Happy campers despite Yowies and dinosaurs

NEVER one for the bush camping scene I wasn’t quite sure how last weekend would turn out.

I had no doubt that a weekend at Gordon Country in the Goomburra Valley near Allora would provide some wonderful scenery and subject for an article that will appear in tomorrow’s edition of The Chronicle.

No, it was more the company I was to keep.

It was with some trepidation that I climbed aboard The Chronicle 4WD with three younger female journalists for the trek south and an overnight stay.

The thing about journalists, particularly this group, is they all love a pun, a sledge and a prank and I was to cop all three in spades.

It bordered on elderly abuse really. Fair dinkum, this mob would make the Australian cricket team slips cordon blush, so adept are they at the art of sledging.

Hosts Sue and Ian Gordon couldn’t have been more warm, welcoming and helpful — unlike my fellow campers!

While Gordon Country has some magnificent spots beside its two creeks to pitch a tent or park a caravan, knowing my aversion to actual camping, the family provided us with a four bedroom, fully equipped, airconditioned home with beautiful views.

Okay, so it’s not “real” camping but we didn’t have Fox Sports so as far as I was concerned that was “roughing it”. My type of camping, you might say. However, my two younger colleagues — who for sake of anonymity will simply be referred to as Tara and Elouise (sounds a bit like a Ridley Scott Hollywood movie of the 1990s... and these two are just as dangerous) — insisted we at least make a token effort at camping.

And so, it was decided — by them, not me — to venture out the back and light a camp fire around which we would sit in the cold darkness.

Now, as you will recall, last Saturday was particularly cold and windy with temperatures in the Goomburra Valley barely making double figures.

I was tasked (see “ordered”) to jump an electric fence — a danger in itself for a bloke with short legs — and forage through the scrub for firewood.

It was during this task that our photographer snapped a shot of me among the thicket, prompting one of the younger colleagues (see “Tara”) to cry: “Look there, the Yowie does exist!”

Well, journalists are always looking for a scoop and for a moment she thought she had one.

I’ve known these colleagues for some time now so such sledging is not

‘‘ I WAS TASKED (SEE “ORDERED”) TO JUMP AN ELECTRIC FENCE — A DANGER IN ITSELF FOR A BLOKE WITH SHORT LEGS.

unexpected.

However, it was taken to a new level when, upon our arrival back at work on Monday, I returned to my computer to find my screensaver image had been changed to a half-screen photograph of myself (the one taken in the thicket) with the other half-screen occupied by an image of a Yowie.

Yes, I must admit the resemblance was uncanny, but it didn’t stop there.

Now, I’ve been at this newspaper for some time. I started my apprenticeship when The Chronicle was printed with lead and ink.

So, you may well understand that modern technology isn’t my forte.

“You don’t know how to take that image off your screen, do you?” one of the aforementioned younger colleagues remarked, squarely pointing the finger of blame for the screen tampering toward herself.

“No, I don’t!” I had to admit and at the time of penning this piece my screensaver remains that of an image of a confused camper alongside a mythical beast rumoured to have roamed the bush in certain parts of country Queensland – a recent sighting of which appears to have occurred in the Goomburra Valley scrub last weekend.

So now not only am I referred to as a Yowie, but a dinosaur as well.

As singer Kamahl (who is even older than me) would say, “Why are people so unkind?”