Three weeks later and practically our first weekend at home this year, we hardly know what to do with ourselves. We didn’t go cold turkey though – the weekend after the event we went back to collect the last of the flags, a job made easy by the number of others who had already brought in many of them. And just to share the spirit with our competitors we set out to collect at 5pm, giving us a single hour of daylight and many more of darkness. Caesar was impressed by the extended "walkies" in the dark, but not by missing out on supper time. 1am is at least 6 hours late according to him.

So what did we think of the event ? Firstly, according to you guys it was an area well worth visiting – we’ve never had so many positive comments before. Or maybe that was in response to Caesar and Ruby’s advice when you initially complained to them ? No-one even got visibly upset about #90, which we readily admit, was in completely the wrong place, a fact which came to light when Walter took El Presidente Mike "Sniff-Em-Out" Hotchkis to collect it on Sunday afternoon. As Mike merrily headed off down the spur marked on the map Walter called him back to the spur it was actually hung on. Oops. And sorry too, but we never said we were perfect, (and certainly nobody else ever did).

Congratulations to all those who enjoyed themselves, and you all told us you did whenever we met you out there, including the self-titled "Gastro-Boy" who was so sick we had to ferry him home around 10pm, but was out there at the ACT Champs last weekend, happily trucking around in the wee small hours of the morning. And Caesar particularly sends his congrats to Jesse, who tells him she would have done a damn sight better if she hadn’t had to keep waiting around for those humans of hers. He knows the feeling only too well.

Of course, none of this would have happened without our buddies – Richard, Nihal & Ruby who were there every planning weekend with us, sharing in the trials and tribulations of changed venues (Jenolan was our third attempt), not to mention the multicultural gastric delights that a Pom, a Turk, a Kiwi and a Hun can conjure up around the camp fire. Well OK, so the Pom cheated and used what she had learned from the Huns, but then Pommie food alone is a good enough reason for self-transportation to just about anywhere, isn’t it ?

Also Chippy for being there to plot’n’scheme when work allowed, and driving his 2WD to places it was never meant to go (and getting out of them again too, with far less trouble than certain other course-setters), John Barnes and Mardi for helping to hang flags in some of the deepest and steepest gullies we could find for them, and coming back on the event weekend, along with their mate Craig, to help cook and pick up flags, although the most valuable work they ended up doing was helping to re-pack the trailer, a major accomplishment as anyone who has ever tried it well knows.

To Melvyn & Kathy Cox for the seamless running of the admin, including full results, with controls visited both by team and by control, within two days of the event being over. Mel also managed to compete in the event, teaming up with a desperate-and-dateless entrant, though I gather his Sunday morning golf left a bit to be desired.

This was all followed up by Ian Rankin pitching up at 8am Sunday morning to collect a whole heap of flags (some of which he really should not have tried to drive to without a LandRover), and Marcelle Gannon and her mob of Sydney Uni bushwalkers who went collecting the following weekend.

Add to these people Julian Ledger for minding the trailer, and making it ready for us to collect, Andy Mein for printing the maps and also shedding light on the admin tent with his gas lamp, Graeme Cooper for flag maintenance and updating the website at a moment’s notice, Gary the State Forest ranger who was so helpful and welcoming, and you begin to see how important it is to volunteer to keep our sport going. All you have to do is contact any committee member and theywill find you a fun and exciting role to play in the event of your choice.

And finally some financials. We are not a profit making organisation, so why does it cost you so much to enter these events ? Well, we spent your $46 entry fee like this:

^ mainly petrol for course-setters & vetters, and the Land Rover runs on cheap gas too!

* trailer and other equipment maintenance, including rego and insurance, web site, on-going admin stuff to keep us legal etc

+ subsidy to junior/family entrants, plus lots of other little costs that we incur, and which incredibly just happens to add up to this neatly balancing amount.