Old Crocs Tours 2009
The old crocs decided that we should tour to Camden to visit the Weathered Rams. They had been to our tournament in Cairns 2 years in a row and we thought it was only fitting that we returned the favour. What a good decision that turned out to be!!
We were met at Sydney airport by John Richardson (Camden Richo), who had arranged a bus to travel about an hour out to our accommodation at the Camden Valley Inn. They were very welcoming at the Inn, but they were yet to see the crocs/cracs in action! I think they were glad to see us on a bus heading for the airport 3 days later.
Camden Richo had rented a smaller bus to take us on a tour around Camden/Menangle, with the first stop being the rugby club to stock up on some refreshments for the trip. We had a quick look around town before heading to a local Winery – great idea, but some think we should have had lunch first! The local representative (Roy) was kept busy with 22 people tasting everything that was on offer, and then kept equally busy when it was time to leave, as most decided to buy a bottle or 2. We encountered our first injury on tour prior to getting out of the Winery, with some claret flowing – not the wine type of claret!
It was then off to the “Horse and Jockey” for lunch followed by an historical tour of Menangle and Camden finishing off at “The Shed”. What a fantastic place to stop by for a beer late in the afternoon. Angus met us at the bus, and introduced himself to every single person before he would let them into the shed for a drink. We were all quite tired by the end of the day.
The next day was Anzac Day, and we went into town to watch the parade followed by a few drinks at the Sports Club. Richo then picked us up and took us to the Rugby Club where we were treated as VIP’s – our own little section of verandah to watch the rugby with our own personal bucket of beer and ice. How good was that! The Camden side produced a great game in First grade, with a come-from-behind win that had all celebrating. There were some funny moments later in the evening when the boat races were on, and we met some great people.
The next day was ‘Playing Rugby’ day. The Old Crocs were drawn to play the third game of the day, but as there were only 2 teams present at the scheduled start of play, we suited up and ran on against a Wollongong side. We had Angus referee the game and he ensured no tries were scored by either side – he really knows how to referee Golden Oldies! The day continued with more rugby, more beer, more rugby, more beer until someone decided that we had had enough, and it was time to call it quits. We retired to the bar to be treated to a thrilling performance by the Cairns Old Cracs ladies who had been rehearsing for months. The lucky ones that stayed to watch were not disappointed as the girls turned on a “raunchy” display. First Class. That evening we went to dinner with the Camden guys and had (another) great evening. We also noted that they had a very naughty mascot who seemed to always want to ‘escape’.
Without exception, the Camden guys and gals were a fantastic bunch who really went out of their way to make sure that we felt welcome – every member of the touring group agreed that the hospitality was first class. It is difficult to mention all of the names of the guys who went out of their way to welcome us, but special mention must be made of Camden Richo. He spent most of the 3 days either driving us around, or just having a beer with us, and obviously went to a lot of trouble to make sure our tour was a memorable one. I’m sure that there were lots of Camden guys that contributed to making the weekend fantastic, so thanks from all of the Cairns Old Crocs/Cracs.
We have a great selection of photos for this article please click here to show gallery.
