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First New Members Bring & Braai of 2020

08 March 2020 - Clint Mason
The LROC hosted its first New Members Braai for 2020 on Sunday 08 March. For some, the Night trial from the evening before was the start of the festivities. There were a good number of participants and spectators who decided to spend the night enjoying the company of fellow club members, regaling stories around a campfire. The lateness of the evening caught some members a little off-guard resulting in a much later than expected bedtime. With the trial starting at sundown, the fire was only lit well into the evening, and the delicious aroma of the braai filled the air very late into the evening.

With the arrival of morning, various gas-cookers were pulled out as members slowly emerged from their tents and caravans. The rich fragrance of bacon, eggs and coffee on the boil quickly spread throughout the campsite, pulling those few who were attempting to ignore the arrival of the morning into the light. It wasn’t too long after sun-up that all there were again chatting.

As the sun climbed ever higher in the sky, it became blatantly apparent that the campsite from the night before would certainly not provide sufficient shade and with the morning heating up, quick decisions were made to relocate to a shaded spot post haste.

This would be the start of a Tent Disaster for some. Well actually, to be more specific, for me. Having boasted the night before about the extreme ease at which my popup tent went up, and of course bragging about how quickly I would be packing up camp the next morning, I was bound to suffer the  humiliation of not being able to refold it and pack it away in its tent bag. I eventually managed to get it about half way and then with a crowd of laughing LROC members cheering me on, I manoeuvred it to my Disco and stuffed it onto the back seat, content with the thought that at least now I would be on my own and able to deal with the awkwardness of trying to work out how this could possibly fit into such a small bag, without the added pressure of prying eyes and rampant laughter. Alas, others in company had different ideas, but more on that later.

As 12 noon loomed, new and old members alike began arriving at our new site, which was setup under a magnificent canopy of trees, providing plenty shade for all. The Landy’s began to roll in, Defenders, Discos and even a Freelander and Range Rover Evoque would find their way into the shade to join in another awesome time around an LROC braai.

After a quick photo shoot in the blistering sun, it was time for all to enjoy a braai and the company of fellow club members. Even though this event is branded as a New Members Bring and Braai, the intent is to host an event which is specifically geared to promote engagement with our newer members, and all members are welcome, because after all, we are a club that brings likeminded people together and it is by meeting other likeminded club members that this principle objective of the club becomes a reality.

It was now, as everyone settled in around the braai that our Club Chairperson, Jakob Jordaan, would make reference to a popup tent that had been unceremoniously stuffed into the back of a Disco, proposing that it be retrieved and done properly. As one might expect this was met with support from most there, in particular those that were not responsible for putting it away. As it would turn out, this would result in another 25 minutes of disaster, much to the delight of all! I never got it right, and it became obvious that my relative success in the morning was quite literally luck and nothing more. If it wasn’t for the Diessel family, Base 4 would have inherited a resident popup tent, right there, right then!

With the Diessel family succeeding where others had failed, the tent was put away (for good this time) and the feast began. There is something special about Landy People, we are drawn to one another through a passion for a vehicle brand that promotes amazing times. Stories of Landy adventures always accompany a LROC braai and this event was no different, with stories shared and friends made. There was even a little time to create new stories as the Freelander and Evoque decided to tackle some of the obstacles on offer at Base 4.

To all those that joined, from those that decided to camp the night before to those that held the fort, standing firm to the last man on Sunday late afternoon, thank you for an amazing weekend and a spectacular New Members Braai. It was fantastic meeting some of our new members and as always, brilliant chatting with some of our veterans!

 

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