Christmas in July
On Saturday 15 July, a large group of Mannas traveled by school bus to the Quindanning Inne for our club "Christmas in July" lunch. Glenda had organised a school bus (driven by none other than our own Sue Schumacher) to take us to and from Quindanning; accordingly, wearing a school uniform was compulsory.
As you can see by the photos, the range of school uniforms on display was eclectic to say the least. My therapist assures me the memories and subsequent nightmares will eventually fade.
The drive to Quindanning was punctuated with a short stop at Pinjarra to pick up some country kids and last minute toilet stop. From there we wound our way, in quite wet weather to Quindanning with a group of "misfits" congregated on the back seat of the bus for a "smoke" and to gossip about the other kids.
If you haven't been there, the Quindanning Inne is worth a visit. It is a rambling pub with the sort of olde world charm you might expect to find in country England, including: cosy dim lit rooms, open fires, small intimate bar with Irish staff and a large beer garden with a bandstand.
With the dining room to our selves, we were greeted with complimentary mulled wine followed by a generously portioned 3 course lunch of soup, roast meat and vegies and for dessert - Christmas pudding and custard. All washed down with range of medicinal beverages that were on tap, so to speak.
The highlight of the afternoon was an impromptu visit from Santa. As you know, this time of year Santa holidays on tropical islands, which was obvious given his attire of red board shorts and bare feet. There was also a certain "mania" and energy to his behaviour consistent with those who enjoy the occasional recreational pharmaceutical when on holiday.
Santa had us lined up in Birthday/Month order to establish a sequence to collect a pre-numbered gift. As part of the club environmental policy the gifts comprised recycled and re-wrapped "treasures".
The return trip featured guessing games as each person took turn in humming a Christmas Carol. Many were difficult to guess, especially when the hummer was making no sound at all! Once guessed, a rousing rendition of the carol followed, albeit the number of versus was severely limited to those we could remember.
A special thanks to Glenda and her team, Sue for driving, Mandurah Bus Charters for doing such a good deal and providing one of there top drivers, Santa for interrupting his holidays and everyone who came along and dressed up to make it such a great day.