April 2019 Stats

Total km for Month 3,878 (year to date 5,534)

Most km in a day 238 (264)

Average Daily 129km (year to date daily average 62)

Monthly Budget $2,500 ($6,500)

Spend $2,006 ($5,941)

After 3 months on the road the budget is looking reasonably good. I am under budget in most areas and if I hadn’t bought the items for the bus last month I would be way under, so I am pleased with that. Of course a budget is just an average and will change over course of time. The big surprise I guess for me is how little my food bill is. This is helped by the fact that I generally only eat 2 meals a day. Breakfast and a lunch/dinner around 3 or 4 o’clock in afternoon. I feel better for it though not sure I have lost any weight. Having a heavy meal a couple of hours before bedtime doesn’t make sense but when working it is impractical to eat mid afternoon.

Accommodation Nights 30 (88)

Family/Friends (26)

Low/No Cost (<$15) 24 (54)

National Park 4 (4)

Showground

Caravan Park 1 (3)

Station Stay 1 (1)

Books read this month – 4 (11)

Foreigners – by Leo Walmsley

This book is a treasured possession which I have had since 1971, but strangely, I hadn’t ever read it. I remember starting it but I think because it was about a kid being a foreigner in a town he wasn’t born in, like I was about to be! In the front of the book it is inscribed “With best wishes to Raymond from his friends at Warragul Nth 17/12/1971”. It is signed by Simon Caldwell, Kevin Hannam, Mark Mountford, Andrew Foster, Bruce McPhate and David Seymour. It was given to me as a going away present when I left Warragul Victoria to move to Coffs Harbour NSW at the end of 6th grade in 1971. I enjoyed the read – as an adult – it was written in 1935 and based in a seaside town (like Coffs was) somewhere in England. But as the title suggests, it is about a boy who is a foreigner (not born local) and considering I was not only moving to a new town but a new state, I think if I had of read it in 1971 as a 12 year old I would have had the odd anxiety attack and nightmare.

The Man – HRH Prince Leonard by RC Hyslop

I spent a couple of nights at Hutt River Province. Quirky is one way to describe this place but it is definitely worth a detour to check the Principality out. Prince Graeme is the new ruler following the death of Prince Leonard, the founder, earlier this year. I had a nice long chat with Prince Graeme who is very keen to answer any and all questions. I brought a small booklet but when I showed interest in getting my hands on something a little more substantial about the Prince and Hutt River, Prince Graeme said they had nothing like what I was after. After a bit more chatting he went to a drawer and pulled out this book and said it was a book that was out of print but I could have this copy. I was most grateful for his kind gesture. It was printed in 1979 so only gives an insight up until that stage but it is a very detailed account and interesting reading. It covers Prince Leonards young life both as a boy and as a young man establishing himself in the world. It documents the struggles he ultimately had with the government and officialdom. He was certainly no fool and I say all power to the residents of Hutt River. Prince Leonard proved, beyond reasonable doubt, that the law in an ass.

Lion Bill, his journey to establish Lions in Australia – by Max Tresise

This is another book I have had for a number of years. Whilst I have used it as a reference from time to time I hadn’t read it cover to cover before. William (Bill) Tresise started Lions Clubs in Australia and myself as a Lion for some 28 years, this is a great document to read for both Lions and non Lions alike. It is written by Bill’s son Max. Bill established the very first Lions club in Australia in Lismore NSW in 1947. I have a great affinity with Lismore having lived in the area (Ballina) in 1977/78 and then living and working in Lismore (AGC Ltd) in 1985. My best mate and other friends live in the surrounding areas. I had the good fortune in 1997, the 50th anniversary of Lions in Australia, of attending the Multiple District Lions Convention in Lismore.

Challenge! A Way of Life – by Jim McLardie OAM

Another book on the history of the early years of Lions in Australia through the eyes of an International Representative. To many, Jim was the face of Lions for a number of years. Sometimes a polarising figure, Jim’s achievements in the name of Lions speak for themselves.