Log Book

Regatta

When? 6 January - 8 January 1997
Where? Takapuna
Who? Brendan, Darryn, Eugenie, Raewyn

The regatta was held at Takapuna Grammar School. Scouts from all over NZ gathered for a week of sailing and water sports. The rovers were invited to organise and run some evening activities on the sports field which we did. We had Quoits, peg ball, and Earth Ball soccer, bottle shy, wrestling on a swinging bridge and wet sponge throwing, and volley ball. Our crew attended on two nights both having poor attendance from the Scouts. On the first night we (Auckland Rovers) weren't told that the previous night's swimming competition was continuing unexpectedly into the next night involving most of our potential competitors. Twas not a busy night. The next night we went was also poorly attended due to a spontaneous trip by the Scouts to Parakai Hot Pools, again, we were not informed prior to turning up. We attended a wine & cheese evening at the end of the Regatta.

By Brendan

Iron Man

When? 9 March 1997
Where? Auckland Waterfront
Who? Brendan, Chris, Darryn, Eugenie, Igor, Raewyn, Rodney,Trudy

It was a bright and wonderful sunny day, which matched our bright yellow T-shirts displaying Weet-bix, Air New Zealand and Powerade - the sponsors, (with delight we get to keep). We started the day by meeting around the water fountain ready for a long day. It was just great getting to watch all those toned bronzed bodies running by, (which was a bonus), but we had to make sure every now and again they didn't get run over by impatient drivers.

Rodney and myself looked after the main carpark exit, which was very amusing. I even got to swear at a couple of stupid drivers who were not willing to follow our directions. A few runners appreciated us being there which was nice to know, we weren't a waste of time.

The day went by with a clap every now and again, but the enthusiasm sure wore off by the end of the day. Rodney and Myself left early while the others stayed till the end, I think the last runner came through at around 9pm, so they definitely had a long day. Overall it was a great day with the function to follow in a couple of weeks.

By Eugenie

Kawau Island

When? 14 March - 16 March 1997
Where? Kawau Island
Who? Brendan, Darryn, Karlene, Raewyn, Trudy

As always we thought we were going to be late and Raewyn and Brendan argued about whether we had time to stop at McDonalds. Raewyn, being an optimist, said we had plenty of time. Trudy was inclined to agree. Brendan, who likes to panic about things like that, told everyone to flippin' well hurry up (actually flippin' probably wasn't his exact word), and had us all running around like crazed people, balancing a coke in one hand and a burger and fries in the other.

Well as always Raewyn was right. We weren't late at all. Actually we got there with 5 minutes to spare which wasn't exactly in keeping with Raewyn's predictions. However the boat didn't even leave for another 1/4 hour, so there was no need to panic. In fact there was another boat leaving at 7pm (half an hour later), so we really had nothing to worry about at all.

On the way over we sat on the deck of the boat (did I mention the fantastic weather?) feeling the breeze on our faces. It happened that a pack of cubs were on the boat too, so we introduced ourselves as Rovers. Darryn commented that they were nothing like the little brats he has to take. Raewyn, Trudy and Karlene tried to get them to believe that there was a tunnel running right through the island (which is what the garage doors were for), but they weren't as gullible as you might think.

We arrived at the workers hut quite late since we were the last stop. We met another girl who was staying with us - she had worked at the canteen during the summer, but was taking this weekend as a holiday. The morning brought us more fantastic weather, and we got up with the sunrise to get to work. The ranger (our friend Geoff) was busy so another guy called Andrew was in charge of us. He took us up on the tractor to a dump. Fortunately it was a dump of things like wood and concrete - not of things like banana skins and other foul pieces of rubbish. Our job was to sort the stuff out into things that could be burnt, things that couldn't be burnt and things that they wanted to keep. The stuff that couldn't be burnt had to be dumped into a large hole which happened to be filled with water. The job wasn't too hard, but the day was hot. Andrew wasn't a very demanding boss, and let us have a smoko break every few hours. We knocked off at about 3pm. The weather was still fantastic so we got into our togs and headed for the water. The water was very cold. Brendan, Trudy and Darryn jumped off the wharf, but Karlz and Rae just tip toed into the water like the dainty girls they are.

