meako
Gold Member
- Joined
- Sep 4, 2006
- Messages
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To a town to which I had never before been-
I was contacted last week by a chap I know from the Wollongong Vikings Rugby Club- Golden Oldies "Longhorns".
The mission he put forward was a journey to Boorawa* NSW to pick up a scrum tackling machine from an engineering firm.
I have driven the mini bus on their annual trip away to the south coast for the last 10 years so I was first cab off the rank with the request.
Could I drive him out to Boorawa* near Cootamundra** with a trailer to take delivery of this machine?
Of course when are we going?
Tomorrow!
No lets go Monday.
OK .
We picked up the the hire trailer at 0730 and embarked on the 4hr drive to Boorawa.
Stopping at the small City of Goulburn for coffee. Thence an unecessary diversion through the town of Yass*** and through the countryside to Boorawa.
Boorawa is a small picturesque town with not much going on .
Arriving at the engineering firm on the outskirts of town my interest was piqued by the store attached to the workshop.
It sold farming equipment,spares ,guns,scopes and ammo and outdoorsy stuff. There was a magnificent stuffed hyena and a massive buffalo head mounted above the counter.
While they talked to my companion (who is 83) I was in there scoping the place for knives -expecting only to see the usual run o the mill selection of Chinese and Taiwanese hunting knives and maaaybe a couple of Opinels.
That's sadly about as exotic as it gets round here.
In the cabinet were a couple of large Svord pigstickers, Some Case knives and 3 Bear & Sons stockmans. There were others of good quality too
I could not believe it- this was rarity to me.
There were staglon, a wood and a stagbone handled stockman.
In an uncontrolled burst of passion I flung my credit shuriken style at the guy behind the counter ,it whizzed past his face missing by by inches ,continued its trajectory over the eftpos machine depositing the funds as it went, then like Marine Boys boomerang it fastened its self back into my wallet with a confident click.
The guys had loaded the tackling machine on to the trailer, We tied it down and headed to Boorawa pub for a counter lunch.
I had the superb Boorawa Burger which was so huge it was likely made from the remains of the buffalo back at the store.
Then we headed home , arriving safely at our destination around 1800 hrs.
A good days work made better by actually buying a USA made traditional stockman knife in an actual shop from an actual person-I tell ya that doesn't happen very often down here.
* Boorawa -pronounce the "oo" as in book or look and the "wa" wuh as in when someone says something and you aren't listening.
** Cootamundra -pronounonce "Coot a Mundra"
*** Yass- do not look at the sign that tells you McDonalds Yass is open 24hrs- that's the one with a big golden M . It is the most ill conceived sign anywhere.
I was contacted last week by a chap I know from the Wollongong Vikings Rugby Club- Golden Oldies "Longhorns".
The mission he put forward was a journey to Boorawa* NSW to pick up a scrum tackling machine from an engineering firm.
I have driven the mini bus on their annual trip away to the south coast for the last 10 years so I was first cab off the rank with the request.
Could I drive him out to Boorawa* near Cootamundra** with a trailer to take delivery of this machine?
Of course when are we going?
Tomorrow!
No lets go Monday.
OK .
We picked up the the hire trailer at 0730 and embarked on the 4hr drive to Boorawa.
Stopping at the small City of Goulburn for coffee. Thence an unecessary diversion through the town of Yass*** and through the countryside to Boorawa.
Boorawa is a small picturesque town with not much going on .
Arriving at the engineering firm on the outskirts of town my interest was piqued by the store attached to the workshop.
It sold farming equipment,spares ,guns,scopes and ammo and outdoorsy stuff. There was a magnificent stuffed hyena and a massive buffalo head mounted above the counter.
While they talked to my companion (who is 83) I was in there scoping the place for knives -expecting only to see the usual run o the mill selection of Chinese and Taiwanese hunting knives and maaaybe a couple of Opinels.
That's sadly about as exotic as it gets round here.
In the cabinet were a couple of large Svord pigstickers, Some Case knives and 3 Bear & Sons stockmans. There were others of good quality too
I could not believe it- this was rarity to me.
There were staglon, a wood and a stagbone handled stockman.
In an uncontrolled burst of passion I flung my credit shuriken style at the guy behind the counter ,it whizzed past his face missing by by inches ,continued its trajectory over the eftpos machine depositing the funds as it went, then like Marine Boys boomerang it fastened its self back into my wallet with a confident click.
The guys had loaded the tackling machine on to the trailer, We tied it down and headed to Boorawa pub for a counter lunch.
I had the superb Boorawa Burger which was so huge it was likely made from the remains of the buffalo back at the store.
Then we headed home , arriving safely at our destination around 1800 hrs.
A good days work made better by actually buying a USA made traditional stockman knife in an actual shop from an actual person-I tell ya that doesn't happen very often down here.
* Boorawa -pronounce the "oo" as in book or look and the "wa" wuh as in when someone says something and you aren't listening.
** Cootamundra -pronounonce "Coot a Mundra"
*** Yass- do not look at the sign that tells you McDonalds Yass is open 24hrs- that's the one with a big golden M . It is the most ill conceived sign anywhere.
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