Rotary Club of Port Lincoln welcomes
Great Australian Bike Ride, 16-18 September 2009.
GABR riders and support team arrived in Port Lincoln about 3.30 pm on Wednesday 16 September, having ridden in rain all of the 167 km from Elliston. The crew were accommodated in the Lions Hostel at North Shields about 11 Km north of Port Lincoln.
The Rotary Club of Port Lincoln changed their normal dinner meeting from the Tuesday to make a 'welcome night for the GABR' on the Wednesday evening. The Rotary members cooked up whiting for entree and a steak, sausage and salad BBQ at the Lions Hostel facility.
The Rotary Club of Port Lincoln President, David Johnston, welcomed the GABR riders and their support team, as well as invited representatives of 3 Probus Clubs, Freemasons Lodge No 45, Lions, Apex and Zonta. All up, we had about 70 present to enjoy the evening.
All of the riders and support team spoke of their reasons and purpose for joining the Great Australian Bike Ride for Australian Rotary Health.
Two raffles were run during the evening, plus the fines money extracted from all comers by a very confident Rotary 'Sergeant at Arms', Malcolm Schluter on the night, was all in support of ARH and the GABR.
After an unusual sleep-in to 'celebrate' the lay-day, the team were bussed to Port Lincoln on Thursday morning to have breakfast at McDonalds Family Restaurant in the CBD at 8.30 am.
President David Johnston and GABR Hosting coordinator and RCPL Vocational Director, Rod Patterson were there to meet the crew and look after them for the day.
After a quick tour of the commercial, recreational and residential areas of the Lincoln Cove Marina, we relaxed with a coffee at the Marina Hotel and then visited Ravendale Community Sports Centre on the way to Winter's Hill lookout to see the city in the glorious sunshine.
The panorama of Boston Bay (5 x size of Sydney Harbour), Boston Island plus the vista from Sleaford Bay in the south to North Shields in the north, had the cameras working overtime.
From there we journeyed about 15 km to Glen Forest Animal Park where we spent a pleasant time, mostly in the huge bird aviary as well as checking out the menagerie of animals.
During our lunchtime there, Rotarian Brian Turvey spoke about the history of his ownership of the park and the establishment of the vineyards on the property and the wines he produces on 'Lincoln Estates'. He also entertained us with some background of the Tuna farming and Abalone industries in which he has many years of experience.
The latter part of the afternoon was left to the riders and support team members to attend to more pressing matters, such making opportunity to wash clothes, do posting and banking, get the odd (?) haircut and shop etc.
Thursday evening the Port Lincoln Rotary Club arranged a fundraising night at a local winery, Boston Bay Wines, not too far from the Lions Hostel. The owner and renowned chef, Tony Ford, prepared and cooked a delightful gourmet barbeque with all the trimmings! We enjoyed the wines as well, and an auction of some GABR garments and three raffles for quite a few wines and a beach shelter. This helped raise money and some more awareness of just what Australian Rotary Health research does for the community at large.
Those present were GABR riders and support team, Manager Tony Baj and two young management staff from (sponsors) McDonalds, and representatives of local riders' clubs and... you guessed it ... more Rotarians and their partners.
David Brown spoke of the organisation and logistics of a bike ride such as this, and Queen Madge, (aka Gonny) told us some stories of "a day in the life of a GABR rider" on the east coast and then the west coast of Australia. They were very different.
Friday morning was up early and at McDonalds for breakfast at 7.00 am, some press interviews again and presentations from Rotary and the GABR of certificates of appreciation to sponsors, local suppliers and project people.
Geoff Kennedy, GABR Ride Director, presented a ride shirt signed by all the GABR riders to Tony Baj, the manager of McDonalds Port Lincoln, who was the highest bidder at the auction on Thursday night.
Deputy Mayor of the City of Port Lincoln, Jill Parker, waved the riders away at 8.00am, along with two local riders Jeff Lock and Mary Lockwood who donated $20 to ride with the GABR participants, some 50 kms to Tumby Bay.
Our best wishes have gone with them all for the remainder of the ride, and we hope they all hang in there to complete the Great Australian Bike Ride in Melbourne on October 10 .
[See photos in photo gallery] |