The next day wasn't much different. The weather was still fantastic. We did a bit more of pushing things into a water hole, and then a bit more lazing around in the sun. There were quite a few boats in the bay, but it was a real surprise to see the Island Star - a boat we were all familiar with. It was even more of a surprise for Rae and Karlz to meet Fiona, an old friend from Ranger days.

By Raewyn.

The first of this year's pilgrimage to Kawau Island started at 5.00 Friday afternoon with a desperate attempt to reach Sandspit (where the ferry leaves from) by 6.30. As always when you're in a hurry the traffic is heavy, the McDonalds queues are extra long and every articulated truck for miles around seems to be waiting for you at every hill. Amazing, through all this we got to the ferry at 6.28 38 seconds. Just in time. The weather was perfect and we had a very pleasant trip across. Saturday and Sunday we did service for DOC helping them tidy their inorganic rubbish dump. Everyone except for Karlz got to drive the tractor (a new experience for Rae). On Saturday & Sunday afternoons we went for a swim in Mansion House bay. It was quite warm and the water was beautifully clear. On Saturday night we had a BBQ tea of Geoff's (the Ranger) house. During the weekend Trudy with a bit of Rae's help installed a Database on Geoff's computer to manage kiwi survey info. On Friday and Saturday evenings Brendan and Darryn went out shooting and got 25 wallabies, 1 opossum and 1 rat. It should be noted that on Kawau wallabies are thought of in much the same way as opossums are. The Ranger was delighted with the tally. We hope to return in June or July.

By Brendan.

Leys Camping Competition

When? 5 April - 6 April 1997
Where? Miranda Forest
Who? Brendan, Darryn, Igor, Jo, Rodney, Trudy

We met at Trudy's at 7am and left at 1/4 past and soon realised we should have left about 1/2 an hour earlier. Thanks to Darryn and Rodney's previous incarnations as race car drivers we were only 1/4 of an hour late. The drive from Kawakawa bay was very windy and some of the corners caused Trudy some concern, even though we tried to convince her that going up on 2 wheels around a corner was quite safe.

We arrived at the start at 8.45 and chose our bases. While some of the bases were close we somehow ended up with an hour and 3/4 hill climb to our base. Darryn paired up with Brendan and did a knot tying base, Trudy and Igor a survival kit inspection base and Jo and Rodney a sadistic stretcher carrying base (which we set up in the wrong place initially). We (Darryn, Trudy, Igor and Brendan) walked on a few more hills then realised where they were supposed to be and Darryn went back to get them. They were not impressed. Darryn and Brendan has the best base on account of the fantastic view of the sea, Coromandel peninsular and surrounding area. The weather was absolutely perfect and all in all we had quite a pleasant day.

We talked with the various Venturer units as they came through and have come to the conclusion that with a little persuasion we could get quite a few Venturers to join Rovers. We have been advised that the Titirangi Venturers will need more than a little persuasion though.

Our bases closed at 3.30 and we got back to camp at about 4.30. We then set up our tents. At 6.00 we filled our cars full of Venturers and went to the Miranda hot springs where we had a BBQ tea.

On Sunday we started out at 9.20 and our based closed at 12.30. There were only 5 bases running as opposed to Saturday's 12. This meant that Darryn, Trudy, Igor & Brendan all went to the same base (knot tying again) whilst Jo and Rodney stayed and packed up the tents (they came up later). After we came down we drove to the finish point (taking one of the venturer's cars with us). We left the car there and went home.

By Brendan.

Camp Sladden Working Bee

When? 3 May - 4 May 1997
Where? Camp Sladden
Who? Brendan, Chris, Darryn, Eugenie, Jo, Phil, Raewyn, Rodney, Trudy

It was a great day for service & service being at Camp Sladden, South Auckland, there was painting to be done, concrete to be poured and timber to be stacked (slave drivers).

At the same time as our service at Sladden there was a medieval weekend taking place by a group of Robin Hood lookalikes in tights and a splattering of Maid Marions (very tasty indeed).

