Tuesday, 6 August 2024
We had a reasonable roll up of twenty-eight (28) for this event which included one (1) visitor Owen Guymer – Welcome Owen. Owen joined us from Texas along with our fellow member Jon Schwartz.
When we set off on our trip it was wet & cold leaving Toowoomba, & as you would expect when we arrived at Thulimbah/Stanthorpe it was still wet & even colder – The ladies at Jersey Girls Cheesery were wonderful & provided us with a dry warm area to have our morning Smoko/Cuppa – Thanks Ladies.
Following smoko we had our cheese tastings – The commentary on each tasting was delivered by video, different, but still very effective. There is a copy of the tasting sheet in the gallery below – The copy is a bit blurred but still legible. I am sure attendees will agree that the tastings catered for all tastes/palates & this was evidenced by the number of purchases made by our members – I found most suited my taste, but I limited my purchases to the Pepper, Chilli & Outlaw.
We then moved on to Kent Saddlery in Stanthorpe for our guided tour & were welcomed by Lyal Kent & staff – Lyal provided us with an overview of the history of his saddlery including his exploits with his wife in travelling throughout the Gulf & outback areas of NT, WA & SA visiting up to one hundred & fifty (150) Cattle stations each year over the past thirty years in his mobile saddlery/leather work repair truck/van. Lyal & his wife have decided to cut back on their trips from this year & ease into semi-retirement – I have a feeling that he will never retire fully while ever he can still pull his boots on! I suppose, because of my particular interest in the subject I found Lyal’s talk a bit of a walk down memory lane to some degree.
Following are some of the points I picked up during the Talk & Tour –
- Design of a wide range of leather goods is carried out using a laser printer.
- Different types of leather are required to make a modern saddle.
- A lot of the hides used are imported from overseas because they are Bigger & Cleaner i.e. No brand marks etc.
- There are very few saddlers left in Australia apart from Kent Saddlery.
- The saddles that I was familiar with growing up are not made any more e.g. Syd Hill, Werna & Diamantina Poleys.
- Kent saddlery make saddles to suit individuals & their horses, but still make a generic stock saddle.
- In the past saddlers mainly focused on the softness of the canter lining of a saddle to prevent horses getting sore backs, where now the focus is on the fit (For both rider & horse).
- Some customers actually come in with their horse/horses to be measured up for a saddle, & others more remote ring through their measurements.
- Kent Saddlery make three (3) saddles a week along with a big selection of other leather goods including harness, bridles, hobbles, diary cases & handbags to name but a few.
- Kent saddlery have a staff of twenty-two locals including six (6) apprentices – It was great to see so many apprentices & find out that most of them commenced their early interest during training at Kent Saddlery while they were still attending school through the school based apprenticeship system– Four days at school & one day at Kent Saddlery.
- Kent Saddlery have been operating in their current location (Old Caves Winery Building/Site) for the past twelve years.
- Finally, the practices have moved on with all the aids & special equipment available these days to the extent that almost nothing is impossible for them to make with leather.
We then travelled on to Omara’s Hotel for lunch.
After lunch we acknowledged & celebrated birthdays falling in August in our usual manner (with a birthday cake etc) Viz Eric Canning, Peter Neylon, Bevan Devine, Keith Ott & Bob Mackinlay.
In closing, special thanks to those who contributed to making this another safe & enjoyable event/outing for all attendees, including:
- Michael Bourke – For organising this event.
- The Jersey Girls Cheesery – For their wonderful hospitality, keeping us warm & dry over smoko, the standard & variety of cheeses made available for our tastings along with the video commentary.
- Lyal Kent & Staff – For our great welcome, overview & guided tour.
- Staff at Omara’s Hotel – For our lunch.
- Bob Whittaker & Carl Betros – For being on duty as our trusty first-aid officers.
- Peter Taylor – For ensuring we were all on board before the coach departed again after each stop along with the great photos.
- Tim Blades, David Turner & John Schmidt – For cutting up & serving our birthday cake.
- Peter Thompson – For his usual gig as coach doorman ensuring all members got on & off the coach safely at each stop.
- Michael Bourke & Neville Page – For looking after our finances & name badges.
- Russell Mauch – For the receipting & banking of our surplus cash.
- Ron Lewis, Lindsay Reis & Eric Canning – For looking after our hydration & hygiene needs with bottled water & hand wash, respectively along with the loading & unloading of the coach as required.
- Jan Neal – For making our birthday cake.
- Nick Peters – For transporting us to & from Stanthorpe safely.
As this event was in Stanthorpe, on a cold & wet day, it seemed appropriate to have an award. So, the “Brass Monkey Award” has come into play, &, without any further ado is awarded to none other than Jon Schwartz for his “Economical Use of Clothing”. Only Jon would have sleeves rolled up & not wearing a coat, on a day when all members had at least a coat on & the lovely ladies at Jersey Girls Cheesery had two wood fired heaters going for us.
Dick
11 August 2024