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Australia Reunions - October 2005
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Australia Reunions - October 2005
as part of the
Kenya Regiment Association (Australia)
Annual Curry Dinner
Sydney,
Australia
Saturday, 22nd October 2005
All ( East African ) Schools Annual Picnic Day
Sydney,
Australia
From 9.00am Sunday, 23rd October 2005
Two important week-ends looming up shortly on your calendar.
Firstly the sixth annual All East African Schools’ Picnic to be held at the Lane Cove River National Park in Sydney on
Sunday 23rd October 2005. This is part of a double header week-end when members of Kenya Regiment Association
(Australia)
hold their Annual Curry Dinner in Sydney on Sunday 22nd October - contact for this is Ted Downer by e-mail:
Kenreg4253@aol.com
This year you can literally get two picnics for the price of one as there is a similar picnic being held on the following
Sunday 30th October at Kings Park in Perth. This is why this e-mail is being sent out Australia-wide.
With regard to the Lane Cove River National Park picnic, the venue (as in previous years) is the shed at Illoura 2. If you
need a map and/or bus timetable, I can e-mail them out to you separately on request. (Bus 545 departs and arrives
Chatswood Station every hour). While you still will be able to walk up to the venue from Fullers Bridge end (where the
bus stops are located) via Lady Game Drive and across the weir, you can only now drive into the Park from the de Burgh's
end of the Park via Lane Cove Road. This is because work is being undertaken for the Chatswood to Parramatta rail link.
Driving is easy as the venue is the last stop just past the boat shed.
For those of you who have not been there before we have shelter in the large shed in case it rains. Any way a little rain
should not put any one off – because we could do with some rain and we would probably be doing our little bit through our
“Muganga” to conjure up rain. (Also from past experience, while it may be raining all around, there seems to be little
rain in the Lane Cove River Valley itself.)
There are "kuni" barbeques with "kuni" fallen from trees available as well as tables and benches (yes we will even cut
those up, if need be :-) ). If you want to bring your own barbeque/picnic gear please feel free to do so. And if you want
to buy some African delicacies (e.g. biltong even "posho"), these will be available from Springbok Delights, 656 Mowbray Road,
Lane Cove but you will have to purchase them on the Saturday or earlier.
This is an all day event (with the Park gates opening at 9.00 am and closing at 6.00 pm). I will be at the gates at
9.00am to secure the spot and would welcome any early risers (special “Morani”) to help me do the same as Park spots are
available on a first come first served basis. I would like to establish an early river-head before the Bazaar ghetto
blaster brigades arrive.
While you may certainly arrive and leave at your own convenience, I would appreciate your informing me on the day if you
are likely to leave early – the reason being the compulsory school photo shoots. We will commence with Uganda (I understand
that there may have been one or two primary schools there) before moving to Western Kenya, across the Rift Valley and
eventually to the Nairobi environs and Nairobi itself, with a quick dart down to Mombasa before going further south into
Tanganyika. I don't profess to be an expert on all East African Schools, so if some of the schools you attended are not
called out, please remind me.
It also goes without saying that these are family days where spouses and the like are most welcome. If you would like to
savour the flavour of the previous picnics please point your Web Browser to
http://eastafricans.org/picnics/2004/. And in
case you get lost on the day or need to contact me, please “piga simu” on 0412-599-939.
The Perth picnic on the following Sunday will be held in the Western Power Parkland area of Kings Park
from 11.00 am (This
is because the people in the West don’t have daylight saving and therefore think that they can sleep in for an extra two
hours – the slackers :-) ) Seriously though the venue has to be booked and paid for on a time basis. (We in Sydney must
be the “Wa Maskini” while there is no payment for the venue, cars are charged for entering the Park and even then the
"Wazee" may get in for free). And because some one has to pay for the booking. This is because our two organisers of
this event Richard Tredget (ex Nakuru School and Duke of York School) and Andrew Hillier (ex Loreto Convent, Eldoret,
Kitale School and Duke of York School) have done this and I would expect them to be compensated through a small per head
charge.
To get there you enter Kings Park from Thomas Street through Saw Avenue, and then turn right into May Drive. The picnic
area is on the left, and will be marked out with Lime Green Flags. You should reach the flagged area after the Vietnam
Memorial, and the Zamia Cafe Cafeteria, flags will be located near the lake. I understand that BBQ facilities are
available. These are free and run on electricity. ("Watu ya mambo leo hapana kama sisi wa Sydney"). And you if you
don’t want to bring any “chakula” you can get it from the Zamia Café. I also understand that while considerable space has
been booked, Richard and Andrew would still like to have some idea of who is attending.
Any queries on the day please ring Andrew on his mobile: 0419 227 848.
For any general queries before hand please contact either Richard or Andrew via
e-mail: richpam@iprimus.com.au and
hillier@iinet.net.au
Finally this is what we have done and what do you have to do – simple:
1. Attend (attendance is compulsory :-) )
2. Spread the word far and wide – it is an unfortunate fact of life that many from the Old Countries are not on the radar
and others seemed to be off it again
Hope to see as many of you as possible at one or more of the above picnics.
Salaams
Dave Lichtenstein (ex Hill School, Eldoret & Duke of York)
e-mail lichtend@ozemail.com.au
Alternative contact is Steve Taylor (Prince of Wales School - Scott House 1961-3)
e-mail: steve@echodesign.com.au
Phone: 0418 218 602 (+ 61 418 218 602)
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