Bonfire/movie night, overnight stay

6/6/2026 to 7/6/2026

Trip Leader - Keely Frost

Participants:

Lee, Keely and Logan Frost (Special mention to Keely's Mum, Peta, for babysitting)

Penny & Spence Cookson

Simon Dash & Diane Harper

Tony & Anna Lazzara

Stuart & Michelle Bateman

Daniel Bateman (G), Kelsey Bowman (G), Jaxon Bowman (G)

Paul O’Rouke, Son and Daughter.

Craig Tomsiti

Dave Futia

As has been mentioned at club meetings before, a club trip doesn't always require locked hubs, engaged lockers and perfectly adjusted tyre pressures to tackle muddy tracks or soft sand dunes on the way to a remote destination. Sometimes it's as simple as a game of ten-pin bowling, a meal at a restaurant, or sitting around a backyard fire enjoying a good yarn with fellow club members.

That was exactly the case on 6 June.

With the invitation extended for members to arrive from 9:00 am onwards, I had plenty of time to prepare the fire pit. We already had a good pile of material ready to burn, but there was one problem.

The branches were far too long! Out came the trusty Ryobi electric chainsaw, which quickly made short work of the task. Before long, the fire pit was ready to be lit when everyone arrived.

At approximately midday, Penny and Spence arrived and came inside for a chat while we waited for the others. It also gave Keely someone to talk to while she finished off some baking to help feed the crowd. Penny mentioned that she had tried Keely's spare ribs recipe and that it had turned out brilliantly.

Call me biased, but I still reckon they're the best-tasting spare ribs around.

Next to arrive were Simon and Diane with their new camper trailer. This was its maiden shakedown run, and overall, it seemed to perform well, apart from a mysterious noise coming from the electrical control panel that only Simon could hear. Shortly afterwards, Stuart and Michelle arrived, bringing their son Dan and his partner along as well.

With a few extra pairs of hands now available, it was decided that it was time to light the fire and collect a couple more trolley loads of firewood from the storage area. The wood was stacked beside the fire pit, ready for the cool evening ahead.

It doesn't take long for the temperature to drop in our area, so the fire was a welcome sight and source of warmth for everyone. Over the next few hours, the rest of the crew arrived, settling in for an afternoon of relaxed conversation around the fire.

Once the swing-away King's BBQ plate was positioned over the fire, it quickly built enough heat to give it a good clean before cooking commenced. Soon, plenty of food was being prepared to feed the hungry hordes. A couple of people opted to use their gas-powered BBQs, which was perfectly fine and helped speed things along a little.

Once everyone was fed and content, Dave, the club's resident self-professed campfire specialist, got to work on the fire so that the astronauts aboard the International Space Station could feel the heat. To be honest, it was nice and warm around that fire. We did, however, need to collect some more wood from the storage pile, which had the welcome side effect of helping clean up the back area.

It was at this point that Cinema Maida Vale opened its doors at approximately 7:30 pm. The

small local home cinema had spent the previous few days searching for the perfect

movie—one that would cater to all ages. As it turned out, the ideal choice was finally found

on the very morning of the campfire gathering.

With the combined talents of Wolverine, Jean-Luc Picard, Elaine Benes from Seinfeld and Walter White from Breaking Bad (Hugh Jackman, Sir Patrick Stewart, Julia Louis-Dreyfus and Bryan Cranston), The Sheep Detectives began. With the indoor wood-fire heater blazing away in the workshop—otherwise known as Maida Vale Cinema—it certainly helped take the edge off the cold evening air.

The movie played without a hitch, drawing plenty of chuckles throughout and even delivering an emotional moment near the end that may have given Stuart the sniffles. The only thing that would have made the experience better would have been a snack bar selling popcorn, choc-bombs, and drinks.

Once the movie ended and in this case, the screen rose, we all retired back to the fire,

where Dave had continued to live up to his motto: “Leave no wood unburnt.”

After a little more conversation, a few people decided to head back to the warmth of their

homes, leaving Stuart, Michelle, Simon, Di, Keely and me sitting around the fire, keeping

warm and continuing the general chit-chat.

As the evening wore on and the fire gradually consumed its seemingly endless supply of

timber, the conversation continued to flow just as freely. It was a simple gathering, but one

that perfectly highlighted what our club is all about...

Good company, good food, plenty of laughs and the opportunity to catch up with fellow members in a relaxed setting.

A big thank you to everyone who came along and helped make the day such an enjoyable

success.