A Few Thanks Are In Order !

[Flightmanager]

WHAT A GREAT DAY !!

Fianlly , after weeks of planning , scouting trips , PM,s , posts and midnight conferences the big day had arrived!

We got up at 0330 , first thing , go outside to see what the weather was doing , Rain , wind !!!

Not an auspicious start , I thought , but the show must go on !!

We had preloaded the trailer last night , so we just had to put it on the car and head off. Pretty quiet trip down the M7,M5 to Brighton , I think we were all a bit scared of what we would find when we got to Cook Park. On arrival at The Grand Parade , it was raining quite heavily , and the wind was at least 25 knots. My heart sank , and I thought the day was going to be a total loss, until........

I pulled up at Cook Park , to be greeted by about 15 Raiders , and nearly as many boats , all anxious to get out on the water and start fishing

You guys were the best thing I could have seen , spirits went back to Social mode , and this thing was gonna happen !!

Donna will be giving a full report a little later , so I wont cover any of that ground.

What I would like to do is thank the following people for their help and support , without it , this day would simply not have happened !!

Firstly to Mrsswordfisherman , my guide through the rocky road of event organisation , and also my support when things were looking a bit bleak , secretary , taker of minutes and maker of coffee , but most of all my friend , thank you , thank you , thank you. Your energy and enthusiasm for this event knew no bounds , I quite simply could not have done it without you. You are a legend !

Swordfisherman.

What can I say that would adequately describe Stewy? Not too sure , but I'll have a crack at it .

Stewy's love of fishing is infectious. His knowledge and resourcefulness was instrumental in organising this event , there was no problem that I put to him that he wasnt able to iron out ( and let me tell you , we had some doozies for this event!) . For his sheer determination to help me get this thing going , keep me focussed , and for simply just being there when you need him , my heartfelt thanks . I am priveledged to call this man my friend.

Jewhunter

Grant was a bit of a late entry , but I am very glad he was able to make the trip down , he is a great bloke to have a yarn with , and his presence today made it that little bit better. Thank to you too mate , I value your support and guidance dearly.

Mr and Mrs Outnumbered

I love these people. Brian was my sous chef , barman and teller of funny stories . Terri was also there helping with the million and one little details that no one notices , but which make all the difference on the day. They also provided the eggs ( all 15 dozen) , which went so well with the bacon !! I must mention also the " Ice Cube Twins " Rebecca and Holly , who decided a day by the water wasnt complete without a swim !! Good on you girls , Im glad it was you and not me !!

Robthefisherman

Our " Baker" for the day. Rob provided all of the bread rolls for us , and judging by the rate that they were disappearing , they were very good !! Thanks mate .

Offtap

Dave had said that he would like to provide the meat , and provide he did on a grand scale. Plenty of snags , and Scotch Fillet steak no less !! Many thanks for your generosity Dave , it is greatly appreciated.

Quinfish

Thanks to Robert for providing the use of his trailer for carrying the BBQ gear , and for making a spot available on his boat for # 1 son. He also provided the chicken for the kebabs , thanks mate , keep fishing and keep it safe.

Penguin

This gentleman embodies the true spirit of Fishraider. John provided the soft drinks and bottled water for us , and even though he was quite unwell , made the effort to deliver the goods to us , so that we werent let down on the day. Thank you so much , I hope you are feeling better soon.

Aron

We now have a dedicated BBQ thanks to Aron . This was given to us yesterday for use at all Fishraider functions , thanks mate , it is a great unit , cant wait to fire her up again at the next social !!

Watto and Mrs Watto.

Sean and Claudia provided the Ladies prize and all of the gift bags for the kids . Their generosity is greatly appreciated , thank you for supporting not only this event , but for the help and generous discounts on your goods to all Fishraiders . Well Done both of you !!

Fishfinder

Tony from Fishfinder provided the Shimano reel and some braid and lures for the winner of the competition.

Thanks for your support mate , and for giving up your time to join us at the Social today.

