Last Minute News re the Ball and the Picnic

All attendees for our 25th year reunions, We have a news flash!  The Irish Club, associated with their receivership status, advise that they will not honour our Ball booking. We have switched the venue and the booking to a ballroom at the Hilton Hotel.  The Hilton is situated directly opposite the Irish Club at 190 Elizabeth Street, Brisbane. Please rest assured that the show will go on! This note was just to sort some final housekeeping and to highlight that we still have some tickets available for the Ball. The final day to purchase tickets is Tuesday the 12th May. We would be grateful for any assistance with the sales of these tickets.  Profit is guaranteed to go towards the shipping of medical materials to the Bougainville medical facilities.   The best contact points for the Ball are Cathy Devereux (0448 337600) and / or Monica Larcombe (0413 495919). Our many "friends" have been extremely generous with regards raffle prizes including some major prizes from Panda Pearls. The PP raffle will be conducted separately over both the Friday evening and the Sunday (draw in mid-afternoon) Some interstaters who could not journey the distance have also contributed raffle prizes. This year we will have a mix of foods including a mumu, a sausage sizzle and kebabs. The latter will be sold for $3 per serve.  This small impost will be referred to as a donation. We will be looking for a few volunteers (perhaps just 30  minutes) to assist with the cooking. If this is you then please register your name with Ted or Davo.  The mumu has been offered by the BBCG and our local Bougainvillean community. We ask that families bring an extra chair.  There will be numerous interstate visitors.  Parking fills up quickly. DO NOT TRY TO LUMP IN YOUR ESKIES, ETC.  Walk to the picnic area and there will be trolleys and plenty of willing helpers. I am now lapun and retired and my fee is a 6 pack but most will only ask for a stubby.   Nothing has changed with the mosquito`s. About 3.30 pm they will descend upon us. Come well-equipped with Aeroguard, etc. This morning we visited the picnic venue and found that the facilities have been expanded, see below photos. Please note that if you have no wish to drive then we are situated less than 200 metres from the Boondall Railway Station.  Across the bridge, past the PICNIC sign, there are another two car parks, some of this covered.   Our ranks become thinner each year. I sense that some may be attending for the last time.   Do not miss this opportunity to catch up with your old wantoks.   Presently on the sick list are Baden Stewart, Liz Ryan, Doug Pink and Trevor Anderson.            From the veterans class we have recently been in touch with the Hoopers and the Barnhams and this week I spoke to PWQ.  We are enjoying the company of one ex-Panguna oldtimer as a house guest. He has travelled all the way from Scotland to see you guys.  I hope that he will get along with Raggles. Regards Davo John@johndavidson.com.au 0418 784 186 or 3205 8617