THE HAPPY SIDE OF TOURING

Shannon News, 11 April 1928, Page 4

THE HAPPY SIDE OF TOURING

MAKING THE MOST OF UNLUCKY EXPERIENCES.

Recalling the start of my tour I can-remember the joy with which we hailed our first blow r -out. It was about four miles along the Parramatta Road. Some frightfully jolly person with a really keen sense of humour, placed-a row of broken bottles across the road. It brought home at once the fact that it was the holiday season, says a writer in ‘‘The Open Road,” an Australian monthly, devoted to motorists’ interests.

At last we got to the place where we decided to camp, if it wasn’t too slow. When we saw all the mosquitoes and . things we knew that .it would be quite all right. It was lovely. All the mosquitoes from miles round trotted out to exchange civilities.

We never tasted anything in our life like the food we had there. It was such a change after the eternal fresh bread and the spotlessly clean dining-room at home where a chap didn't dare to take off his shoes or anything. It was lovely to put your teeth into the good old hard damper and to sit on the comfy camp stools. One of our company complained that he broke his false teeth on the damper. We thought that he was a bit too hot bringing up any unnecessary trivial things like that. Friendly Animals.

We just loved the friendly way the cows and dogs and horses and the things from the neighbouring farmyards came over to pay us visits. One of my boys tried do milk the cow, but after he got kicked in the face and trampled in the mud, somebody said the cow must have been milked only half an hour before. We all had to hold our sides at the sheer absurdity of it.

Sleeping in a tent or in the open air was wonderful. ‘Nobody seemed to mind the fact that we had forgotten our pillows.

Taking it all in all, I don't remember ever having had such a gorgeous camping tour. My employer said when I got back (hat ,as I had.been doing good work lately, I could have extra leave in a couple of months and take another tour, but I said I thought I had better stick to the grindstone, because one did not Really like to spoil things by having too much of them, did one? When I told my wife about it she agreed with me.