ON THE ROAD with Clyde & Charmaine Issue #0019 January 2014 Official newsletter of www.caravancaravan.com.au A New Look for a New Year It has been two years since the launch of caravancaravan.com.au and what an exciting ride it has been for The Camels. What started out as a hobby to keep us busy while travelling, has grown beyond our wildest dreams. So to mark the beginning of a new year, we are giving the website a makeover. There is a brand new front page to make it easier for members to find their way around the website. The main menu has been one of the big changes on the website. The old slide-out menu caused some members to have difficulty finding the pages that they needed. So we have replaced it with a conventional menu that runs across the top of the page. This is a cheery gold colour and there is a submenu in bright orange, which appears when you mouse over the buttons of the main menu. Here is a sneak peek a the new layout, which is due to launch this month. A Safe and Happy New Year to all.
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ON THE ROADwith Clyde & Charmaine
Issue #0019 January 2014Official newsletter of www.caravancaravan.com.au
A New Look for a New YearIt has been two years since the launch of caravancaravan.com.au and what an exciting ride it has been for The Camels. What started out as a hobby to keep us busy while travelling, has grown beyond our wildest dreams.So to mark the beginning of a new year, we are giving the website a makeover. There is a brand new front page to make it easier for members to find their way around the website.The main menu has been one of the big changes on the website. The old slide-out menu caused some members to have difficulty finding the pages that they needed. So we have replaced it with a conventional menu that runs across the top of the page. This is a cheery gold colour and there is a submenu in bright orange, which appears when you mouse over the buttons of the main menu. Here is a sneak peek a the new layout, which is due to launch this month. A Safe and Happy New Year to all.
There is no need to compromise with your cooking when travelling. A little imagination is all it takes to knock up a snack or a meal that is fit for Royalty.
You know how it is... You can be sitting there, minding your own business, perhaps reading an interesting book, when all of a sudden it strikes. You get the hunger pangs. Time for a bit of action in the kitchen!But just because you are on the road doesn’t mean you have to slum it. Some of the tastiest snacks and meals come steaming hot from motorhome or caravan kitchens.Here is one that Clyde just knocked up to silence that tummy rumble. It’s a champion snack!Garlic Champignons on toastChop half a punnet of button mushrooms and 3 fat cloves of garlic. Drop them into a heated pan with a generous splash of olive oil and turn up the heat.Put 2 slices of bread on to toast.
When the mushrooms and garlic are cooked, stir in an egg and turn down the heat.Take the 2 slices of toast and place them on a plate, drizzling the toast with olive oil. Sprinkle with grated cheese then spoon the mushroom cook-up on top. Squeeze some tomato sauce over it and finish with a sprinkle of cracked pepper.Voilà! Takes 10 minutes to make and 2 minutes to eat.I’ve been reading “Sarah’s Last Wish” by Eve Hillary. Now... what page was I on?
Do you like gardening? Poplar Caravan Park in Glen Innes, in the beautiful New England region of NSW, is offering a free site to anyone who is willing to put in 10 hours per week in their garden. Contact Angela Hartard.http://www.caravancaravan.com.au/entity/poplar-caravan-park/NSW
If you visit Bridgetown, (that would be the town with a bridge across the Blackwood river) in the south-west tall timber country of Western Australia, you must visit the Cidery.
Located just 1.5km from the centre of town at 43 Gifford Road, their motto is; “Life is Short – Drink the Best”.The Cidery proudly recognises the contribution of the early pioneer families to establishing a world renowned apple industry in Western Australia, centred at Bridgetown. Many of these pioneers and their daily work is featured in the extensive historical photographic display at The Cidery along with the tools they used in producing “the best apples in the world”.
