THE FOUR DAY PARTY
Bonnells Bay Lake Macquarie Central Coast New South Wales Australia
and also Wangi Wangi and Shingle Splitters and Brightwaters and sometimes Morisset.
You say you just want the pictures? beach NYE Midnight cruiser skiboat agro
HOT TIP: if the party doesn't work try relaxing i mean if the pictures don't work: try reloading again!
MMy brothers daughter got sick
last Tuesday (28th) with the stomach thing and couldn't keep anything
down. So while she's busy spewing on carpets and bedding and clothing
we're busy cleaning and trying to get fluids into the poor little
mite. News today is she is still unwell and heaved big time on NYE
(New Year's Eve). 
So with a day of packing TankJirl, I decided to leave Sydney and head for the coast. Which was also the planned nye destination. Of course Helmut (my ex-partner) was a bit sick and couldn't help too much. Wednesday come and I was still stuffing around packing and planning when a call come thru from Nancy and Sid (they own the house at Lake Macquarie where it was all going to happen) asking me where I was. They had already started celebrating. Damn! I said, gotta get up there now! I'm on holidays! So after a sleep - the morning woke me bolt upright, what's different, me thinks, look outside - it is a perfectly cloudless sunny warm fantastic morning. Now this is important because to make a good Australian summer you need sun, and that we had done without sun for almost ten days. There has been nothing but rain, rain, rain since a week before Christmas. Helmut was still sick and couldn't help me haul the heavy stuff out to the jeep. Of course I had to do the carrying. 7am-ish we left Sydney! Woohoo away from all that baby stench and onto the p-a-r-t-y.
We arrived at the Lake about 8am to find no
one home. I gave Nancy a call on the cell to find she has the
answering service on and I leave a message. So I gets out the esky
(cooler) and some cheeses and meats for eating and the chairs for
sitting in the backyard watching the water and waiting... A knock on
the front door. Come to deliver
Sid and Nancy turned up at about 11am and we got started into a barbeque and more beers. That afternoon Helmut and I decided to go for a cycle around the lake as I made the effort of hitching the bike rack to the jeep. Unfortunately, Helmut was not very fit and, even the slightest incline, was a problem. So for fear of having a heart attack victim at my feet we headed back.
That Thursday night friends started arriving, so needless to say it was more food and beers. Days later we found out that Mel got stung in three spots by green ants which made his leg swell and go numb, and that was why he crashed out early (9pm) that night.
31st December 1999: New Years Eve Day and Helmut and I went for a drive down the coast to a place called Norah Head which has a fabulous turn of the (last!) century lighthouse overlooking the ocean. It was getting cold so we headed back to the Lake, though not before some 4WDing which I found :) Yes, got the jeep muddy a little - it was a must. Lost roads. Though I get a little scared of getting bogged in the bush alone (well Helmut was with me - Mr big fat help! ha). Not to worry so much as I have a UHF and a cell. My sense of adventure always gets the better of me.
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Soldiers Beach - Norah Head. Southern side. |
Norah Head on a better day in November. |
So we get back to the lake about lunch time and getting bored, start sketching. Nancy liked my pastel drawing I did of the backyard overlooking the water. Which made me happy, even though it was pityful. Then it was time for a nap - recharging the batteries before the night. I slept for ages until Sid wakes me telling me that Brad had landed. Landed? So I get some more zeds and finally wake up an hour or so later and get ready for the night ahead. Showered, blow dried my hair nicely, got the makeup on, dressed in my sari and went to join the party on the way dialing Tracey who was coming up after work. So I'm chatting to her until she passes Pepe on the phone. Waving at friends as I'm approaching the back porch, Pepe comes on the phone and I tell him the helicopter has landed. Yeah well it had! Brad had landed the helicopter in Sid and Nancys' back yard. Damnit again, missed the landing! Alas no one got a ride this time as Brad had to head off again. Next it was dinner with a barbeque, lush meats and salads awaiting my best friends Rom and Tracey (Roms' lady). They arrived at about 10pm (had to work) followed closely by Bro with his german shepard pup of 10 months. Yay! now everyone was here. PARTY! 22 party goers!
The TV was on the nye celebrations in Sydney. Which was pretty awesome. Though we had already let off many fireworks of our own. neat! Nige insisted on refreshing his memory as to if I was wearing a g-string or not whenever Helmut was out of sight. hehehe. Fun and games among friends - can't beat it.