Anyway back to the service. The concrete for the path was mixed in a wheel barrow with a flat tyre (isn't it always the way). The guttering for the toilet was put up by non professionals (no string lines). A paint brush was thrown (paint attached) on to a nice pair of track pants (worn at the time by an annoyed female). A certain member of the crew left early because of an illness (yeah right).

After a hard days work and a nice dinner we adjourned to the games room (an old classroom) and played a few games & laughed at a crew member who got sex and a bag of potatoes mixed up (or something similar). We awoke Sunday morning for some timber stacking (yee ha) and departed Sladden before lunch time Sunday. By the way Waitakere was the only crew to turn up for an area service (Waitakere rules once again).

By Darryn

Leader's Training Course Catering

When? 17 May - 18 May 1997
Where? Hobsonville Air Base
Who? Brendan, Chris, Eugenie, Jo, Karlene, Phil, Raewyn, Rodney, Trudy

Raewyn & Brendan
Saturday - we made some cups of tea, carried trays of sandwiches and washed a few dishes. Sunday - we helped make Burritos by stirring some mince and chopping some stuff up, and then tidying up afterwards and did a few dishes. Also went up to the shops to get some milk.

Chris
Saturday Morning Tea - Chris had the first shift making morning tea for the leaders. All I did was turn on the urn as Heather Bistro “the co-ordinator” had prepared muffins the night before. Morning tea was only 15 minutes so it was a very short time. The leaders did their own dishes.

Kawau Island

When? 1 August - 3 August 1997
Where? Kawau Island
Who? Brendan, Darryn, Jo, Jeff, Karlene, Raewyn, Rodney, Trudy

Off to Kawau. Yet another Kawau Island experience which also happened to coincide with Darryn's birthday. Our DOC boss had Drain clearing set aside as our task. After arriving at Kawau we carefully loaded the trolley with our bags and emergency supplies. Just as we pulled up to the workman's hut a bag fell off. Jeff picked up the broken remains of his $30 unopened bottle of Kahlua. Poor Jeff.

Saturday we all got up nice and early and started to clear trees, twigs etc from a drain. And did we make it look pretty. The boys cut down all the big mess in and around the drains, while the girls threw it away to make it look tidy. The DOC guy was pleased.

That night Rae & Trudy made horrible custard - where is Eugenie when you need her? First batch was burnt, second batch was disguised with Kahlua. Brendan did his usual shoot and got his game. Sunday Rae tried to use a washing machine. I hope she never leaves home. Water went all over the floor. Naughty Rae. While she cleaned up the mess, the boys counted the paint. Not quite so fun, but good stock taking experience.

By Trudy

Gang Show Sewing

When? Various Sundays
Where? Remuera
Who? Karlene, Raewyn

15 June 1-5 o'clock
I arrived with my sewing machine, not really knowing where to go or what to expect. What if my sewing machine wasn't good enough? Fortunately I bumped into Dawn who showed me what to do. My first job was putting braid and velcro on skirts (easy). Then I was given a shirt to make (aggrr!). When I saw the fabric and how it was cut I didn't worry anymore abut my sewing - any professional machinist would have had a fit. After finishing the seams nicely with a zig-zag stitch, the person who was to wear it tried it on. The sleeves were too tight! So I had to unpick it and finish it at home.

22 June 1-4 o'clock
Much the same - lots of braid & velcro on skirts, and this time I helped with ‘fitting' (finding out where the velcro goes when the girl is wearing it). The shirt I made fitted much better and I was congratulated on a job well done (whew!).

29 June - 1-5 o'clock
This time I had Rae for company. We sewed more velcro on skirts, then Rae was given a pair of trousers to sew some braid on down the outer seams. This was not an easy job, but looked beautiful when she finished. Then came the bad news. The person to wear them was larger than the pants were made for so the braid had to come off to let the seams out. Raewyn looked aghast, with my total sympathy.

By Karlene

Gang Show Dressing

When? 3 September - 5 September 1997
Where? Auckland Boys
Who? Karlene, Raewyn, Trudy

For 3 nights (1 for Trudy) we helped behind the scenes at the Gang Show. We were ‘dressers' which meant we helped in the dressing room - making sure the costumes were ironed & ready to put on when they were needed. The job consisted of long periods of doing nothing & short periods of chaos. We hadn't actually seen the show yet, so the costumes and audio coming through the speakers made us quite curious.

