(this happened on) Friday 22nd May 2009

The Gap Year Gang Are Having A Wonderful Time In Ulladulla

Stormy Day at Kings Point

Really feeling lazy today, had rather a lot to drink last night and actually headed off to bed at around 9:00pm. Before going to sleep though I played a bit more on-line poker and lost even more (play) money total losses for two days some £149,000 ! Yikes.

Lazy or not I had to get up at around 5:00am as this morning we boys where hopping on a boat and heading out to sea for a little fishing session.

So on a blustery day with a constant threat of rain we headed for the harbour, when we got there the Skipper suggested we may not want to go today as he was out yesterday and it was rough and unproductive and this morning was significantly worse, so after standing around and chatting for a while, we headed back to the house, but not before a Mucky D’s breakfast.

Back at the house, I headed for bed and Basty and Jack headed straight for the computer games, boys…….

Getting up much later the ladies grabbed the younger boys and headed off out to Lazer Tag and a bit of shopping, as we would not be bringing home any fish today and fish pie (Stefan’s favourite) was on the top of the menu.

Early afternoon Glenn suggested we needed to go out and visit a building. Ten minutes later we were outside the Ex-Servo’s Club a sparkling structure that apparently cost some $6m to build. These clubs are the perfect community building combining a pub, restaurant, off licence, book makers, pokie lounge and all around community meeting place.

True these places are built around the money taken on the Tab and Pokies  (Gambling) but unlike the lottery in the UK where everybody who buys a ticket contributes to the fund and then they have to jump through hoops and compete against national causes like Lesbians against the world, Vegetarians against the second wolrd war and the Taliban against everyone else just to get a handicapped entrance to a community building and usually they struggle to get through the shit useless pile of paperwork designed to thwart all but the smartest and most determined politicos .

Here the Ex-Servos club of Ulladulla puts the money that the community spends over it’s bars, gambling areas etc straight back into the community, sponsoring all manner of local sports clubs and causes as well as providing a superb facility in it’s own right.

Of course no such thing would ever be allowed in the UK, the government would never allow communities the freedom to have such a sensible way to raise funds, create a community spirt and take power away from hopeless government aholes.

The UK continues to allow very little access to Casino’s nationally, spends millions on all sorts of crap studies to justify denying new casino licenses, while allowing massive national gambling chains to have bookmakers on every street corner ensuring all the profit stays in the hands of big business, who fund crap politicians campaigns.

After an enjoyable couple of hours at the Ex-Servo’s club we headed back to the house.

After a hot cup of coffee and a sit down during which the ladies started cooking up a storm Glenn grabbed me again and we went off to another of his friends places where I met some more very interesting people and witnessed something I reckon is pure Australia.

Glenn’s friend had a garage and in it was a sparkling V8 powered sports boat and also a V8 sitting in a rolling chassis awaiting further work and the eventually mating with a 30’s ‘ute’ style body which was being filled, having new pieces of metal fitted before eventually being painted.

I met more colourful figures all the guys wandered over to a big fridge in the garage and helped themselves to beer or in my case were handed a beer. It appears that these guys are organised enough to keep beer in a variety of fridges in a number of different homes and therefore everybody can have what they want to drink and everybody contributes to the party buzz. Good Times.

Back at the house a fish pie was produced and eaten in record time.

Stefan made a total pig of himself as he always does with fish pie.

Glenn and I keep drinking and according to Sofia we were merry and giggly.

Sasha and Charlotte had gone out and I was being handed yet more beer by Glenn, another night had begun in Australia.