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With about a dozen or so fronting, last night's 'Warmers' were a success... Now it's on to the main event...

Hope you all have a great day!

The 2017 (15th) Annual RAN SH Sydney Rocks Xmas Pub Crawl Smokey was a HUGE success, despite a casualty along the way, but with a few special guests,
(and old friends,) Fritz and Kaylene Hansen and Roger Fidler joining us for lunch (for 22 of us) at the Lord Nelson...

I arrived back in the Central Coast an hour ago, but I think I'll have a little kip before I attempt to give you all a full report later... (hopefully, adding a few pics as well...)

The 2017 (15th) Annual RAN Skilled Hands Sydney Rocks Xmas Pub Crawl Smokey - Official Host's Report... Photos from Col ‘Pussasan’ Kelson

After a smooth, unobstructed drive down from The Entrance on the NSW Central Coast, I checked into the Cremorne Point Manor, got changed and strode down the hill to catch the
fast ferry across to Circular Quay, then based mainly on gut instinct, I caught a train to St. James (arguably the closest station to Woolloomooloo,) on the City Circle...
From there, a brisk walk over the Domain Car Park (the travelling walkway was broken,) and a bit of circular navigating and I found myself at The Woolloomooloo Hotel, having
been advised by phone (on my arrival at Circular Quay,) by Col ‘Pussasan’ Kelson that The Frisco sucked and the ‘Warmers Crew’ had relocated to The Woolloomooloo...

...or for the uneducated...!

What ensued was as a very pleasant afternoon and evening, spent telling warries and solving all the current Navy’s problems, from poofters to pulse drives, with Col ‘Pussasan’ Kelson, Henry
‘Shoobs’ Schubert, Doug ‘Gangas’ and lovely wife Brenda Green, Mick Hamilton, Mark ‘Mobes’ Mobley, Bob ‘Tafmo’ and lovely wife Rhonda King, Dave Maxwell, Howard ‘Howie’ Henderson
and his delightful daughter Anthea, myself and a three-ring Birdie ring-in Jon Ball, who Col had adopted on ANZAC Day a few years ago...


Clockwise: Dave Maxwell, Mark Mobley, Mick Hamilton, Rick Pengilly, Howie Henderson, Jon Ball, Brenda Green... Photo by Col ‘Pussasan’ Kelson


Classmates of the 17th MOBI Intake of July '64 - L-R: Doug 'Gangas' Green, Col 'Pussasan' Kelson, Henry 'Shoobs' Schubert, Dave Maxwell... Photo by Col ‘Pussasan’ Kelson

Henry left early to meet up with his son at the Tilbury Hotel for dinner, with a view to re-joining the Crew later in the evening, and Anthea Henderson, Leading Steward on HMAS (whatever-the-fluck
-our-current-supply-ship is,) left to return onboard, whilst the rest of us settled for pizzas at the Woolloomooloo, but then as Mick was suffering badly from a poorly-executed-three-point-landing he’d
attempted down a flight of concrete steps a couple of weeks ago, we shared a cab to North Sydney/ Cremorne Point, opting for an early night... (I knew it was early because as soon as I’d settled into
bed, and ‘Star Wars’ on TV, I got a call from Henry wanting to know where the flock we all were...!)


"Where the did everybody get to...???" Henry 'Shoobs' Schubert... Photo by Col ‘Pussasan’ Kelson

Next morning, Saturday, I showered and dressed at ‘sparrow’s fart’, caught an earlier ferry than I probably needed to, and on arrival at City Extra, found Brian ‘Charlie’ Staples, having just
arrived from the Central Coast, already firmly entrenched at our table for 18... We didn’t quite make it to 18, but we were soon joined by Brian and lovely wife Verna ‘Toots’ Mackenzie, Mike ‘Pony’
Moore, Dave ‘Rabbit’ Warren, and eventually the rest of the ‘Warmers Crew’ from the night before.

In the 15 years that we’ve hosted our Annual RAN Skilled Hands Sydney Rocks Xmas Pub Crawl Smokies, weather-wise we’ve been lucky, Saturday however, we lucked out, it alternated between rain
and drizzle for most of the day, but it couldn’t dampen our spirits...

As we started checking off our regular watering holes, we were able to confirm what I’d found on Facebook, that The Observer Hotel had closed, stripped of all stock, poker machines, etc., with none of
the locals quite sure what the eventual plan for it will be...

This meant we went from the Fortune of War, directly to The Mercantile Hotel where we were tempted momentarily by the Soup de Jour...