By Raewyn

Motorcycle Marshaling

When? 26 October 1997
Where? Pukekoe
Who? Chris

While the rest of Waitakere crew were climbing mount Tongariro, me and my father and the rest of Auckland Area were doing service at Pukekoe racetrack.

We were flag marshals for the classic motorcycle club. We had a station at the end of the straight but it was pretty uneventful (ie. no crashes) we stood around holding flags, and watched the bikes go round and round.

The rovers must have done a good job as they want us back at Watiangi weekend for their big race meeting.

By Chris

Disco

When? 4 July 1997
Where? Massey Den
Who? Karlene, Trudy

There were lots of little kids running around screaming their heads off, hitting each other.

By Karlene

Halloween Disco

When? 30 October 1997
Where? Massey Scout Den
Who? Brendan, Chris, Raewyn, Trudy

The Massey Scout Group runs a monthly disco for the Scouts, Cubs and Keas. As Rovers we act as supervisors and Bouncers. The November disco however was more special as it was the first “theme” party that they had organised. All the Scouts had to dress up in Halloween costumes. We got into the theme of the evening by dressing up as the “Men in Black”. We judged the best costume and the Beast won along with a little Angel (sorry, don't know their names). The group ran a pretty good night and we all had fun. Even me with a 4 year old girl strapped to my leg asking questions all the time.

By Chris

Sky City Marshaling

When? 1 November 1997
Where? Harrah's Sky City Carpark
Who? Brendan, Karlene, Raewyn, Trudy

This year for Ron Ashley Day Area Rovers were asked to provide marshals for victims for the national Saint John Ambulance's competition held at the Sky City casino and hotel complex. About 20 Auckland Rovers turned up. All of us were used as marshals, this meant escorting the various teams from a central meeting place to the various scenario sites. Some of the rovers stayed permanently at the sites as helpers and security. We were treated to an extravagant lunch with free tea and coffee all day. Although we occasionally ran out of milk. All the competitors had accommodation paid for and they stayed both nights at the Sky City Hotel which they raved about. All and all it was a good day.

By Brendan

Kea Day

When? 2 November
Where? Motumoana
Who? Chris

I was the only rover to attend Kea day and as usual ended up on the gate as a security Marshal.

It was Boring - 3 and a 1/2 hours of telling people they can't use this gate, go around to the main gate. Next time let's get something with more of a challenge.

By Chris

CCS Collecting

When? 19 November 1997
Where? Rae's Place
Who? Famous Five (Brendan, Darryn, Karlene, Raewyn, Trudy)

We started close to Rae's home and travelled around our assigned area requesting donations for a very worthy cause. Most of the houses were okay, some were very tasteful, others looked a bit rough so we skipped a few. Karlene also skipped the houses with dogs, having once had a very bad experience collecting for CCS previously (was that anything like the moth experience, Karlene?).

By Karlene

CCS Counting

When? November 1997
Where? ANZ Bank
Who? Brendan, Chris, Eugenie, Karlene, Raewyn, Trudy

This is always the fun part - ripping open those envelopes and sorting out the coins as fast as possible, while drinking as many free cans of fizzy drink as our bodies can handle. Then there is the added bonus of all you can eat pizza for dinner. Eugenie guessed the correct amount of money collected, but the idiots gave the prize to someone else instead (obviously they can't count) so we complained. They promised to send Eugenie a bottle of wine - which she has now received. We also got thankyou notes each, which was much appreciated.

By Karlene

Santa Parade

When? 30 November 1997
Where? Central Auckland
Who? Eugenie, Phil, Raewyn, Trudy

Raewyn and Trudy's task was to stop people standing in the emergency lane, but this wasn't very easy. People insisted standing in the lane - some were even very rude. Consequently we didn't see much of the parade. Afterwards we watched some of the entertainment and went to the volunteers BBQ.

Eugenie and Phil participated in the parade. Eugenie was a brightly coloured thing, while Phil was Cookie Kea. It must have been really hot in that costume!

By Raewyn