Janette James, you are a superstar! Yet another fun filled, interesting adventure organised to the minutest detail! Somehow even the weather was induced into providing us with a beautiful, late autumn sunshine day.
As per usual on our Probus outings, the raucous calls of those already in the rear carriage of the train greeted each and every one of us alighting at the different stations. And as per usual, our mother hen was cheerfully rallying the troops and organising our first challenge – changing trains at Richmond. Having successfully kept the crew together, we charged forward to the Fire Services Museum where we were greeted by every woman’s dream – a fireman in uniform.
So many interesting facts and of course so difficult to recall most of them – but consider this. Back in the previous century or two, if called to a fire, firemen had to dig up wooden pipes in the roadway or footpath, chop a hole to gain access to the water flowing through and then attach hoses to use the water to fight a blaze. Then the hole was plugged and a “FP” (fire plug) sign painted on a nearby fence or tree so in the event of future fires, they knew where to start digging. I guess this was an improvement on the buckets of water passed from hand-to-hand as was the case previously. Lots of interesting questions were answered, although Nola Smith’s query as to whether we would see any fireman sliding down the pole seemed to stump our tour guide.
The Ecco Café was perfect for a quick bite to eat and after singing a very rousing chorus of “Happy Birthday” that had birthday boy John Backholer sliding under the table, we set off to the Metro Tunnel HQ. There the presentation of information was very slick, and the three speakers must have been impressed with the range of questions asked. We can confirm that all Metro Tunnel trains will have humans driving them; all new trains do in fact fit in the tunnels and most interestingly, a lot of travellers will have to change trains at Richmond to gain access to the CBD. And consider this – in our current throw away society, the giant tunnel borers (120 metres long) will remain buried underground as they are too huge to be brought to the surface.
Our mother hen managed to shepherd everyone back to the correct train platform for our trip home – still with her cheerful, warm persona – and maybe just a little relief that we returned home unscathed. A huge thank you, Janette, we know you tested the route beforehand and made sure our lunch location was perfect for our large group. You are very much appreciated.
Michele Backholer (pictured above in blue jacket)
