Saffers Get-together March 08

[Lourens]

Hi everybody,

I took a quite a few photo's at the get-together at Belair National Park on Sunday, and I'll upload a few as attachements to this message. It was a great day, and I'm sure it was thoroughly enjoyed by everyone.

Thanks very much Marius for organizing this. I reckon we should definitely do it more often.

Enjoy the pics.

Lou

[elizes]

Maggies, was Jan Stoof en Annatjie ook daar? Ons het saam hulle gewerk, en chat nog so nou en dan met sy seun Ewoud!

[Marius]

Thanks for the pics Lourens,

This type of thing is easy to arrange, as simple as typing a few sentences on the internet really. Yes we should do it more. Anyone wishing to arrange such or more formalised get togethers must go ahead, please dont wait for me.

[Andrea]

We had a fantastic day - felt right at 'home' at the end of the day when I discovered our chair was gone!!! Laughed all the way home .......

[Marius]

We had a fantastic day - felt right at 'home' at the end of the day when I discovered our chair was gone!!! Laughed all the way home .......

Oh dear ! I am sure the person with the extra chair will come forward.

[Blossom]

Synde dat ek nou nie daar was nie, sit bietjie name by die gesigte, toe? Bly julle het dit geniet, was die hitte nie bietjie erg nie?

Nuuskierige groete,

[Guest Bronwyn]

Thanks again Marius, it really was fun and we had SO many people there!

What Andrea isn't saying is that there was one lonesome chair left at the end, so she took that one instead (I was complaining that I lost my chair covers but I found them today stuffed in another bag. Duh! )

It was great to put faces to the names. It was a beautiful venue, a hot 39 or 40 degrees, but in the shade and with a bit of a breeze, it wasn't unpleasant at all!

Thanks for the photos Lou!

[Bob]

Lourens:

Good piccies, Lou!

Elizes:

Jan ("Jan Stoff") is indeed there. 4th piccie down is me kneeling, wearing a battered old straw hat talking away to him (turning around), so you can tell his son that he's alive and kicking in Australia.

Us old codgers discovered that we both like sitting around camp fires, caravanning, making "damper" (flour with yeast that makes it bread in a camp oven on the coals)

Marius:

That was a good "do" Marius. I know time was spent organising it because you took time to visit the place more than once.

Good work, mate.

Annette:

Nice to meet your brother. I think the Hills reminded him of the Vry Staat. One thing I'm curious to know . . . . did you all manage to stagger back home in one piece after your trip to the Barossa Valley with all its wineries on Monday??

I finally got meet folks like Manny ("Manny T"), Renier ("Renier Pret") and Wilna / Marthinus ("Wilna") for the first time, among others . . . . putting faces to names.

Edited March 10, 2008 by Bob

[Guest wilna]

Ons het die dag baie geniet.....dankie Marius.

KD, as ons weer kuier, kuier julle saam......reg so?

[Jan Stoof]

Hi Bob. We showed the pictures to my daughter and Son in Law (an Ozzie) My daughter asked whom was this man neeling in front of me. I couldn't resist it and said "O that's Bob, an Ozzie showing his respect to a South African elder' My son laughed and said you wouldn't be bothered if if write that. Sorry mate. It was I, that was disrespectfull for not getting up. Will make up to you with a "potjie" and a red, sometime.

Betsy. Ekke is die dikke met die blou "Two Oceans" hoed op. Ek kyk elke aand "The biggest loser" Maar dit motiveer my net meer om meer te eet. Ek wil nog 'n gelukkige 10 jaar hier in Oz beleef. Daai ouens gaan vroeg vrek van al die oefening. Ons het die pink hoed gemis.

RenierPret. Wie was jy nou weer? Sorry ek het darem die verskoning dat ek nog gedehidreerd was en buitendien, my alkohol vlakke was zero.

Groete Jan.

[Navigator]

Hi Jan

Ek was die rustige en skamerige ou wat met min mense gesels het. Het nie by jou uitgekom nie, sal volgende keer met jou kom gesels! Ek en my vrou was daar met Stephan in die stootkarretjie (met die oranje skerm - Oranje Vrystaat).

Ek dink ons was al klaar weg toe die foto's geneem was - dit was bietjie te warm vir Stephan om sy middag slapie te vat, en ons het toe vroegerig gewaai.

Edited March 10, 2008 by RenierPret

[MannyT]

Hi Marius

Thanks for organising the outing on Sunday. Nice to have been able to put faces to some of the names on the forum.

Hopefully the newies to Adelaide made some good contacts.....................

Adelaide far to small though - we took Julie and Mark (three weeks in Adelaide) to the Barossa on the Monday and bumped into Annette, Marius and Anette's brother (sorry big guy but I cannot for the life of me remember your name) at Chateau Tanunda.

Ek hoop dat almal die dag geniet het....

Enjoy!

Manny

[Marius]

I am the guy in several photos with a coopers pale ale beer in my hand . Yes it was good to put some faces to names. Like I said, we go to this park often, at least once a month so for me it was a natural choice and no extra effort to go and check it out, I live 20 minutes away. Maybe we do another one in winter and rent one of their venues and make a regte boerebraai with wood coles and a big pot pap. No firebans then I recon and the fire will warm us up, it is cool up there in the winter. Or any other venue is OK for me.

[Bob]

I'll be around mid July onwards for a while, if you're planning a "do" at that time of year, but it's a long time between barbies / braais.

A weekend away with the whole family is another option. Just choose one of the spots about a couple of hours' drive out of town and just camp there for the weekend. That way, you get to talk to a few others over the course of the weekend.

