We were grateful for the visit from our guest speaker, Jennifer High, on Thursday. Jen is the Senior Curator at Queensland Museums. Museums have always been a favourite of mine. They’re more than just places to store old objects - they preserve our history and culture, safeguard stories and artefacts that might otherwise be lost, and help us make sense of the present. They connect communities, celebrate heritage, and spark curiosity across all ages.
On Saturday, the OBG participants began their own journey of discovery out west, with the first night spent at Hebel. If you haven’t seen it already, I recommend watching the ABC Back Roads episode on Hebel, which features Frank & Megan Deshon - the local saviours who bought the town’s entire commercial strip, pub included.
This morning, we clambered onto the bus, which quickly filled with chatter and laughter. Frank, our tour guide extraordinaire, compared the noise to “…a flock of lorikeets at feeding time.” We were fortunate to catch the tail end of a mob of sheep being worked through a neighbour’s shearing shed before visiting Frank’s sheep and cattle operations. From there, it was on to the Cubbie Cotton Gin, followed by a quick guided drive through Cubbie Station. The scale of Cubbie has to be seen to be believed.
This year’s OBG format is a little different. With less time on the road and longer stays in each regional location, we’re getting a richer sense of place and more time to connect with locals. Credit to the committee - I think they’ve hit on a winner, and I’m looking forward to what the rest of the week brings.
This Thursday’s meeting is at the Downs Club as usual, with VP Pete at the helm.
A fee will apply to any member late with an apology regardless of whether the number attending on the meeting day of the meeting is over, under or equal to what the Club Secretary submitted to the Downs Club. This fee will only apply to meetings at the Downs Club or any other club meeting where attendance numbers have to be stipulated prior to the meeting.
A Club member will be charged a meal fee of $20 if they
fail to submit any apology before 11am on Tuesday for the meeting the following Thursday (48 hrs later)
need to submit a late apology due to changed circumstance.
Fail to show up after indicating they would be present.
The members owing a fee of $20 will notified by the Club Secretary and Club Treasurer via an emailed
Late apology fee notice.
The fee can be paid by direct credit into the RCTE Club account or by adding $20 to the $35 meal fee at the next club meeting
Apologies 18.09.2025
Wayne Barnett, Dave Birrell, Rod Brilliant, Rod Brown, Andy Burke, Peter Burrows, Henry Campey, Phillip Charles, Jim Charlton, Bob Cheesman, Col Davidson, Shane Fisher, Dave Groves, Geoff Kapernick, Andrew Kratzmann, John Liley, Russell Manns, Peter McLoughlin, Jeff Martin, Peter McLoughlin, Peter Nalder, Gav Roberts, Toby Sandell, Allan Schefe, Doc Smith, Ross Watt, Matt Wentzel, Mark Winter
Apologies 25.09.2025
Wayne Barnett, Dave Birrell, Adrian Bonica, Ron Bowden, Rod Brilliant, Rod Brown, Andy Burke, Gary Campbell, Henry Campey, Phillip Charles, Jim Charlton, Bob Cheesman, John Creedon, Shane Fisher, Dave Groves, Peter Hardwick, Geoff Kapernick, Andrew Kratzmann, Russell Manns, Craig Mathieson, Peter McLoughlin, Mark Redmond, Gav Roberts, Toby Sandell, Allan Schefe, Doc Smith, Paul Stephenson, Ross Watt, Alistair Webb, Matt Wentzel, Mark Winter
