In exhilarating style, the GFC reconstituted for 2023 at the delightful Ball & Chain Grill, under tutelage of maître d'hôtel Craig Farrer and Matthew at the grill.
20 larger than life likely lads assembled around the front of house bar for pre-luncheon refreshments, after (no doubt) grueling strategic and logistical exercises: ie getting dressed and into a cab to the city of Hobart.
Birthday boys Merv Simmons and Roger Kimber were marched in to the tune of 2001 A Space Odyssey - totally fitting the circumstances. Merv had been in the Good Paddock, but was still able to walk through the menu, hauling in vast quantities of beef from King Island.
Image: Matthew Davis at the helm of Bistro Central - Ball & Chain Grill centrepiece
Image: Jim Paltos of Melbourne, flew direct to the Ball and Chain from Tullamarine - he will do anything to get away from Desparate Dan's Victoria
Jing made sure we had a booking, provided us with Pale Ale Cascade for starters, and delivered the massive fish and beef entre platters - followed by the steak of your choice
Smiling assassin Craig at the helm of the pouring machine: Pale Ale - legendary
As I sit here recollecting the day, and reflecting on the evident goodwill amongst we GFC survivors, some comments come back to mind.
Peter Bowen advised "never let anything go by - take up every opportunity" - sage advice indeed.
Peter Larkey informed us that his plan, consistent with Bowen's thoughts, is to "reduce work" - to wit, in his case, involving selling up his Sandy Bay home and pool house, after 35 years and the home in which his family were raised and escorted off the premises. Go well Larkey - what a joyous time you will have now in rented accommodation for a year, with no maintenance work AT ALL!
Image: Larkey deciding what not to do next:
Tony Kozlow refreshed our intellect with the clearest exposition of what we should and should not be doing. Don't worry about things outside your control. "Look to your local matters", thereby be healthy, happy, and anxiety free, involved and participating. Who knew he had spent time in Nova Scotia? For more detail on caring for your ocean: see
TONY KOSLOW | Scripps Oceanography (ucsd.edu)Meanwhile, Max Reed (Image: above) listened intently to Hayden Peck's economic and property perspectives, and commented "watch out, I'm coming out again" - the audience assumed that meant he was going to scoop up some bargains when the next GFC hits, not that he is cross-dressing again.
Before or afterwards, Miles Flanagan and Jim Paltos appear wealthy, healthy and wise. Can't looks be deceptive!
Image: Richard von Witt, Len Cuff and Peter Larkey
We welcomed Richard von Witt, and had great enjoyment getting him to pronounce his name in the Germanic way. No salutes however, in the Ball and Chain.
Len Cuff spoke of his recent tour of Morocco, the climate in that area, and nearby snow (I don't think he meant Peruvian cocaine). The items he specifically did mention having enjoyed included unusual company, and the connections with people, which inevitably arise having started in the Island State of Tasmania -
Paul Cook, Liquidator, and not with PwC reminded us that the crash is coming, with 94 billion million squillion owed to the tax office. My first thought was 'so what' - if they aren't collecting, yes, everyone in Australia is insolvent, but no one is putting them into liquidation or bankruptcy: Whoopie!!
Image: arguably the worst photo I have ever taken, so far. I can't blame the subject, maybe the light, and a shaking hand. Peter Bowen is flanked by a healthy Merv Simmons, he celebrating his 70th birthday this very day (7th June 2023)
Image below: attempting a rogue scrum: Max Reed as tight head prop, Merv Simmons as hooker, and Merv's brother Andrew Simmons - fresh from Llanherne Aerodrome and Western Australia
Kozlow in standard pose
As mentioned, Jim Paltos's son Steve of Melbourne, makes these tidy devices for carrying your fresh water or hot/cold food - in various sizes, style and colour. Excellent gifts and very functional.
If ordering, mention the GFC and he'll provide a special deal. They make impressive gifts.
On the subject of boats, Chris Cunningham brought to the surface the joy he is now getting having moved from a 48ft yacht to a motor boat: a turn the key and go style of getting onto the water. We look forward now to the spring and summer again, when we will assemble the GFC Group out on the water.
Miles Flanagan, still a yacht owner and happy with it, concurred with the mood of the luncheon, with words to the effect of our good fortune living in this age (both of the world and of the individual.
Stephen Porter joined in with the same thoughts, letting us know that he had a conflict in appointments: one was to see the financial advisor and 'get his affairs in order' - or come to the GFC. The latter won out.
Jim Paltos's mind wandered to his own personal good fortune at having selected, or having been selected by his wife Jane - married 52 years! Just keep on sending in those letters and postcards, well wishes etc to Jane - it has been a hard, some say brutal time trying to control Jim.
File image: Hayden Peck, with that strong, forceful look - designed to beat the buyer up to the price asked
So, as Douglas Adams said in his philosophical tome "Life, the Universe and Everything" - so long and thanks for all the fish (of course, meaning these words to have been uttered by all the dolphins who decided to evacuate from the earth before it was bulldozed by the Vogons to make way for a new hyperspace highway).
I mention, for those not familiar with the legendary Douglas Adams (resting in peace) that Vogons write the 3rd worst poetry in the universe.
And one last one from Douglas:
The fact that we live at the bottom of a deep gravity well, on the surface of a gas covered planet going around a nuclear fireball 90 million miles away and think this to be normal is obviously some indication of how skewed our perspective tends to be.
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