WIMA Victoria: Famous Last Words Rally

Famous Last Words Rally, 1999

I've been out and about on my wobbly little wheels again, bringing my L-plate behind me. My latest trip was to the Strathbogie Hills for the 17th 'Famous Last Words' rally.

When I left Melbourne the sky was grey and rain looked imminent. I headed out along the Hume and then sure enough a little rain started to fall. Thankfully it lasted only a few minutes, but the sky didn't hold much promise. I had been assured that the weather would be much better on the other side of the divide, and I'm happy to say that it was.

I got off the Hume at Euroa and headed down Crighton's Creek Road about 25kms to the rally site. The road was sealed, but it narrowed down to the width of one car in places. The constant bends in the road meant that I didn't have much time to enjoy the scenery, but I did manage the odd glimpse.

After my last little accident I was very wary about the ride conditions on the way into the rally site. I rang the day before to explain my apprehension and so the last 7km of the road turning to dirt didn't come as a surprise this time. And I'd been assured that it was 'good dirt' - what exactly is 'good dirt'?

Stretching out in front of me it didn't look anything like 'good dirt'. It was a hairy ride, to say the least, but at least I managed to stay upright. When I got to the check in, the organisers welcomed me having recognised me by my L-plate.

I set up camp and since my companions were not arriving until the next day, I began doing the rounds of meeting people and checking out the bikes and outfits. Because it is a family rally, there were lots of sidecars and trailers. There were a few hundred people registered for the rally, and kids everywhere. It was good to see so many women and young girls.

The rally facilities were excellent, with plenty of firewood, water, good toilets, free tea and coffee, first aid van and even showbags filled with goodies for the kids. Catering on the Saturday was provided by the local Apex club.

I had my WIMA t-shirt on and was amazed by the number of people who had 'Moira' stories to tell. I lost count of the 'hellos' I was supposed to pass on to her, but I did remember that Colin said to say hello to Red and Kiwi.

On the Saturday there were hayrides for the kids, though as the day wore on it got harder and harder to spot the kids because so many big kids had joined in on the rides. There was a spectacular bonfire that night, despite the difficulties in getting it started: if you have enough wood, petrol, flares, flaming arrows and petrol-soaked toilet rolls, nothing can stop you.

Sunday morning saw the Famous Last Words competition, where participants tell stories traditionally ending with a famous quotation. That requirement has now been relaxed and stories include jokes and so on. This year's winner recited a poem about his wife's car that came to grief at the previous year's rally. Somehow the handbrake had become disengaged leaving it to roll free out of the carparking area, through the camping area, down an embankment and into the river - all without causing any damage to tents or rallygoers.

The gymkhana provided some entertainment before heading out to face that dirt again. I took the soft option and put all my gear into a car so the ride home was easier. The dirt road was more comfortably negotiated with a friend following behind me in her car, and the ride home went surprisingly smoothly.

I got home in time to have a hot shower, crawl into tracky dacks and a big woolly jumper, drag my doona out to the couch and watch the GP is Sepang on TV. If I could come to an amicable agreement with my bank manager, I could get used to this.

Liz Loke