Midnight! hugs and kisses everywhere! Helmut
spits the dummy and is somehow pissed off and tells me
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� Save the hair |
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� Rumble! |
We celebrated every NYE around the world for the next 18 hours when Mart would call <Hey its New Year in...!> At about 4am I'm saying, once again, where is Helmut? <He walked> what?? <he's gone> He did indeed. His bags were gone. Geeez. Well I thought that was pretty rude. And so did Sid. Tracey was very supportive and was saying why should I be someone that I am not to suit someone I don't really know and wants to take you away from the people you love. True Tracey. Well, I thought that was his loss, I'm not going to go chasing - he obviously doesn't like my friends and they were my friends before he was. Worse was that Helmut didn't want to be with me or accept me the way I was. So I'm feeling a bit guilty but not too totally guilty as I thought I would: isn't it amazing how NYE's can make or break relationships? Friends were telling me horror stories of their past NYE experiences which made me feel heaps better. Then some more firecrackers were let off. Some were sleepy and the contingent slowed down and petered out to watch the sunrise only an hour and a half later.
The sun rises early, and sets late, during this time of the year - as it is daylight saving time. I believe it has something to do with the cows being cold in winter than summer in Queensland so the whole country makes the most of the daylight in summer.
The sunrise was scattered with bands of creamy grey cloud dotted by small brown ones and the sun shone between. Superb. I actually got a pic of the last sunset of 1999 and then this sunrise. So that was really good.
At about 7am we started on the bourbons when we realised that no one was getting up to take us for a water ski or jet ski. That day was full of incidents, but are better told by the group. That afternoon Sharny (Bro's german shepard pup) was getting into the water and running around wetting people, snooping around other back yards. I got the water crayons out and everyone was tattooing body parts. Then Sharny came bolting back home with a chihuahua on her tail. So funny! We were all bent over with laughter. Can you picture it? Big dog being chased by very small dog. Of course we had been into the wine and sedately watching the lake beyond the gum trees before the roaring howl of Sharny. Had to be there I suppose.
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The Headpiece
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New Years Day Sunrise over Lake Macquarie, Australia � � � � |
So New Years Day was quite an event. No one left the party, which was really good. Obviously everyone had the same idea, that was to make it a three or four day party. I had brought some frozen savouries that I had made at home and put those in the oven for heating. I also make this wicked garlic bread which was also frozen. No one was really hungry but once the hot food was offered on dishes - no one refused. Well that was a good thing because it seemed to have picked everyone up and the stomachs started calling out. So the barbeque got fired up and we feasted and drank the night away once again. We played this strange sausage game which defies description but it was so funny everyone was almost wetting their pants with laughter. That continued for hours and hours. Carol won! Cool! The girls win at the boys game! AND she's a jeep chick also!
Sunday morning came and we all thought we should DO something. Pepe and I were toey for a water ski or a sail or anything but lie around telling dirty jokes and what not. It was actually good to see Pepe and Tracey emerge from the cocoon as they had dissappeared for about 12 hours into the bedroom. How nice! Half their luck. Mart and Kylie were rocking the boat a bit also. Sid had his cruiser in the driveway and that's where they were. Basically there were people sleeping in every comfortable nook and cranny over the four days. The whole atmosphere was one of friends all comfortable with each others company - it doesn't get much better than this.
After the bacon and egg breakfast it was decided to hit the water and visit Brad and the Cherylville (his 40ft cruiser), drop the ski boat ("the Nifty boat") into the water and get the jet ski out (again - Carols' wave runner had been out the day before also, but I was too partied out to have a ride). So the guys piled up an esky full of beers and we headed down the road to Brads' place. Carol wanted to visit her sister at Port Macquarie (about 3 hours drive away) that day. I offered to go with her as it was quite a long drive. Which was no problem - but I wasn't ready to miss the Cherylville tour yet! Or the ski boats rooster tail. So we get to Brad's place in a convoy of vehicles. Sure enough, the first to arrive were already checking out the big cruiser. The day was heating up and Brad brought deck chairs out for the ladies - nice of him! Thanks Brad! Of course we had to butter up the skin with lotion and so it was bikini time. Then the esky lifted its lid and produced a beer for the relaxing to take place.
