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The annual summer tramps reunion BBQ once more had a good turnout, this time it was held at Carey Baptist
College in Penrose.
The pot-luck BBQ started about 6pm, and photograph albums from people who
had been on the summer tramps to Tasmania or the lower North Island were available for browsing.
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At 7:30pm Phillip D called us into the chapel for the main programme. This started with Paul taking
us on a journey to the Tararua Ranges and surrounding places in the footsteps of those who went there
in the Christmas holidays. Using an epidiascope we visited the Tama Lakes, climbed the Orongorongo Range,
walked Wellington’s City To Sea Walkway, followed the old railway incline over the Rimutakas, saw the
Castlepoint coastline, fed the birds at Mt Bruce, tramped the Tora Walk, did the Tararua Southern Crossing,
waded the Patuna Chasm, climbed the 250 steps to Cape Palliser Lighthouse and conquered the highest point
of the Ruahine Range. Those who did the summer tramp came out to the front to sing Tararuas Tramping
Song to the tune of With My Swag Upon My Shoulder, words by Barbara.
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Phillip D then took over for his presentation of the summer tramp to Tasmania. He listed several
“firsts” for the Club with the trip: an 8-day tramp in recent years with no supply-drops; a seven-day
tramp with no huts; dining out 6 times in restaurants, more times than previously; the group leading
an entire church service; a tramp cancelled because of snow; a tramp cancelled because of bush fires;
and the longest summer tramp - 2 participants ran up a total of 32 days! He invited those who went to
share just one aspect each of the trip. Jocelyn showed photos of Katrina back-massaging a tired tramper
not from the group, and Joy trying to have a private moment in a hut trying to wash herself; Peter told
of completing some “unfinished business” doing trips missed out on his previous visit to Tasmania; Lynn
commented that Phillip using PowerPoint for his sermon was probably the first time this tiny Baptist
church in Hobart had ever used this technology; Colin showed a photo of a snake near one of the huts
and talked about his visit to the Port Arthur convict settlement; Joy thanked everyone for their prayers,
and to God, for being able to complete the trip less than two years after losing part of a lung in an
operation for cancer; Elizabeth Jones spoke of reaching the highest point in the whole of Tasmania; Leo
recalled sitting in the open-windowed train of the Wilderness Railway during a rainstorm; and Jocelyn
showed how tents had to be erected on special wooden platforms to protect the environment, a common policy
for Tasmania’s user-pays national parks.
The Tasmania group then came to the front to sing three
songs they learned during the tramps and sang at the church service in Hobart. Phillip condensed the
half-hour sermon he had preached into less than two minutes, giving the six points on the subject of
creation: (1) God created everything from absolutely nothing; (2) creation testifies that there is a
God; (3) God owns, sustains and cares for all things; (4) creation is still groaning as it is waiting
to be released from its imperfect state due to the fall of man - disease, pain, death, etc; (5) we must
care for His creation; (6) creation is integrally related to worship because one day every living thing
will worship God.
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Supper followed. There was a final opportunity to browse albums, order photos and buy Silver Jubilee
calendars and monograms before everyone headed home to their wentilillos.
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