Soup de Jour anyone...? Photo by Col ‘Pussasan’ Kelson


L-R: Brian 'Charlie' Staples, Rick 'Hippy Chippy' Pengilly, Bob 'Tafmo' King, Doug 'Gangas' Green, Dave 'Rabbit' Warren, Brenda Green, Henry 'Shoobs' Schubert, Mike 'Pony' Moore,
Rhonda King, Mark 'Mobes' Mobley, Verna 'Toots' Mackenzie, Col 'Pussasan' Kelson, Brian 'Stroppy Chippie' Mackenzie, Dave Maxwell, Howard 'Howie' Henderson... Photo by Col ‘Pussasan’ Kelson
Of course, following The Mercantile we assembled outside The Harbour View for our traditional photo op and found myself almost bumping straight into my fellow 13th MOBI Intake Greenie
(and 1st Term Approved Address,) Brian Clough who was on a Rocks Run of his own for his son's Buck's Do, so declined to join ours, so after our group photo we moved on to The Hero of Waterloo
and eventually The Lord Nelson Brewery Hotel for lunch... where a couple of my ‘special guests’ awaited our party... 10th MOBI Intake Chippy and past Rocks Run participant Roger Fidler, and (as
a result of a quick phone I made on Thursday,) fellow Chippy Ian ‘Fritz’ and his lovely wife Kayleen Hansen, armed with a photo album, containing pics of Fritz and Gangas and the ‘lakatoi’ which
they jointly owned when they last saw each other in HMAS Tarangau in 1969, 48 years ago...!


Lunch at The Lord Nelson Brewery Hotel with Kayleen and Ian 'Fritz' Hansen, fellow Chippy and world renowned Marine Artist... Photo by Col ‘Pussasan’ Kelson


Ian 'Fritz' Hansen and Col 'Pussasan' Kelson... Photo by Col ‘Pussasan’ Kelson

As an aside, when Roger rang me last week to tell me he might like to catch up with the Crew for lunch, I’d just celebrated my 71st birthday, so I reminded him that I remembered a previous Rocks Run
where it coincided with his 70th birthday, and how we joked at the time that ‘nobody’s THAT old’... However, Roger had the last laugh, reminding me that the occasion was in fact his 60th birthday
and it was on our second Rocks Run, 14 years ago...! How time flies when you’re enjoying yourself...


L-R: Brian 'Stroppy Chippie' Mackenzie, Verna 'Toots' Mackenzie, Brenda Green, Doug 'Gangas' Green, Brian 'Charlie' Staples, Dave Maxwell, Rhonda King, Bob 'Tafmo' King... Photo by Col ‘Pussasan’ Kelson


L-R: Ian 'Fritz' Hansen, Kayleen Hansen, Rick 'Hippy Chippy' Pengilly, Roger Fidler, Mike 'Pony' Moore... Photo by Col ‘Pussasan’ Kelson
Roger stayed with us for the rest of the day, however, Fritz and Kayleen had prior commitments, so after another drink and a lovely photo-op of us four ‘Tarangau Wontoks’ at The Palisade Hotel,
sadly, they had to part company with us...


Getting dry at The Pallisade Hotel, L-R: Verna 'Toots' MacKenzie, Brian 'Charlie' Staples, Dave 'Rabbit' Warren, Howard 'Howie' Henderson and Brenda Green... Photo by Col ‘Pussasan’ Kelson


'Tarrangau 1969 Wontoks', L-R: Rick 'Hippy Chippy' Pengilly, Ian 'Fritz' Hansen, Doug 'Gangas' Green and Henry 'Shoobs' Schubert... Photo by Col ‘Pussasan’ Kelson

Then it was on to the final stretch, with The Captain Cook, The Australian Heritage Hotel, The Glenmore Hotel, all passing in quick review, then on to our newest addition, The Argyle, until the
musical duo got too loud to be comfortable and we moved on to the Munich Brauhaus (formerly known as the Lowenbrau Keller,) for our traditional shooters and steins,
the last bit of exotic indulgence before arriving at the finish line at The Orient Hotel...


At The Argyle, L-R: Brian 'Charlie' Staples, Roger Fidler, Dave Maxwell and Henry 'Shoobs' Schubert... Photo by Col ‘Pussasan’ Kelson

As usual, those last drinks at The Orient are always the relaxed ‘icing on the cake’, and by the time Charlie and I left to catch our respective 8:00PM-ish ferries/ trains at Circular Quay, leaving Tafmo
and Dave to ‘tidy up’, I’d reached both contentment AND capacity...

And so, with another successful Annual RAN Skilled Hands Sydney Rocks Xmas Pub Crawl Smokey behind us... see you all (and hopefully a few of those who keep PROMISING to make it,
but never seem to, ) next year...

Thanks SeeJay, glad someone appreciates my effort, I actually spent more time on my Report than I did doing the Rocks Run itself...!

and.......not a zimmer frame in sight!
Great shots and it looks like a good time was had by all.

The photo inside the 'Harbour View' was in fact the 'Palisaides' but we wont let the truth get in the way of a good yarn!!!!!

...and I thought I was doing so well...! I've now done a shuffle and re-wording to correct the record...!