2003
5:10 am - Struggle to turn off the alarm as it blurts well before dawn.
5:20 am - Bolt out the door and drive through the hordes of people doing the same thing...it kind of reminds me of Groundhog Day.
5:30 am - Dawn Service conducted at the Miranda cenotaph with former Sylvania High Principal Jim Lowe in charge of proceedings (This year he gave an astronomy lesson before starting). All the Shire Celebrities are up there from John and Horse, to Pete and Kelfer Munro, good old Regis, some Roses, big Clinton, some Timewells, Raatz's, Pato and mate, many Soccer celebs, cricketers, school mates and Two-Up regulars are sighted in the half-light. Think of Papa who served in WWII as a "Rat of Tobruk" and remember his leg where the bullet had entered one side and come clean out the inner side. Have a chuckle as you recall his good clean fun and punting exploits as The Last Post sounds. Some poor old bloke has a heart-attack during the service but he's all smiles as he's wheeled to an ambulance.
7:00 am - Maccas breakfast because the RSL had too big a queue
8:00 am - Return home and creep in hoping to sidle back into bed without waking anyone.
8:01 am - Everyone's up
Until 4:00 pm - be a responsible man of the house trying to build up brownie points for later in the day. Have the march on in the background, ocassionaly seeing a big T for Tobruk but no platypus so it's not Papa's battalion. Get all reminscent and decide to pen a piece on the balcony in the morning sunshine about the day, the celebrities seen at the Dawn Service and the humorous goings on
4:00 pm - The "Head 'em up" calls begin down at the old Taren Point BC
4:30 pm - Attempts to get $5 a head bets on are finally taken up when you find all the female participants and anonymous blokes betting "small"
6:00 pm - Enough schooners have been put down to bring about an upsurge in confidence and lobsters are freely flowing as an hour and a half stint betting every toss gets into the final 20 minutes
6:20 pm - Step aside, count your cash, head to the bar and converse with old schoolmates, cricketers, shire celebrities etc. Bumped into Phelpsy, Miffa, Vyv (otherwise known as Lucky Anne because he's dodged SARS up in Hong Kong), Funky, Lash & Mel, Radical Wilson, Alex Smartfella, Nages, a Hunter or so, Wilma (and conversed on youngster antics), Kelvinator, Mick (non-betting) Schiller, The Connors, Batta, the Parkes lads, 3 Riley's, Swankarama, Kanawa, Marcus "The Crow", Lloydo, Pacman, a Timewell or two, surely some Roses (two were at Dawn Service) and I'm sure a Harrop or 3, Big Rhys, Chico, Pete Whip, Big Nick the Sharks fan etc etc etc
7:00 pm - The crowd from the Point gradually file in and a few more schoolmates. Most notably Big Mole who speaks only with actions including a kidney straining bear hug and a blue glasses, Australian flagged clad Rauco. Around this stage of the night a short bloke is convinced I am the old DJ from Sweethearts.
8:00 pm - Horse has been at the forefront of the ring all arvo and is having what some may say the time of his life clicking the digital camera with one hand and waving every denomination held in the other one
9:00 pm - The 2-Up's over without anyone announcing it was the last toss and everyone by this stage is ripped. None more so than JP
10:00 pm - An hour has been spent in the carpark with a hundred other fools wondering who to call for a lift home. Horse's pride and joy shots have been wiped from the camera's memory by a stray finger movement and he's close to tears.
10:20 pm - We've walked the customary 1.5km down Taren Point Rd before one of the wives has kindly got out of bed and picks us up giving us front door service (Thanks Kristie).The poor girl has to cope with Horse's camera flashing in her face as he has all these shots left now due to his cleared memory.
10:30 pm - A hearty meal of left-over pizza, plus cheese on toast with peas is whipped up then a hearty sleep until dawn breaks and everyone's up including the digger with his smoke ridden clothes coping a hammering.
Gotta love this day!
