Horsham Rally Report

Well another Rally has come and gone and we have enjoyed meeting many Members and making new friends. We look forward to meeting everyone again at the next Rally which is to be held in Maryborough, Qld. The 19th Anniversary Rally held in Horsham by all accounts has been a most friendly and enjoyable Rally filled with lots of fun. 1038 motorhomes called the Wimmera Field Day site home for the week. The weather was kind to us and we experienced fine and mild to warm days with just one morning of below average temperatures. The fine weather and the flat site encouraged many to walk to the various attractions and the smiley buses were only lightly patronised.

The Rally was kicked off in style with a monster Welcome to Horsham BBQ on the Monday night with many hundreds of meals being served. This was followed during the week with evening meals catered for by the local combined services clubs. By any standard the services clubs’ volunteers did a marvelous job and managed to serve in excess of 4,000 meals for the week. With the final figures yet to be determined from their catering and other various activities, the volunteers of the services clubs expect to raise over $17,000.00 for local charity.

Charity will also be a winner with a new record being set by the Members with the donation of 178 knee rugs. These rugs have now been distributed by the Salvation Army to the various needy folk throughout the district. It is very pleasing to see this effort continuing and we hope that the Members are busy once again in preparation for Maryborough. Another charity to benefit from the Rally was the local sheltered workshop with their excellent onsite food store. Sunday night saw our Tsunami auction which raised a further $1,531.00. Thanks to the many trades who donated goods along with Ron Penfold for his auctioneering skills. Each night saw a large number of Members supporting the various entertainers that were performing. Tuesday night’s ball was a riot with many Members dressing for the occasion and much fun being had on the dance floor.

Donna Koopman mastered the games while Hank provided the music. The Miss Horsham contest attracted some fine young fillies. The winner was last seen dancing with her crown on her head and prize in hand. Wednesday night and the marquee was packed to the walls with Members wishing to see the ever popular Peter Horan. Peter performed the entire evening without a break and, according to many long time Rally goers, for the first time ever every seat was still occupied at the end of the show. Well done Peter! The Sing Australia choir along with our own Club choir entertained on Thursday night. Friday night saw many Members in fits of laughter as the ever popular Lucky Grills kept the jokes coming. In the meantime two bus loads of Members visited Dimboola to see a special performance of the famous Dimboola Play. By all accounts this was a very enjoyable night. Many Members took advantage of the town shuttle bus to visit the town. The response from local businesses to the many Members walking the town wearing their badges was very positive. Many other Members boarded buses to see the local highlights which included tours of the Grampians and Coonawarra wine region. Some tours were so popular that extra buses had to be put on. Open day on Saturday saw in excess of 4000 locals visit the Rally site to see the motorhomes and shop at the very large market day. With approximately 80 trades on site and well over 60 market stalls there was lots to do and see.

On a sad note we were disappointed with many Members’ attitude to saving water. Despite advanced warning that Horsham was a drought area and that water would be in short supply, along with a notice handed out to every motorhome on arrival, many Members showed little heed to the shortage. 420000 litres of fresh water were used along with an equivalent amount of dam water. This equals to approximately 63 litres of water per day per Member. Some Members arrived at the site with empty water tanks! One Member was even seen removing a shower head to gain better access to enough hot water to wash their clothes. Water is now a cost that may to need be factored into many rallies in the future. Overall though, the Rally was a huge success and a good time was had by all, as noted by an empty complaints book. Well done to all those volunteers involved in organising and working at the Rally. A big thank you also goes to the people of Horsham for their warm and friendly hospitality. Maybe we will call again sometime in the not too distant future.

We look forward to seeing you all once again in Maryborough.

Bruce Treloar, V17634