| March
26, 2010 |
The
Adelaide Reunion 2010 |
by
'Paddy' Semple |
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on Maxie's name to the right > |
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on Eric's name to the right > |
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I thought it would be a good idea to write about this excellent reunion from the perspective of someone who travels from the UK in the hope that it may help some of the readers, who may be contemplating attending, to finally make the decision to take the plunge and give it a go next year. Firstly I am fortunate to have been in a position to attend the past three years reunions and I am already preparing to attend next year. On each occasion I was in the excellent company of Ray (Ginge) Watts and I can assure you we have both been very warmly received on each occasion and we thoroughly enjoyed the experience of what is an excellent reunion. Michael Hutton who I believe was one of the people who arranged the first ever reunion in Adelaide is also a regular at the reunion and we even have an ex PDM in attendance this past 2 years. There have also been others from the UK who have attended, such as Bill Hartland and Ted Drake. Our story started when we met Ted Drake at the All Stars in Margate. He had attended the previous year and he gave the reunion a glowing report. After listening to Ted it became clear to Ginge Watts and I that we must give it a go and after a few seconds deliberation we decided to attend the following year. The reunion itself is excellent and it involves three wonderful days of socialising. Many stories of life in the Band Service are exchanged and some go back a long time. You will meet many very happy and genuine people who offer a camaraderie and friendship unsurpassed in anything I have experienced in my life. Day one is meet and greet where everyone gathers together for a get to know you session followed by a buffet. Day two is the main day and you can read all about it and see the photographs on this web site. Day three is the barbecue and another day to remember as everyone relaxes by the swimming pool reflecting on their weekend together. Overall I can assure you that everything is professionally run, well organised and so much fun it is not to be missed. You will even get your Tot of Rum and this aspect of the reunion is given a lot of dedication by all attending. I wonder why!! Getting there from the UK is not cheap but if you go about it the right way it is not expensive either. It is all down to when you book your ticket and which company you use to do so. There are many avenues and routes open to anyone wanting to attend, including London – Singapore – Adelaide. Singapore Airlines, who are one of the best airlines in the world have direct flights from London - Singapore to Adelaide. Michael Hutton gave me excellent advice on Qatar Airlines who fly London – Doha – Adelaide. Qantas are another airline who fly London – Bangkok – Sydney – Adelaide. The choice will really be a personal choice as you may have a particular country you want to stop off in en route. On our first visit to the re union we went via Singapore and had a few days in Singapore each way. This gave both of us the opportunity to see the many changes since the days of service there, some 40 odd years ago. You may also want to visit friends or relatives in Australia and to do this should not increase your costs with some companies offering a number of Free Internal Flights in Australia as part of their package. If you decide to go direct it will involve around 24 hours flying time with a few hours stop off en route to refuel etc. Sounds a long time but in today’s modern aircraft you are well catered for and there is ample in flight entertainment. On arrival in Adelaide you will be met at the Airport by a smiling face and driven to your accommodation. The accommodation is excellent and all events , other than the Saturday Dinner at HMAS Buffalo take place there. You will have your own room with full facilities. You also have access to washing /drying facilities and an ironing room. You can also get your meals there and they have a bar facility. All in all it is an excellent location. When in Adelaide you will have ample spare time to explore the area. You have a marina and numerous activities nearby or you can take a tram ride of approx 30 minutes into the centre of Adelaide to do some shopping or sightseeing. The weather during the reunion is generally very good. It is the start of Autumn but it is much warmer than what we get at home. Finally if you want to look at the costing for this trip please consider checking out special offers in June / July and August. My experience has been that this is when travel companies tend to put the cheaper special offers on display. To help you here are some internet sites that you may wish to visit for information. www.expedia.com http://www.singaporeair.com/saa/en_UK/content/flights-fares/index.jsp
To check out what Adelaide has to offer go to http://www.adelaideguide.com/ To make arrangements with the organisers or for more information please contact chummers@opusnet.com.au or jananderic@aanet.com.au If I can be of any help to anyone with the travel arrangements or any other aspects of the trip please feel free to contact me at contact@jackiesemple.com I sincerely hope this article is helpful to the readers and hopefully I will meet up with some of you at next year’s Adelaide Reunion. To all of those who have attended before including the ex RM Bandsmen from Australia and New Zealand, I have to tell you they still talk about your last visit and everyone would be very glad to see you back again next year. Best Regards, Paddy
Semple. Ex RMB 3868
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