Nurse Min with a full load Iron Guts and Thombei supervising The Cardinal, Chris, GMAC, Nurse Min, Markus Octavious and Freddie Five Iron in front of outdoor kitchen Rob and Chris installing shelves outside the first group on the first new green on the first, after tapping in for the first time View from last hole back to the house Testing a new tee box

The Chainsaw Massacre The first weekend in November at DRUMMOND BASE had the potential to be a bloody affair. Promoted as The Chainsaw Massacre, this cleverly disguised working bee for the upcoming ABLARU (A major golf event at DRUMMOND BASE HQ planned for the long weekend in January), quickly became a highly a very productive weekend. I’m not sure what happened. Iron Guts observed. I just thought it was a good excuse for a party. Somehow people got carried away and before you know it we were all being useful. An All-Star Cast: The weekend involved an all-star cast with an impressive list of suitably energetic (or less so) club members and associates attempting to be seen contributing to the cause. (Note: Contributing to the cause is defined somewhat loosely at events such as these. If you turn up for 30 minutes or survive 24 hours and live to tell the tale you are officially deemed to have contributed on the basis you made some effort!). Piles Created & Outdoor Kitchens Erected: Drummond Base was a hive of activity on Saturday morning. This was event preparation in full force. The Quintet (Clean Phil, Stavros the Greek, Markus Octavious, Iron Guts Crossinski and Nurse Min) attacked the top paddock, with chainsaws blazing, piles of firewood were created and collected, while Iron Guts and Comrade Chris attempted to keep the damage to a minimum. Not that tree you nongs! The dead ones! Comrad Chris was heard screaming above the roar. Later back at the house Comrade Chris was overseeing the erecting of the outdoor kitchen and the tarpaulin overhead (which somehow lasted the whole weekend, despite the design flaws associated with the absence of a design). It’s a prototype. We will have it right on the day. Said a confident Comrade at the end of the weekend. The two Bobbins, pitched in as always in their usual quiet, effective and delightful way. The Cadna felt compelled to rescue the tarp on a number of occasions as it started to tear away in the wind and the rain. Can you guys listen for a minute? You need a rope frame with the tarp attached to that. He said. You had better get me involved if you want it done right on the day. Freddie Fits-Out Kitchen: Now readers, don’t think this weekend was an all outdoor affair. The multi-talented Freddie Five Iron mounted shelves, a cupboard and a range hood in the indoor kitchen, as his attempt on the be seen to be most useful award. I didn’t have the heart to tell him the doors went up the other way. Said Comrade Chris at one stage. Luckily he realised himself when he couldn’t reach the handles when standing on his tippee toes. Despite these minor hiccups, the job was completed successfully, the fan in the rangehood was deemed to work satisfactorily, and the bulb judged in need of replacement (we couldn’t think of any other reason it wouldn’t work, but we didn't have the required number of consultants to install a new one). A Round at the end of the afternoon of course: As would be expected a round of golf was always on the cards. Late on the Saturday afternoon, the Boys piped in the traditional tequila starter, the rain came down and off we went. In fact, this proved to be the last time (see new hole and flag installation paragraph below) anyone played the four holes in the top paddock without flags and holes (which while a great improvement, takes the guessing and debate about where the hole actually is, a common feature of playing the Drummond Base course up until now). Despite the debate, a good round was had by all which included experimenting with a few potential new holes. Proto-type Holes Successfully Deployed: A major function of this weekend was to mark out and place the first few formal greens on the Drummond Base golf course. The ardinal’s neighbour Reg, had helped him develop a prototype hole and flag device and The Cardinal was keen to see how they fitted into the Drummond Base top paddock landscape (shown rght). On the Sunday morning The Cardinal trialled the new system on the last hole and when happy, rounded up a lakky (Stavros was spare at the time) to help complete the other three. Look at those photos and judge for yourself. Highly successful is the only way to describe it. This will show those Can Cats how to prepare a course” said Iron Guts as he inspected the first hole. Hey I didn’t want to ask but what happened to the rest of the green? he asked in a quiet voice as The Cardinal walked out of earshot. Initial Tests Successful: Later on the Sunday afternoon, there was the obligatory test of the first four holes and from all reports the test went very well. The obligatory photo of the first group on the first new green, on the first, after tapping in for the first time was taken (Left showing The Cardinal, Stavros the Greek and Iron Guts) and the apprentice. Note Nurse Min was in the group that played but took the photo). The course was in immaculate condition and the surrounding views, superb. Drummond Base will certainly be a spectacular venue for the upcoming ABLARU in January. Some Debate about Future Development: Throughout the weekend there was debate about where the additional 5 holes for the first nine at Drummond Base should go. There was a split in opinion within the ranks of the masses and as we understand it, the issue remains unresolved. One faction advocated placing all 9 holes on the home property while another faction wanted to maintain use of the neighbour’s existing holes. A third faction wanted to sell it all off in 1 acre lots and build luxury apartments. At one stage a self-nominated party (members remain nameless) surveyed the home block and sussed out a number of potential options. Of course, this had very little regard to the preferences of the owners Iron Guts Crossinski and Comrade Chris, who were regularly ignored during the debate. And maybe a skate board park over there for teenagers. We could move that tank stand. One person was heard saying. It will be interesting to see what Iron Guts and the Comrade Chris finally decide to do. And of course, you will be able to see it at the ABLARU in January. A Successful & Delightful Weekend: There wasn’t a person in attendance that didn’t have a great weekend. Getting into the cars to leave was a difficult process. Drummond Base has a serenity and presence all of it’s own. It is just plain darn relaxing and a beautiful place, particularly this time of year. Nurse Min was heard mumbling as he gazed out over the fields. The nnomads Golf Club committee of management would like to thank Iron Guts Crossinski and Comrade Chris for their hospitality. The committee also hopes the working bee was seen to be successful and useful preparation for the ABLARU in January. See you there (if you are invited).

A very full Haflinger The Cardinal rescuing a tarp GMAC, Stavros the Greek an Nurse Min piping in the TEQUILA Version 1 – Prototype hole Iron Guts and Crash down by the river Clean Phil eyeing off the Haflinger Gazing across the tundra was a popular sport Testing out the course