Boonah Rally

[Greynomad]

Boonah: Our First Rally…
And Our Last.
After 14 years as members, we finally made it to a CMCA rally, at Boonah, Qld.
My wife Joy was a little reluctant to attend, as she doesn’t like crowds, and was apprehensive that someone with a small amount of authority would take it to the limit and order us around.
Unfortunately (or maybe fortunately) she was called back to Melbourne for family reasons, while I attended the rally. We arranged that she would fly back to Qld on the Saturday night so we could attend the AGM, then return to Melbourne with two drivers to share the load.
To ensure a quick getaway after the AGM, we decided to empty our blackwater tank before attending the meeting, at the dump point about 20m outside the gate.
While I was busy attending to that, Joy decided she needed to use the facility, but didn’t want to add to what I was trying to pump out. So she headed off to the public toilets inside the rally grounds.
Sure enough, at the gate she was refused entry because she was not wearing her name-tag!
Now, the bloke on the gate saw us drive through, with proper ID on the motorhome, and saw that I was busy at the dump point, just 20m away.
As a first timer, and having arrived at 10pm the previous night, Joy was not familiar with all the rules & regs of the rally. I had gone out and forgotten my name-tag a few times! Fortunately the gatekeeper recognized me.
On those occasions, common sense and a little flexibility were applied.
However, the gatekeeper Joy encountered was a “strictly by the rules I have the power to enforce” bloke, and stood firm on not letting her in, even to use PUBLIC toilets, which were less than 20m away.
He was unwilling to be flexible – or kind – to a woman in need of a toilet! What if she’d had a diarreah problem? Or other women’s problems? She wasn’t about to embarrass herself by having to explain her need or have a stand-up argument with the chap. She just returned to the motorhome and solved her problem in privacy.
Her fears of a little authority going to the head of a small-minded person were realized. It ruined the short time she had at the rally, and my experience too.
For that reason she has decided never to attend another rally. And of course that means neither of us will attend. We’ll just use our postal votes to exercise our democratic rights at the next AGM, after discussing any proposals put, and coming to a considered, logical conclusion of what is best for the CMCA.
This is not intended as a criticism of the CMCA in general or the Boonah Rally organisers.
It is just a comment on how one person’s inflexibility when applying the rules has ruined our enjoyment of rallying.

[Dot]

Yes sad that some people do take their "duties" so seriously isn't it.. Because I know that Joy is a "lady" and would not do this but I would have peed myself then wailed like a beaten ban-chi (sp) causing more embarrasment to the gate brigade than to me.

[Craig]

Where is Georges esky when you need it? hey Dot

[wanderer]

Where is Georges esky when you need it? hey Dot

Classic.

[Dot]

Boy you are an elephant ain't you Craig??? memory wise, memory wise

[T1 Terry]

I think that is something that should be in letter in the Wanderer, let the shame be spread where it's needed. After attending a total of 10 rallies, during my 14 yr membership, the last one showed they had become too much of a "Bigger is Better" affair rather than the social get together the original rallies were.
My first rally was Berri SA in '98, couldn't have asked for more, it's a pity they have lost sight of what the thing is all about but that's what happens when little clubs grow too fast, it looses sight of what it really is, a social motorhome club, it's not that any more unfortunately.

[Craig]

After the description you gave us Dot it's burnt into my mind.

[dapope]

My other half is well off the ideas of rallies, I have trouble conning her into going away in any sort of group. She is shy, though sometimes you wouldn't think so
I get where you are coming from Ray, its a shame there are so many self righteous twats in this world.
Only sport in them is to wind them up until their little spring breaks

[norman]

Ray did you not get a name or number you bandy about. Or send in letter to the mag...Or make a formal complaint.
We are at this very moment having trouble with certain persons on our area committee exceeding their authority. Not going into too much detail at this stage. everything comes to a head on Friday..

[wanderer]

Some take authority too serious.
Mel was a production Supervisor when she was working.
At anytime when she was on away one particular person who thought she was next in line tried to take over.
One day when she was off Mel put her shoes in front of that person and said, if you're going to try and take over you might need these.
Never happened again.