Were all on the Cherylville by now, some on
the bow, some along the port side, people everywhere as you can
imagine, all having a great time chatting away. Brad comes over to me
and starts telling me he wants to sell it. Well I was telling him not
to do it as this was a great boat - all twenty of us were on it and
it still wasn't half full. So he tells me he wants a bigger boat with
a crew to serve us champagne and caviar, and tells me
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Cheers boys |
What isn't going on here? |
Meanwhile Carol is wanting to head up the coast and I calm her down telling her we wont be gone for long - an hour or so. Well that's what Brad said - we only had one esky for 20 people and no food - so we wouldn't be out for too long. With Carol calm the Cherylville leaves the jetty out back of Brad's place. Roars up the lake. I'm thinking what is it with this boat, it shouldn't be going so fast it must weigh a million tonne . Minutes later we find a spot out of the way; but in a local so as we could see Nightmare - which had by this stage taken off and out of sight. Of course Brad had to show off the Cherylville to the lads who hadn't been on it yet and the floor is up and people are looking at this massive dark pit. I pokes my little head in between the crowd to see what the problem is. Everyone was in awe as Brad was running though the mods. The Cherylville sports twin V8 detroit diesels in it all chrome and stainless and just awesome! Talk about an over powered boat! That's not really possible is it - an overpowered boat? Brad reckons he can get up to 18 knots. I don't really know what that figure means but everyone seemed impressed.
There are ski boats everywhere but none quite
so distinct as the Daydream. We spot her coming towards us and start
waving frantically. Nifty had no idea we had launched the
Cherylville. So they go flying (almost literally) a few hundred feet
away past us. Hehehe were chuckling, he is soon to find out were not
there. Seconds later the Nightmare comes screaming towards us to
great amounts of cheering. Nifty has this grin a mile wide as he
bubbles the Nightmare up to the aft of the Cherylville and ties her
up. Everyone piles out going on about speed and getting airborne and
some mad skiing. They get handed cold ones (beer!) hehehe. Fun, fun,
fun. I look over to Carol eyeing her watch, and I just say to her
The sun was out the weather hot and muggy. Might be time for a swim soon. This was just puuuuuurfect. I could live here. I could die now, I was in heaven. A dinghy was approaching and on closer inspection it was Stu and Steve. They tied it up to the back of the Cherylville also and climbed on board being passed beers.
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What a day for a daydream? � |
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Well, were all lolling around the
boat sunbaking, laughing, drinking blah blah blah yadda
yadda yadda, as you can well imagine when all of a sudden
the hands find the ice in the esky. Not good. Sid clued in
to get the Nightmare back out and go out to Wangi Wangi for
supplies. I decides to come along and purchase munchies
(chips, peanuts...), cigas, and a nice fruity white wine.
Cash gets handed to the ones going for the "beer run" and we
leave. It was more like a take off than a leave but you can
just imagine it. Round the point, along the coast to the
mooring. Viv, keen as mustard hops out into the water, not
thinking that it might be deeper than knee deep and sink up
to my armpits. Roars of laughter everywhere. I'm so
entertained by my stupidity cannot get back into the boat
for fits of laughter. Sid is there shaking his head and
Nifty says to me � What's with the drivers seat Nifty?? |
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Minutes later we arrive at the
Cherylville to cheers and toasting. Toasting? They have alcohol! And
it's green! Midori? And there is ice floating over brown liquid!
Bourbon? And we never brought any Hann in the esky. Where who what
when... Seems like Brad took a hard look at below decks and found
booze. Well so they had not been dry while we were gone! I'm saying
where's the dinghy? Tracey is telling me a search party had been sent
out to search and rescue. Next comes the dinghy loaded with more
cartons of beer. I'm thinking, oh no! Foooood. There's not enough
food! It was way past lunch at about 4pm when I was getting really
hungry (I eat - very soon I will be a fat pig) and suggested we fish.
Great idea. But no bait. I get into Brad's ear and say that he must
have something to put on a line.
Tracey gets in and all three of us are sitting pretty in this nice comfy velvet back seat of Nightmare watching the party from there relaxing. Ofcourse we were down here and they were up there. So me, being the deviate that I am takes my top off. Now I haven't got much to show but it was a bit of a stir. Tracey and Carol follow suit and there we are sitting semi naked chatting and supping beers when someone on the Cherylville yells check the girls out! I never seen more people flood to the back of a boat. I think someone took a photo but I hope not. Anyhow that was fun (simple, arn't I Daniel?) hehehehe. I make it sound like we were the only girls on the boat, we weren't. There was more girls on the boat but the men outnumbered the girls three to one. It was getting into earlier evening now and cigarettes were getting scarce to find. The wine had been finished and the beer was down to an esky full again. And I was so hungry! No food no drinks no cigarettes. hmmmm, something is going to give way soon me thinks.
