We had decided to arrive after lunch at the rally to avoid the morning rush so we had morning tea at Alpha Creek and did some chores before we set off. Finding roadside stopping places proved to be very difficult so we reached the rest area just to the east of Barcaldine before we could stop for lunch.
When we reached the showground, there were many people already settled in and we were sent to the overflow area quite a way from the centre of things.
We set up and walked with our chairs, drinks, and dog, to happy hour where most of the other Highway Wanderers were parked. By the time we had spoken to all the people we hadn't seen for some time It had got pretty cold so we vowed to use the car in future. That way we can take warm clothes, extra rations and be warm on the way back to the boondocks where we are parked.
We drove into town to do the laundry. There were lots of people with the same idea but it all got done in due course and the time passed quickly chatting to new acquaintances.
In the afternoon I went back into town to try and get the email because the mobile connection had failed to work properly. The lady who runs the Internet bureau kindly let me use on of her lines because she wasn't busy. Sadly the iBook refuse to even connect to a fixed line so I am still out of contact. I did use one of her machines to revisit the Telstra Mobile Internet site to find out whether they had changed the protocol but nothing has changed so perhaps I will have to reinstall some Apple software before I can use it.
Happy hour was outside the Motley today and there were so many people there that we sent the attendance book around to find out how many were Highway Wanderers and how many were visitors. The answer was 53 Highway Wanderers and 10 visitors. Six of the Highway Wanderers had joined today and some of the visitors may join during the rally. It was a pretty good turnout considering the difficulty of communicating with all the members at the rally. Keryn has agreed with me that we should have the chapter general meeting on Sunday which gives us the maximum time to let everyone know when and where it is.
In the evening we went with the Procters to the Artesian Hotel for dinner. There is little sophistication here but the food was good and the company excellent.
I had to go into town to replace the jerry can and chain which have gone missing. I remember starting to change the arrangement for fixing them to the trailer but I can't remember completing the job and it seems that they jumped over the side somewhere on the road.
Happy hour was again well attended and lively. We split into skit and audience groups though the announcements were repeated for the two groups.
Some foul person dog-napped Dog. A ransom note was left demanding a $10 contribution. Jean was not impressed.
The skit rehearsal set out the script of the skit and the casting. We will meet again tomorrow to do a dry run through.
I went into town, recovered the email, and uploaded and tested the new pages on the website.
I went to a couple of seminars, both pretty uninformative. After the Telstra CDMA seminar I managed to get answers to the several problems I have been having. Tony confirmed that any ISP should be able to receive connections from wireless modems so I shouldn't have to open a Telstra Bigpond account. I also discovered that the USB version of the Kyocera connection kit is now available and should be in the Retravision shop now.
In the afternoon we rehearsed the skit and in the evening we attended the banner parade and the entertainment until it got too cold.
A new ransom note appeared upping the demand to $20 and threatening mutilation if it wasn't paid.
I printed a considerable number of Highway Wanderer application forms to hand to members at the general meeting tomorrow.
In the evening we reinforced our reputation for good chapter skits with our version of the Rolf Harris standard "Tie me kangaroo down, Sport" complete with the old stockman, lying, dying, with all the animals and with mimed didgeridoo. Despite the cold weather, we had the crowd singing along with the finale.
The latest ransom note demanded $30 and included a piece of Dog's ear. What fiendish person is responsible for all this grief?.
We had the chapter general meeting at 2 o'clock. Everything went well and everyone was happy. Jean resigned as Treasurer and Max Bettison was elected to replace her. Anita Williams volunteered to be Scribe to be responsible for all contributions to the Happenings columns of the Wanderer.
After the meeting a large box appeared with a poem attached which explained that Dog had been out and about in the town looking for some action and that he had come home with a small companion. In the box was Dog complete with both ears intact and accompanied by a little pup wearing sun glasses. He has been named Pup. The ransom was paid to the chapter raffle.
In the evening we took Philip and Helene out for dinner. We searched the town for somewhere nice to eat and finally went to the Ironbark Motel where we had very good food and some quite acceptable wine.
We slept in until late, had breakfast, whiled away the day, participated in a very happy happy hour, dined at the Chinese Restaurant in one of the town's motels, did the laundry in the laundromat, had a treat icecream, retired to the Motley, watched a little television and went to bed.
We stayed on at the showground to complete the preparation of the chapter meeting minutes and the newsletter.
Because they had taken the temporary water supply away, most of us relocated inside the showground. We found a nice site with power, permanent water and a bit of real grass. In the evening, we had happy hour and a barbecue dinner with those who had relocated.
I did more work on the chapter stuff, a little shopping including a stock of guinness, happy hour, and dinner at the Union Hotel with those who are moving on tomorrow.
I prepared the two forms we plan to send out with the newsletter for Keryn and gave her the current members database. She plans to print the newsletter somewhere on the road as they are leaving today to head to the west.
We decided to stay one more night in Barcaldine to avoid the crowds on the road. We'll leave tomorrow and head slowly for Winton where the first of the mini rallies are scheduled for next weekend.