This strong apple tradition of the area is being continued with the development locally of the world famous Pink Lady apple, bred in the 1970s by John Cripps, in the nearby town of Manjimup.The Cidery was created by Pat & Elizabeth Corrigan, John & Liz Lucy and Peter & Linda Vowles, who had been friends for a number of years. They decided to develop their various interests in cider, juices and the apple history of Bridgetown, into an opportunity to work together. Their aim was to ensure that The Cidery produced something unique to offer to locals and tourists, yet was firmly centred on Bridgetown’s past.When I entered the Cidery I was greeted warmly by Ingrid, who explained about their range of juices and ciders and how they were produced without added sugar or preservatives. I was then treated to a tasting starting with the extra dry Scrumpy and working along towards the sweeter varieties. I left with a selection of my favourites… Bitter-Sweet and Scrumpy.
There are many fascinating places in the south-west of Western Australia. During the time that I spent there I based myself at Nannup, at the community run caravan park. From there is was an easy drive to everywhere. Margaret River is famous as a wine growing region, but it offers much more. The Margaret River Chocolate Company is one of the great highlights of any visit to this region. Even Willy Wonka’s eyes would pop if he was to walk through the door into the Great Hall of All Things Yummy at one of the most prestigious chocolate makers in Australia.
The Book Club There is nothing better than losing oneself in the pages of a good book. A book is a bit like a TARDIS for the mind. It can transport you to anywhere and any time. It can even take you to places and times that never existed.As many nomads are fond of reading while they are on the road, we thought it was about time that we provided a section in the newsletter where members can contribute a review of their current read. So here it is... The Camels’ Book Club.
The first review for The Book Club is of a true story that the Camels have just finished reading. It is a book that will take the reader out of their comfort zone. It is not a book that would be read by those who look the other way when evil is being perpetrated.
Title: Sarah’s Last Wish Author: Eve HillaryGenre: Non fiction Publisher: Health HouseIt may have happened in Hitler’s Nazi Germany or Stalin’s Soviet Union. It could even have happened in Mao’s China or Kim’s North Korea. But it didn’t. It happened in New South Wales in the 21st century.Sarah’s Last Wish is a confronting and moving account of how a powerful, vindictive government department and a profession more interested in furthering its own ends than helping the people it is supposed to serve, were able to destroy the lives of a family when that family desperately needed help.Sarah Westley was a bright, intelligent and energetic 11-year old who grew up on her parents’ farm near Gloucester in NSW. They were a 4th generation farming family whose property was first founded by their pioneer settler ancestors in the 19th century.But when Sarah developed a rare form of cancer, a chain of events unfolded that developed into the worst nightmare that any family is likely to endure. Sarah was first misdiagnosed as being pregnant. Finger pointing and whispers led to false accusations of fringe religious beliefs and alternative lifestyles. The dreaded NSW DOCS (Department of Community Services) soon got involved and in concert with two oncologists, forced treatment and deprivation on the young girl that was (a) dangerous; (b) inappropriate; (c) ineffective and; (d) detrimental.DOCS complain about a lack of resources. Yet over $1million was spent forcing this treatment on Sarah, while at the same time, 80 children who were known to DOCS but not helped, died in circumstances that DOCS should have and could have prevented. When the family asked questions about the treatment, DOCS secretly went to court, without the parents’ knowledge, with false testimony to have the girl made a ward of the State. Even the Supreme Court appeared to be beholden to DOCS in its multiple flawed decisions. This is a shocking account of an event that is a stain on the reputation of New South Wales and of Australia. It is a story of a breach of human rights, a betrayal of trust and a warning about what can happen to ordinary Australians who live in New South Wales.The story is exceptionally well written by a health professional who provided vital help to Sarah and her family in their hour of need. This attracted the ire of those who had perpetrated the evil acts that were visited on the family and Eve’s clinic was shut down with legal red tape in an act of revenge and spite, after she and a GP from her clinic had testified in court about the case.http://www.sarahs-last-wish.com
Contribute to the Book ClubIf you have recently read a good book and would like to contribute a review, we would be delighted to consider it for publication in the newsletter. We need up to 400 words and a photo or scan of the front cover of the book, along with details of the author. By all means include a link to the website associated with the book.To submit this material we have provided a new form on the updated website called Newsletter Contributions. Here you can contribute Member Stories, Camping Recipes and Book Reviews. There is a facility on this form to upload photos to go with the text.
