ANZAC Day at Temora, 25thApril ‘08

Up early, decide to rug up as there is a pea souper of a fog – heading to Erindale to meet some other southsiders, I am reminded how hopeless car drivers can be – the fog, a white car and no lights – good one!! Fuel up, wait for Alans’ medals to be delivered by Robyn (they’d been put on the vest and placed near the door so he wouldn’t forget them), then off to meet the others at Murrumbatemen. The GDE is easy and makes the journey from Tuggeranong so much quicker, but the fog slowed us down. Once past Gold Creek the skies started to clear and we arrived in time for the end of the briefing by St Pedro. It was a large group –

Peter Lord - Triumph Tiger 955 I
George Fearon - Bandit 1200S
Nick and Terese Hicks – M109R
Garry McCurley – VFR800
Bruce Black – CBR1100
Mark and Cathy Walker – VN1500
John and Araceli – FJR1300
Olly Walker and Sharyn Green – 1995 ST1100 Honda
Peter Boothman – Royal Star Venture
Brett Galt-Smith – Suzuki GSX400
Lin Barber – Honda Shadow VT750
Graeme and Harley Barber – Zwaka 2000
Jim Call and Kay Kelly – Kwaka VN900
Allan Sjaarda – Cagiva Raptor 1000
David Robinson – Subaru Quad
Suzanne and Peter Arday – XVS 1300 TF Venture
Peter and Kim Gibbins – BMW R1200GS Adv
Peter Newark – Honda VT750
John Grunberg – Vulcan 1600
Tom Oldfield – Bandit 1200
Allan Lohse – HD
Ian and Sally Paterson – ST1300
Shelly & Yvonne Wrigley – Yamaha Venture
Adrian and Kristine Bader – Star XVS 1300TF Venture
Alan and Lyn Munday – Holden Commodore (Support vehicle to XVS 1300 TF Ventures)
Chas Towie – GTR 1000
Trevor McLeod – NOT a XVS 1300 TF Venture
Jen Woods XVS 650

As I said, a large group. St Pedro said that it was a momentous day as it was the fifth Anzac Day in Temora, but ALSO we had 4 of the bloody XVS 1300 TF Venture’s with us!! Are they breeding??

Great country out there – not much traffic, good roads, clear skies and lovely autumn colours in the towns we rode through – had a pit stop in Wallendbeen, those savvy enough to have brought thermos’s sharing with the more disorganized of us (thanks Peter…), and of course Anzac Biscuits. We arrived in Temora in plenty of time to form up and for a couple of people to belt around to the coffee shop for “real” coffee and a doughnut.

Did the short ride around the corner for the procession – feeling very welcomed as people clapped as we rode past. The ceremony in the park found most of us searching for shade as the sun belted down, and Peter Newark and Allan Lohse represented the Ulysses Club Canberra in laying the wreath. This being Temora, there was of course a fly past – was that a Spitfire?? After the ceremony it was time to head to the RSL where we’d been invited to have lunch with the locals – and again we felt very welcomed into their community.

I could have done with a little Nanna-nap after lunch but that was not to be – fuel up, and then, horror of horrors, one of the XVS 1300 TF Venture’s developed a PROBLEM!! Yes, there was a small kerfuffle as the Venture mutual admiration society members gathered to discuss the problem and figure out how to resolve it without any loss of face! How could this be? Could that pannier lid really be stuck fast? Was it really immovable? Well, after much pushing, shoving, exertion, and a few choice words, it still remained shut tight – so with a “is that the time” we mounted up and moved up – presumably the pannier would be dealt with later out of the glare of the spectators.

A short stop for icecream – of course - in Binalong where we said our good byes before heading for home. Thanks ride team for another totally enjoyable day!