Brad was looking for a responsible lady and was asking around, spotted me :)) and called me over to show the workings of a marine toilet. Marine toilets are not my forte and I have been known to flood the bloody things to major embarrassment. Anyhow, we go down to check this thing out so as I can fill in the other ladies if they needed to go. No problem, the thing was electric! How good is that! He said this was our toilet and the one at the other end was for the men. Sweet! Anyhow, I decided to use the system while I'm down there and Brad leaves me there alone. So I get a little nosy and snoop around a tad. This toilet is actually an ensuite to the main bedroom. The bed is a king size four poster teak set up (!) Geez, this is a bit alright I thought. There is a TV in a recess of the wall with a fish tank and tropicals. There is a bar fridge. There are port holes everywhere. My God! This is heaven!! Better leave now I thought before someone catches me drooling. Hehehehe. The upper decks were whining about food. And then no cigarettes. So the Cherylville pulls up anchors and heads back down the coast to Sid and Nancys place for the portable barbeque and food stuffs. I get tired (no food remember) and decide to go take a nap, in that lovely four poster bed of course. Zzzzzzzz
We get to Sid and Nancys' place and I get flushed out of the bed I was making complete use of. I got volunteered to go ashore and organise food stuffs. I am good at organising and thus get conned into things all the time, which I don't mind because I like being useful and it is nice to feel wanted anyhow. Lazy little shits they are! Hehehehe. I says lets just get everyone onshore and we can always come back to the Cherylville after a feed, rather than cart stuff onto the boat and make a mess. Now that's a good idea everyone agreed. Anyhow back in the Nightmare which was was out of gas and Nifty was cranking the starter to get her to shore. Why not use the dinghy, I asked? It had apparently completely run out of fuel hours ago and was running on lawn mower fuel for the last few skiers! Geez, I am with such an organised bunch of piss-heads! You don't know this about me but. I am very organised. All my friends know this. I am generally prepared for any incident to come my way. I get called upon for any medical emergency. If there is a headache of cut, you know, that sort of thing I have to kit. Any tools needed - Vivs got them in the jeep. Food? Blankets? Clothing? Coffee? A bad joke? heheheh... just go to Viv - she should have something for you.
So anyway the first convoy of starving people get ashore (me included) and we get the barbeque happening. It was about 9pm. I heat up more garlic bread and start putting plates of munchies out to greet the hoards. The dinghy gets refueled is used as a towing vessel for the Nightmare, both are full of people. It seems that friends can be feinds when there is no food, drink or cigarettes! They all seemed much better when I offered hot garlic bread. Someone went for a cigarette run which was the final nicety and of course there was plenty of booze there. After everyone was sorted and settled more stories emerged and we all had a whale of a time reliving the day and weekends events. Needless to say it was another bonding night for us weary friends. It was getting pretty late - about midnight, when some of the guys went back to the Cherylville. Us girls suspect Brad must have had some choice pornos onboard and that is where they were heading. I decided to sleep as Carol (still) wanted to go up to Port Macquarie and do the "relative visiting" thing. I couldn't let her down, plus it worried me that she was driving up and back in the one day alone during peak holiday road time with not too much sleep (did that make sense? Well, if that didn't make sense then the whole letter didn't make sense either!).
Next morning we get up a 6am or something around a sparrow's fart and head off up the coast. No one was awake except for Vicky who had taken a phone call a few minutes before about the death of her grandmother. It was hard to leave a sad friend. Poor girl. She had just seen her over Christmas Day. Mick (Vicky's man) had just woken and he was with her.
Carol and I hauled ass in her jeep (its red) and got up to the Port around 10am. I met her family and stuff after they got back from the beach, and woke us up! Hehehe. Had a bit of a feed and played with the kids before heading down the coast again at around 5 in the afternoon. Getting back to the Lake at around nine that night everyone had left. Well Nancy was there (her home!), she had to work the next day and was a bit shitty for it. Sid was cooking a barbeque (that was new!) he has the rest of this week off, and Pepe and Tracey also have all this week off work, so needless to say the lovers were hanging there. It didn't take me long to pack TankJirl up and after a beer I told Carol I would follow her home to keep her awake.
That night I slept like a baby. I still have the blues. But I wouldn't have traded my four days away with any other bunch of people.
Takeoff