STONE THE CROWS: Easter at Wagga Wagga
By Susanne Sayers (3337)
Veronica Schwarz invited me to attend the inau-gural rally “stone the crows” festival, hosted by the Grey Nomads at Wagga Wagga, from Thurs-day March 28th until Tuesday April 2nd 2013. Un-fortunately, she was unable to attend owing to recent surgery, and so it has been left to me to write a short story on all the fun in the sun (except for the one rainy day on our arrival), lots of laughter and enthusiastic participation in group activities of interest.
Shelby at the entrance to the Festival.
PHOTO: Susanne Sayers
Prior to leaving home, the three members who attended the festival, organised to meet at the main gate of the Kurrajong Scout Camp, approximately eight kms out of town and so I had the pleasure of meeting fellow solo travellers, Sue Beevers and Bev Lane from NSW. Dogs were welcome at the festival, if accompanied by well behaved owners!!
We three were allocated caravan sites together on the eastern boundary fence, next to the pad-dock where pregnant sheep were due to lamb and we had a fair hike to the nearest amenity block. However, if one was in a hurry, then a quick drive would suffice!! During the course of the festival, while wandering around the camp site, we came across three other Avans and the potential for new members, a possibility.
A varied program of bush poetry and comedy compered by Jim Haynes, as well as acts and verse, from the “limping poet” Neil Smith, every morning, set the program for the weekend. This was followed each day, by an easy flexible session of hip hop/move and groove for the more energetic caravanners prior to morning tea. Sue B was a natural, learning the steps of the “Nutbush”, while I finally cracked it, by the last session of the weekend!!
PHOTO: Susanne Sayers
Mixed teams competed in heats of disc bowls, petanque and ladder bowls and later on, the finals. Lessons were offered in how to play the afore-mentioned games. Nominations were also called for the trivia quiz, the talent quest in instrumental playing and/or singing, as well as bush verse. Ukulele classes proved to be very popular. All Grey Nomads were welcome to join in or try out any pursuit that was of interest. Happy hour commenced at 4.30 pm each day and was happily indulged by many individuals. Nightly, there was a rush to secure front row seats for the evenings’ entertainment in the main Marquee, commencing with the Squawker’s Dance on Thursday with music to suit the Grey Nomad generation: Jim’s Trivia on Friday:
Saturday evening “Stone the Crows” Festival Concert was a highlight of the gathering and enjoyed immensely. Local Wag-garites were encouraged/invited to attend the con-cert for a small fee. Sunday saw the heats of the gReyVee Awards for the Talent Quest. Our final night, Monday, was celebrated by the Awards Night Concert and Finale, including presentations of prizes to the winners of the gReyVee Awards.
Various workshops were held on writing bush poet-ry and verse. In the afternoons, seminars were offered on modern technology, including “IPads for Grey Nomads” and “Satellite TV” by Bob. Breakfast, lunch and dinner were available daily in the Scare-crows mess! Crafty crows with creative interests indulged their desires with painted silk scarfs, dyed shopping bags, beading skirts for dollies and “chicken scratch”!
If none of the above activities were of interest, then a short drive into the city of Wagga Wagga allowed for indulging in visits to local tourist attractions, shopping at the supermarkets, or dining out at local restaurants.
A short Ecumenical Service was held on Easter Sunday for any interested attendees.
Photo: Sue Beevers
“Stone the crows” festival was open to the general public on Easter Monday. Market stalls, Dog lotto- male dogs only required, and the queue at the temporary tattoos parlour was almost as long as the queue for b-b-q lunch. A special concert by the visiting band from Wagga Wagga’s twin sister city in Nordlingen in Germany was presented in the Marquee in the afternoon. The group comprised 62 very talented young school boys. A selection of German folk music, instrumental, con-cert and well known Australian tunes was performed.
Late Monday afternoon, the “Crows”, were finally stoned…..only with tennis balls, not stones!!
The Caravan and Motorhome Magazine’s Photographer and Interviewer were on site for approximately three days of the festival, to record a future DVD attached to edition 190. Many of the various activities and performances throughout the weekend were recorded. Our Avans attract-ed many visitors to our boundary fence site and much discussion. We all gave interviews for the DVD and group photos were taken by the official photographer. One local Wagga Wagga Journalist was given a demonstration on the features of the Avan and its ease of operation.
In conclusion, a very successful inaugural “stone the crows” festival was celebrated, with a variety of activities to suit most attendees and with the promise of a bigger and better festival next Easter. I would recommend it to all Avan members, especially if you enjoy bush comedy and a good laugh to start your day and country music.