Another option is for the blokes with 4WDs to get away on their own for a weekend . . . . take a few beers, swag and just crash out on a beach or national park and bush bash over the sand dunes or thro the bush for a day or two.

That would give the blokes a break from it all. Those fellahs without 4WDs can help pay the fuel cost by being a passenger in one of the other 4WDs.

Just throwing up options. . . . . whatever you want to do??

There really are a lot of good times out there waiting to be had. You guys just have to make them happen.

Edited March 13, 2008 by Bob

[Suidwes]

I'll be around mid July onwards for a while, if you're planning a "do" at that time of year, but it's a long time between barbies / braais.

A weekend away with the whole family is another option. Just choose one of the spots about a couple of hours' drive out of town and just camp there for the weekend. That way, you get to talk to a few others over the course of the weekend.

Another option is for the blokes with 4WDs to get away on their own for a weekend . . . . take a few beers, swag and just crash out on a beach or national park and bush bash over the sand dunes or thro the bush for a day or two.

That would give the blokes a break from it all. Those fellahs without 4WDs can help pay the fuel cost by being a passenger in one of the other 4WDs.

Just throwing up options. . . . . whatever you want to do??

There really are a lot of good times out there waiting to be had. You guys just have to make them happen.

Please Pretty please count us in for ANY of the above! Adelaide is about 400km from us and hubby will be busy with harvesting until end Apr/begin May but a weekend away sounds wonderfull.

Suidwes

[Lourens]

I'm the one in the yellow T-shirt in the middle of the 7th photo, busy entering Danzil's mobile number on my mobile. Danzil is on my left with the black T-shirt and shades. Marius is on my right with a Coopers in hand and Jan Stoof bottom of the photo in the middle with the blue hat.

Manny is in the guy in the middle of the last photo, talking to Bob on the left and Bronwyn (with the blue cap) on the right.

In the 2nd last photo is my wife Elezea (also a forum member) with the blue T-shirt, talking to Wilna (with the checkered shirt) and sorry I can't remember the other lady's name (but I do know she lives in Highbury!). Then there's also Marius (Annette's hubby) on the far right with the black hat, and Stephen (Bronwyn's hubby) with his back to the camera.

Now you other guys can put some more faces to names ...

Cheers,

Lou

[Dominique]

Hi there,

It was really good to see some South Africans for a change and to hear and speak the Afrikaans language again! After 10 months in Adelaide I started to think that Tino and I were the only SAffers in Adelaide... Really looking forward to the next get together, especially the braai with the "pap"!

[Annette]

It was such a lovely day, but I didn't get round to talking to many people. I'm such a wimp when it comes to heat!

I'm in the 5th photo right in the middle at the very back with a yellowish sleeveless dress and big sunnies . My brother, Charles, is to my right and next to him is Arthur.

The svelte Lady from Highbury is Andrea (named and shamed hehe).

Bob, we had a wonderful time in the Barossa. It was quite hot, so we dashed from the car to the cellar door in record time at each stop. We had a great lunch at Chateau Tanunda, where we saw the Tavareses. Marius was the driver, so we staggered, he drove

I know that Marius will be very keen on doing a 4x4 trip again. He's champing at the bit. We're also quite keen on organising a trip down to Deep Creek some time. Very basic facilities, but stunning views and great walks

Edited March 21, 2008 by Annette

[Lourens]

Hi Annete,

I spoke to Marius about a 4X4 trip and camping out at Deep Creek Nat. Park some time. Please let us know if you guys arrange something like that, we're definitely in!

My in-laws are visiting us over the next 4 weeks ...

Cheers,

Lou

[Cornia]

[

Edited April 4, 2008 by Cornia

[Bob]

Hi Annete,

I spoke to Marius about a 4X4 trip and camping out at Deep Creek Nat. Park some time. Please let us know if you guys arrange something like that, we're definitely in!

My in-laws are visiting us over the next 4 weeks ...

Cheers,

Lou

Lourens,

there are a number of places that you might like to consider going to for a weekend with or without the family, 4WD'ing or just camping out.

Deep Creek Conservation Park is about an hour's drive south of Adelaide, with a couple of good camping spots for the weekend. It doesn't offer any 4WD "thrills & spills" that I know of, so the weekend would be just a social occasion of sitting around and enjoying other's company and going off for walks, etc.

Mambray Creek in the Mt. Remarkable Nat. Park is much the same and is located about 3 hours' drive north of Adelaide, on the way to Pt. Augusta. Scenery is pretty good with some good bushwalks to be had. Facilities there are good.

Burra Gorge, 2 hours' drive north of Adelaide, is just a camping spot by a creek. At $5 a night, it's not expensive to spend a weekend there, but the area has no facilities.

Ngarkat Conservation Park, on the border with Victoria, is about 3 hours' drive east of Adelaide, and has basic facilities. The 4WD tracks are something that beginners should learn to tackle and if camping at Red Bluff, just over the border in Victoria, you can have a campfire to sit around and enjoy at night.

The "South East" around Robe, about 3 hours south east of Adelaide, offers some great sand 4WD tracks. This area will thrill anyone, especially the family, if you take them over big sand dunes and a fast drive along the miles and miles of beach with the surf crashing. Basic facilities.

These are all "reachable" for a weekend's fun and enjoyment.

Going further afield, for a long weekend (next one is Queen's Birthday being second weekend in June) you might like to consider the Flinders Ranges, Grampians, Lower Glenelg River or Wyperfeld . . . all great spots and each has quite different scenery from the others.

Your choice!