REUNION OF BRISBANE WEST GROUP and SUNSHINE COAST MORNING GROUP
On Saturday 5 August, which turned out to be a gloriously warm sunny day,
our two groups met for what is now an annual get‐together. Seven
members from the Sunshine Coast and six from Brisbane West were to
rendezvous at 10.15 am at the historic Shingle Inn Café, located inside
Brisbane’s City Hall. As it happened, we all arrived a little before time. The
Brisbane West members were particularly happy to have finally made it,
after much to‐ing and fro‐ing of texts and emails when we discovered,
quite by accident, that Queensland Rail was planning to close the Ipswich‐
Roma Street line, on that day, for track maintenance. Luckily, one of our
prospective new members stepped in and offered to drive us to Yeerongpilly,
from where we caught the train to Central Station.
After morning tea, which was a delicious and leisurely affair, we
gathered in the foyer of the magnificent stately building for a guided
tour. We were joined by several members of the public and our guide
admitted to being a little overawed because she had never had such
a large group before. Our tour included the basement area, which
was added when the building was renovated in 2010‐13, and was full
of historical interest, including the Signature Wall, which contains
graffiti left on the walls by servicemen during the Second World War.
After our tour, two smaller groups of NWR members took tours of the
impressive clock tower, which included a look at the bells and clock
faces. The antiquated lift was another talking point! Several ladies
also took a turn through the Museum of Brisbane, which is also
housed in City Hall.
Having by now worked up quite an appetite, we took a ten‐
minute walk to Mélange Café in the Roma Street Parklands
for lunch, and lots of lively discussion on a multitude of
topics. After lunch, we all had time for a stroll through the
Parklands, most of us gravitating to the Spectacle Garden,
which was a riot of colourful and heady‐scented flowers. By
now, our day was drawing to an end. Our two groups bid
farewell, parted company, and headed for the station to
catch our trains home.
We had all had a wonderful day out and will all be looking
forward to our next “reunion.”
Yvonne Fraser
BRISBANE WEST GROUP
18