Broken Hill Rally Report

Hi From Sunny Broken Hill,

Another interesting Rally has concluded, with its share of drama and comic moments. The three weeks before the Rally was the hottest weather spell of over 38 degrees that the southern part of Australia had experienced in 170 years. My thanks to the early volunteers who worked through it to set up the Rally site and in the process consumed two pallets of bottled water.

Many of our Members had had enough after driving through the worst of the heat wave to get to the Rally and cancelled out looking for the cooler climate. We were better off than the southern capitals who were registering 40 degree heat with 85% plus humidity in Adelaide and Melbourne. Those brave souls that persevered, endured the dust and willi willies for the first few days. Power was a major problem as Members who were affected were allowed to run air conditioners, as a once off, in an attempt to minimise the heat stress. The high load of people running them continually, coupled with some incorrectly wired motorhomes played havoc with our residual current protected distribution boxes. It took days to find the offending motorhomes.

The weather then returned to normal (between 26 and 28 degrees) for this area and time of the year and just when we were appreciating comfortable happy hours, Sunday brought a rain storm to beat all rain storms, with umbrellas, awnings, chairs and anything else left loose tumbling through the torrent to the largest lake seen for some time at the Racecourse. The town also had flash flooding with many stranded cars, and houses and businesses suffering minor flooding. As we were isolated and afloat during the downpour, the great CMCA spirit shone through with the chit chat on Channel 20 amusing everyone. Calls of barramundi caught, lures lost, missing wives seen floating past filled the radio waves.

A Rally of firsts, one of the Solos was admitted to the Maternity Ward, after a spill from her scooter at the Sculptures dislocating her shoulder. All the other wards were full. Mother and scooter are doing well. Good on you Pam, and a speedy recovery.

The General Meeting was well attended with the air conditioners installed in the main marquee making it a reasonably pleasant venue.

A talent night revealed some delightful surprises, and the Miner’s Ball had many with miners’ helmets, Morris Minors, Mini Minors and several myna bird species. The Solos again decorated the stage with their usual skill and care. The ball went rather late with the revellers finally having to be ejected as they were prepared to stay as long as the band was willing to play.

Another feature was the mixed shower stalls located in the stables. These were donated by the Ulysses Club some years ago, and many of our Members and their spouses had not been in the same shower space washing each other’s back for some years. The therapeutic effect on sometimes jaded marriages was electric.

It was a different Rally with its share of problems and it had its challenges, but the die hard Rally goers, and many fascinated first timers took it in their stride, and as usual enjoyed the events, happy hours and camaraderie that the Club and Rallies are all about. The next three Rallies are all on grass or near the sea and will make a change to the recent sites that have been subject to the devastating drought that has affected the whole of our wonderful country.

John Bennetts, Q5331, Rally Manager Broken Hill Anniversary Rally