Saqa

As soon as Rohit heard we were having a social , he instantly offered one of his superb hand built rods as first prize. Thanks Rohit , you have been a great supporter of our site , and you are one of our valued Sponsors .

Speaking of Sponsors , many thanks go to Dave from Sea-Tow Botany , for his kind donation of a years free membership . It was good of you to give up your time today , it was a pleasure to have met you .

Dan Burgess

Dan provided the 3 prize reels for the social. Not only the reels but magazines and tackle for all attendees . Thanks Dan , glad you and Emily were able to join us .

JJSydney

JJS out of the blue presented us with 4 litres of 2 stroke oil as a prize for the members. Thanks mate , this is the stuff that Raiders are made of , I greatly appreciate your donation !!

Last , but by no means least , I would like to thank my lovely wife Catherine , for all of the help and support that she has given me since I thought of this event , for countless cups of coffee , and for help withthe admin side of things today.

In closing , I would like to say the biggest thanks of all to all of the Fishraiders who turned up today , not even the weather was going to dampen your day!!

Ross

[Guest Jewel]

You left someone out in your thanks mate..........

The dude has a Beard, and was seen waving BBQ tools around after heading the organising of the aforementioned social!

Well done mate!!!

The weather was crap but the event was a cracker!!!

[Flightmanager]

I knew Id forget someone !! Glad you had a good day , looking forward to doing it all again next year !!

Ross

[robthefisherman]

Got to agree with what Stewy said.

Fantastic day despite the weather

[Jewhunter]

I must say that the crappy weather had me wondering how many people would turn up for the event. I shouldn't have worried! If it wasn't a social I don't think many of us would have been fishing. A big thanks must go to all of you who braved the conditions & turned up to make the day what it was. The attendence was outstanding!

Thanks to all of our sponsors & members who contributed. In a day & age where selfishness seems to rule it is heartwarming to have so many people go out of their way to give others a top day out.

The biggest thanks must go to Ross. If it wasn't for you mate the event wouldn't have happened. You & Cath have set a prececent for further socials that will be very hard to top. You're energy & generosity is infectious & all of us truly appreciate your efforts in pulling this off. Well done & thanks again.

Cheers,

Grant.

[Flattieman]

I'd just like to thank everyone who made the day what it was. Thankyou all - especially Ross, as the initiator of the idea. Next time, we need to get the weather onside!

Flattieman.

[Outnumbered]

ditto all the thanks to everyone but Ross your a legend, it was by far the best social i've attended as far as organisation goes and right up there with "the entrance" on the fun'o'meter.

i dont think you missed a beat right down to providing the wind break that made the day comfortable for those that spent the whole day there. once again, well done mate

[Littleface]

Yesterdays social was the best that I have been to so far (I have only been to 2). It was well organised and well patronised. Thanks to Ross, Donna, Grant, Teri, Stewi and everyone else who made the day special for everyone concerned.

It was really good to see such a great turn out of kids. These days there is not a lot of these sorts of things where the whole family can get together for a great time and a good day out. We definately need more of them.

As everyone else has said, although the weather was not the best, it was still a top day.

Once again thanks to all.

Littleface (aka mrsflightmanager)

[Guest Saqa]

Hi all

Finally got a chance to go online after collapsing in exhaustion when I got home yesterday.

Firstly I would like to congratulate Fishrunner on his well deserved and polupar win of the main prize with his awesome catch . It was a very proud moment for me . Also congratulations to all other winners .

Also a massive thanks to Flightmanager and admin for organising such an awesome event

Many thanks to my fellow sponsors for their great support of Fishraider

Many thanks to all contributed to the event. Dave the steaks were awesome

A big cheers for all the members for coming out and supporting the social. You all have made it a big succes. It was great to see all families and kids big and small enjoying themselves

[Guest fishrunner]

G'day,

I would also like to say thanks to all the sponsors,- the prizes just kept comming and every kid there left with a smile , So did all the grownups as well as a great well planned day had been had

Also all the members and admin and moderators who made this happen, very well done

Cheers and thanks saqa for the rod and also Tony for the reel and fireline,etc.- brilliant, what else can I say

cheers