The annual “Blue Tongues Reunion” was held at Major Creek Streamside Reserve, Nagambie and whilst the weather conditions were not as nice as 2022 it did not deter the die-hard group who regularly attend. It was overcast and very cool with light rain on and off over the weekend but the camp area was dry and firm.
The reunion is open to all Sappers irrespective of rank with the only provisos being that you leave your rank at home, come with a great attitude, plenty of photos, stories and be prepared to be amazed by the great people that you will meet.
The area where the reunion is held is a public camping ground so there are other people staying within the facility which is monitored by and controlled by Parks Victoria and as this is public camping ground then there are limitations of what you can and can’t do. Gone are the roaring campfires of yesteryear.
As in the past the objective of this weekend is to enable people to catch up with old friends and renew acquaintances. There is a large turnover of people coming and going with some staying for the entire weekend and others just dropping in to say hello and only staying a few hours.
Attendance numbers seemed lower this year, but it is hard to say exact numbers due to the transient crowd. This year we were missing a couple of very important members in Les (Foxy) Francis and Colin (Fish) Fraser–regretfully Foxy’s sister passed away during the week and Fish had family down from Darwin. Another very sad event was that George Week’s sister (who lives in WA) also passed away.
As previously reported an Honour Board is maintained for supporters of this function who have left us and since our last catch up in 2022 we have added the names of Judith Dodson and Tony McKernan to the Memorial Board – thanks George for looking after this very important part of the history.
Travel and distance are not something that has deterred people turning up to support this activity with many travelling long distances to attend such as Bob “Redman” Jones and “Doc” Kincaid – there were a good number of caravans and assortment of tents. David Stevenson proudly showed off the caravan that he had borrowed and in fact arrived a day early to get a good spot.
Food was aplenty with wonderful treats and roasts from the camp ovens showing that the boys have not lost their touch. In addition, BBQ’s were ongoing with ample nibbles available for those who wanted to venture from the campfire.
This is a great activity and George, Bill, Fish and Foxy need to be thanked for their efforts and encouraged to keep up the good work. At the same time thanks must be given to all those people who take the time to come along to the reunion and support it because without them it would just not happen no matter how much work the organisers put into it.
Well the reunion will now be put to bed (lights out) for another 12 months with the escapades to be reminisced and talked about until 2024.
If any reader gets the opportunity of participating in the 2024 reunion you should jump at it with both hands and come along for the experience of a lifetime. It is a great weekend.
Without reunions and gatherings like this, so much of the Victorian Corps history would be lost and whilst not everyone would agree with the concept of this weekend it is an important event on the social calendar
Personally I am so pleased that I went along as everyone makes you so welcome. Even though I did not stay for long (I was on my way to Wagga for the Kapooka Tragedy Memorial on 21st May 2023) I really look forward to this outing – one year I will take my swag and camp out under the stars (maybe!!)
Thanks again to all those who came along to make this a great weekend – you have all helped add some wonderful memories to this old mind.
Jim Davis
RAEAV
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