On Friday 12 May, five old friends got to gather for a memorable lunch in the Committee Room at the MCG.  It was terrific occasion - lots to talk about our respective families, lots to talk about times gone by - the stories only get better with the passage of time.  The food was great, the wine was OK too and the company was outstanding.  It was a lovely day!

Last October, Janet and I had a great three week trip back to Canada to visit friends and see a few places we didn’t get to in time that we lived in Canada.  In particular, we focused on Montreal and Quebec City - both are terrific places to visit and we really enjoyed our French Canadian experience.  In Quebec City, we stayed at the famous Le Chateau Frontenac - a classic old hotel perched high on the banks of the St Lawrence River.  The hotel was constructed in stages over the period 1892 - 1893 by the Canadian railways and designed by . . . wait for it . . . none other than Bruce Price!  We always knew that the Price family were talented and entrepreneurial and clearly these traits have been passed down through the generations!

Attached are photos of Le Chateau Frontenac and the plaque dedicated to Bruce Price.

Favourites were the table setting dug into the sand, a hot air balloon with the creator buried to the waste as if in the basket and the fantastic replica of Black Pearl complete with seaweed rigging from the masts.

I've seen Everest!!!! Admittedly from a very small plane, but still close enough. Trekking in Himalayas was incredible. We climbed the foothills, (about as high as Kosciusko) and then looked way up to see the majestic mountains. Snow covered, steep, don't know how they climb these peaks. Up 1000 m each day, then down 1000m the next to Rhododendrons as big as trees, covered in red and cerise flowers, daphne growing wild beside the track and primulas. No wonder they don't grow in my climate in Echuca.

World Expedition are a very professional organisation if you ever need a guided holiday.
Maybe Kilimanjaro next???

In January this year, our younger daughter - Claire, son-in-law and our three grandchildren relocated from Melbourne to Brisbane.  To assist with the move, Janet and I volunteered to drive one of their cars to Brisbane for them.  So, for the first time in awhile we went on a road trip and had a great time touring through various country towns along the way.  Of particular note was Tamworth, which is a place we had always wanted to visit but never managed to get there previously.  And it was very interesting.  The town’s economy is quite diverse - it supports the regional rural industry, aviation, equestrian and, of course, is well known for country music.  

We arrived the day before the annual Country Music Festival was to start and preparation for a wide range of acts was well under way - quite a vibe in the town!  We also spent several hours in the Country Music Hall of Fame - very interesting and a terrific chronicle of the history of country music in Australia.

We also visited the equestrian centre, which is the largest of its kind in the southern hemisphere.  It’s a terrific centre with two main arenas and stabling facilities for hundreds of horses.  

Attached are a few photos of the Hall of Fame and the equestrian centre.

Tony Lawler in Wall St in the Big Apple on a golf trip with mate Des Carey – got the bull by the horns as usual.   Rubbing some of the bulls other bits is said to bring financial success – I’m rather doubtful about that  but from the number of girls I saw rubbing these I know he’s the happiest bull in the world.

Who is ready to knock off the reigning Correspondent of the Year 2016?