishments.  Don't expect any change from $10 for the most common of tipples.  Supplies from Dan Murphy's and chairs beneath our van awning have taken on a whole new perspective.... but occasionally one must be sociable!

Now I did warn you all that this was to be an indulgent ramble.  Off we went again the following day on our bus tour of the Swan Valley where a tasting at Sandalford Wines was to be followed by lunch at the Oakover Winery.  Let's get right into it.





The Sandalford Winery is up there...and this coming from a dyed in the wool South Australian. But please note, I said the 'winery'. The garden surrounds are magnificent, and












looking at the size of the vines which cover one of the al fresco dining areas, we were not surprised to discover that this was one of the first vineyards to be planted in the Swan Valley.









They don't do things by halves at Sandalford. A tasting room had been set up especially for our visit, seen here right next to the outdoor dining area.









Eight tasting tables, laden with a wide range of the Sandalford product and cheese and crackers, meant that there was oodles of room for a very civilised quaff.  And it was 'help yourself'.  A risky concept, I thought.  After all, most coppers have been known to enjoy a shandy on a hot day.






But all went very well indeed.  We are an ageing bunch after all.  Mind you, a couple of us latched onto what was a very good tawny port...so what if it was before lunch!  And I thought that at least the South Australians should look as though they knew what they were on about....irrespective of any reality. You would have been proud of me, NJ!




One might suspect the Sandalford group of being an extraordinary generous lot in providing what they did, as did I initially.   Let me reassure the cynics amongst you that you are correct....all this largesse was merely the teaser. Strange as it may sound, the tasting room opens onto the winery 'shop', an area crammed with every imaginable commercial item ranging from glasses and plates of all descriptions through to clothing and giftware.  Oh, yes, and wine could also be purchased.  It is wonderful to watch the enthusiasm of those who become ensnared in such places whilst carrying the warm glow of affection created by a hearty tasting session.  Not the hardened and experienced Marshies....we just grabbed the goodies and ran.

To the buses, that is, for our next soiree. Lunch at the Oakover Winery where we were equally feted, and frankly, where the wines were much more to our taste,

or at least, for most of us.  GC did let the SA team down at this point when his yen for a premature 'cleansing ale' overrode the inevitable attraction of free wine.  Liz, who had been indulging in her penchant for 'happy snapping', caught the moment beautifully. Enjoying your beer, Gary?







In the course of lunch we watched with increasing concern as the staff were labouring in a screeching easterly wind to set up for an outdoor wedding scheduled for later that afternoon.

If you look to the left of this shot you can see part of the assembled seating, all of which was draped with white cloth, as were the tables at the front.  Whilst it doesn't show in this photo, the material on the celebrant's tables was streaming at right angles to the frames.  How it was attached is anyone's guess, but clearly this lot have encountered similar conditions in the past and were well prepared.  We did feel for the (hopefully) happy couple, but as we have now learnt, WA does not stand for Western Australia, it is the acronym for 'windy always'.

We left Oakover well sated and repaired back to the Esplanade Hotel for our disembarkation, after which I am almost embarrassed to report Liz and I were again persuaded to join our mates for another round (or two) at the Sail and Anchor.  In my own defence I have to say that it does take a while to sample the fifteen different ales on offer! (not that I got anywhere near that target)  We later decided a cab home was the way to go, which of course had nothing to do with the fact that we had missed the last free bus!

It had been a wonderful day, but an early night was very much in order...tomorrow was to be a big one....our march, a Lord Mayoral luncheon reception, our AGM and the formal dinner.  Let's take a breather at this point.