It was another bright clear start to the day, I was a bit late getting to the Walk – left home at 0530 and got to the barracks at 0700: used the new Jindalee bridge but that wasn’t the problem, it was 2 prangs on the Centenary Highway near the Moggill Road off ramp, then a power line across the road at the 5 ways roundabout at Bardon.
At the Walk the men were hard at it. Lou was on the mower but had to retire wounded, as his right arm which had been jammed in a car door was giving him trouble turning the mower’s steering wheel. Not sure what he & Josy get up to: one can’t walk and the other keeps falling over.
Peter Morgan from our Golden Soldiers RAR Memorial in Ferguson Park was up at the Walk helping us using his ride-on mower and was on a roll doing the ‘bung’ track, the mulch bays and anywhere else that needed doing even mowing our Military Police neighbour’s lawn.
Blacky (Darryl Backwell), Arthur MacDonald & Ken Falvey were killing the pick-up sticks and Ted was using his edger to great effect. Wantok, trimmed up the fallen tree on the southern bank path but still needs to finish it off with the chainsaw: speaking of the chainsaw, our man Rod Newham, had a bit of a medical experience with his heart getting out of sync, so was in hospital Sat night and then his GP put him back in again today: he is doing OK.
Not sure what Peter and Trevor Pond were up to as it was very quiet in the green RAEME shed, but they made it to smoko, sangers, cake baked by Wantok, (he was a master baker) so watch out Audrey he is firing up for the Xmas bash on 15 Dec.
Cec Zabielo looked very hot and sweaty cleaning bins and bird baths. He had to come back early from his stay at St George Holiday apartments at Rainbow Bay: he had vertigo. He saw Bob Kyte & Shippy there relaxing, no storms which was good.
Owen Puie was at his best cleaning up the Contemplation Building by hand until the blower turned up. Josy and Owen fixed the poppies on the Honour Roll. Derrick Nixon-Smith (Owen’s assistant) is now in fulltime care so Josy (still on light duties) has slotted in to replace Derrick.
I managed to do some mowing after taking over from Louie Kucks. Lou has also brought in a few more DA shirts, they will have the logos put on this week ready for next week: thanks Lou.
When Peter Morgan finished helping us, and after smoko, he refuelled, and returned to mow the lawn at Ferguson Park which is co-named as The Royal Australian Regiment Place.
Doug Spice, our waterman had sprinklers and hoses going off everywhere.
After smoko everyone head off while Ted & I made ready from the Tweed Heads RSL visit, 32 pax arrival. Ted started with everyone seated in Diggers Rest where he gave them an outline of the Walk, then after they had had a brew and sticky cake, moved into the Contemplation Building for the next part of his presentation, The final stage was a short optional walk around the nearby Vietnam area where Ted pointed out the various features of the plaques including the yellow plaques for our Korea War MIA: with the Americans we believe they were POWs and are buried in North Korea but cannot get agreement from the North Korean Government to recover them.
The Group headed off at 1145 to have lunch at the Gaythorne RSL. They really enjoyed themselves and said the NMW volunteers Dad’s Army should be very proud of themselves in the way they maintain it. They had one fellow, a Second World War veteran, who at age 99 is a super tribal elder: he was walking a bit slow but with no walker and he said the staying alive trick is to keep using your brain and body moving.
At the end of the visit both Ted & I had a senior’s moment when he left his pass hanging on the room door when he got changed and I nearly left mine, with the 32 passes I had handed in, to let the bus out. Luckily, the first pass I picked out of the box was mine so in the end all good.
So, until next week, see you when I am looking at you.
Cheers
Greg Decker
