REUNION OF BRISBANE WEST GROUP and SUNSHINE COAST MORNING GROUP
On Saturday 5 August, which turned out to be a gloriously warm sunny day, our two groups met for what is now an annual get‐together. Seven members from the Sunshine Coast and six from Brisbane West were to rendezvous at 10.15 am at the historic Shingle Inn Café, located inside Brisbane’ s City Hall. As it happened, we all arrived a little before time. The Brisbane West members were particularly happy to have finally made it, after much to‐ing and fro‐ing of texts and emails when we discovered, quite by accident, that Queensland Rail was planning to close the Ipswich‐ Roma Street line, on that day, for track maintenance. Luckily, one of our prospective new members stepped in and offered to drive us to Yeerongpilly, from where we caught the train to Central Station.
After morning tea, which was a delicious and leisurely affair, we gathered in the foyer of the magnificent stately building for a guided tour. We were joined by several members of the public and our guide admitted to being a little overawed because she had never had such a large group before. Our tour included the basement area, which was added when the building was renovated in 2010‐13, and was full of historical interest, including the Signature Wall, which contains graffiti left on the walls by servicemen during the Second World War. After our tour, two smaller groups of NWR members took tours of the impressive clock tower, which included a look at the bells and clock faces. The antiquated lift was another talking point! Several ladies also took a turn through the Museum of Brisbane, which is also housed in City Hall.
Having by now worked up quite an appetite, we took a tenminute walk to Mélange Café in the Roma Street Parklands for lunch, and lots of lively discussion on a multitude of topics. After lunch, we all had time for a stroll through the Parklands, most of us gravitating to the Spectacle Garden, which was a riot of colourful and heady‐scented flowers. By now, our day was drawing to an end. Our two groups bid farewell, parted company, and headed for the station to catch our trains home.
We had all had a wonderful day out and will all be looking forward to our next“ reunion.”
Yvonne Fraser BRISBANE WEST GROUP
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