Blokes you come across

[Leonie]

Great yarn Ross. I loved the laconic Aussie style of the conversation, well your side of it anyway.

I had to smile at your description of the 'helpful stranger' and his bushman's camping home away from home gear. I was at a show display recently and was amazed at what is available these days to go camping. We used to take the kids camping when they were little and given that we weren't exactly into 'roughing it' I thought we had pretty much all the mod cons, but now, bloody hell. These days you wouldn't get me camping for love nor money and I whinge if the accomodation is less than five stars but mate I have to tell you I reckon the camping equipment would be more expensive than staying in a five star hotel anyway.

[r.magnay]

G'day Leonie,
Can't say I am a big fan of camping anymore myself, OK on the beach if you don't have to get up and go to work in the morning. A few years ago a couple of mates of ours and Sheryl and I decided we would go on a camping holiday to Queensland...(spent the first week trying to keep dry...bloody sunshine state my bum) Anyway, Sheryl has never done any camping to speak of and was a bit wary about it all, I had a good heavy tent and we bought her a double swag....I just got to sleep out side most of the time, our mates had a bloody great camper trailer which could sleep about six, had everything that opens and shuts in it and probably doubles the fuel consumption of the car pulling it! As we were discussing the trip and what we needed to take, Elaine, our mate said to me while trying to get her way,"I think we might have done a bit more camping than you Ross!"....I replied "Yeah I 'spose so, if you don't count the 5 years living in a swag under a mulga tree out in the Pit lands!"......."Oh yeah, I forgot about that." Some of them forget that people actually still camp as part of their job...or used to at least. Most blokes won't camp now unless they have a donga with an ensuite!

[Dave Smith]

Ross good yarn and true I can tell. Puts me in mind of my young bloke Russ, he was driving road trains pulling nickel ore into Kambalda with a triple drive Kenworth and three side dumpers about a hundred ton, when he came across a bloke with a fifth wheeler all crossed up trying to back into a parking bay so he could turn round. Russ pulled up and said “can I help ya mate” this fella sez in a cranky voice “oh yair what would you know” Russ scratched his head said “righto cobber” jumps in his road train backs up about 50 metres and drove off shaking his head.

Makes ya wonder hey.

TTFN