Australia Day At Cordeaux Dam, 2016
27 January 2016 / Brendan Barr photos: Brendan Barr
Would the gloomy skies laden with threatening precipitation dampen the enthusiasm of MX-5ers for the annual Australia Day Picnic at Cordeaux Dam? Surely only the toughest would depart home, and only the true optimists would have the top down.
The meeting venue of the Illawarra Chapter provided testament to what a tough group we are, with 12 cars arriving with the tops down. Would the Wacky Races winners be a foregone conclusion if no other chapters arrived? I could see that El Presidente was worried as we headed up the mountain in light rain, (with the tops down, of course!) negotiating huge potholes and the obligatory mad push-bike riders.
Arriving at Cordeaux Dam we were met by a solitary MX-5, with the top up, however, as he had a BBQ trailer attached to his car, he was warmly embraced!
Then the deluge started, it began raining cars! I stopped bothering to count at 53. MX-5s of every type, age, colour and description rolled into the car park, with the tops down, and disgorged a multitude of laughing, happy Australians, dressed in suitably patriotic styles, ready to enjoy our national day.
Cars were inspected, ND owners interrogated, one even consented to giving a ‘lend’ to a pair of likely lads. Off we went, and, out of sight, tested the rev limiter, traction control and power slides in the dirt. Thanks Pete, great car!
Tables groaned under the weight of enormous calorie loads of beautifully cooked slices, boxes of Favourites and lamington rolls. Stories were swapped, a fantastic race track was built for the youngsters and games of cricket started up.
As the sun came out, the feasting began in true Aussie style, with men grouped around the hotplate, beers in hand, complimenting each other on their culinary style. With meals devoured, it was time for some light hearted competition in the Wacky Races.
Would any Chapters stoop to cheating to win? RPM Chapter argued that it was a ‘rule interpretation,’ not cheating, (two grown men carrying a 7 year old in a sack in the sack race). Their request for drug testing of the Illawarra fell on the deaf ears of the race officials. Sydney was accused of lightening the load of the waiter’s trays (Rule 3 subsection C, thirst, they claimed, negates all other rules). All the teams tried to have ‘Hunterwarra’ disqualified on the grounds of late a betting plunge on the TAB, but investigations by Sepp Blatter cleared them of any ‘fixing.’
With the races under way teams strived to make the uniquely Australian finish line of rolls of gumtree bark lined up across the track. When the sacks were finished with, two legged bands untied, bean bags dropped and trays of water filled wine glasses dropped, Hunterwarra emerged victorious, to collect their victory prizes (and a small payment from Sepp!). The prizes of caps and patch came all the way from South Africa courtesy of the MX-5 Club Western Cape - thanks to Wesley & Lena Hill who met up with them during their Christmas holiday.
Weary racers and spectators returned to the tables for afternoon tea before departing.
What a great day, thanks to Bryan for the organising, we might even do it again next year!
