Corowa 2009 -'Year of the Amphibian & Year of the Blitz 2'

[hrpearce]

Acomidation settled I'm staying at the Lone Pine from the 8th to the 15th now all I need is a road worthy bltz to enter the fun

[lynx42]

Good on you Robert.

We are looking forward to a great gathering. The year of the Blitz II will bring out quite a number of newly restored/found vehicles. Glad you have booked your accommodation. With the numbers increasing as they are each year, early booking is coming a necessity.

Planning is well under way for COROWA-30. We are looking forward to the best year yet.

Hopefully there will be water in the river for the Amphibs. That one is out of our control though. Plenty of snow up on top, so that should help the river.

One major change this year is that you have to pay an entry fee and
Book-in. Previously the entry fee was by donation. This year every entry is to pay. Those booking before the end of February 2009 will receive some interesting mementoes in their Rally Pack.

All members of your party have to be listed in our records. This is necessary for our insurance coverage. Your Pre-event booking does not need to list every-one, but at Book-In at Corowa, we need the names of all of your party.

Looking forward to seeing you and your Blitz, Robert.

Regards Rick
President KVE Inc.

[Jan Thompson]

The countdown is on - 5 months until the 30th Annual GPA Swim-In and Ex-Military Vehicle Rally. To assist the organisers please send in your entry form. Entries received by the 28th February will receive special mementos.

THE LATEST UPDATE:
On Saturday 14th March 2009 the Rotary Club has offered to provide a meal for participants of the event at Ball Park prior to the Presentations and Auction. We have orgainised marquees to make this more comfortable than in the past. Hopefully people will be supportive of this and KVE are going to subsidise part of the meal. If you pay your $10 entry fee you will only have to pay $10 for the 2 course meal.

The entry form asks for participants to nominate who will be attending so all people on the form will only have to pay $10. I have received some Entry Forms back but know that many of you are still to send it back. Please download the form from the website www.corowaswim-in.org It is a 2 page form and the second page asks you to indicate what meal functions you will be attending.

On the Thursday evening the Corowa Shire are organising a Civic Reception for us. We are celebrating 30 years of this event at Corowa and the Corowa Shire is celebrating 150 years. At this stage they will be providing us with nibblies. (I will provide more information as it comes to hand.)

On the Saturday night we are trying to get as many people to attend the presentations and auction so decided that if a meal is provided at a small charge it will make it easier for participants who don't have to decide what they are going to have for dinner. A main course and dessert for $10 (if you have paid your entry fee) enables participants to enjoy themselves prior to the final event at 7.30pm.

The Sunday Carvery at the Corowa RSL is usually a great night. We are booked in for 8pm and there is plenty of food. We recommend that you stay until the Monday as this is usually a great night.

For further enquiries please ask or send me an email.

[colin jones]

Jan, you said that a local person will be the auctioneer, is it the same one that did the last auction?
Colin.

[lynx42]

Colin,
The answer is "NO."
We are trying to involve the local community as far as possible. Two local auctioneers have offered their services and we have accepted their offer.
So it should be a slick operation to divest you of your money. Bring lots.
Any donations for the auction will also be gratefully received.
Regards
Rick
President KVE Inc.

[colin jones]

wooh ha, excelent, count me in.
Colin.

[Jan Thompson]

Hi Colin,
It appears that you must have had a great time at Corowa in 2008. It is amazing how many people come for a year and then make sure they are able to attend again the next year and the year after and so on. The auction is the main way we raise money to put back into the event for the next year and we really appreciate any donations.

I will be speaking to the Ball Park Caravan Park managers shortly to follow up on issues we discussed in July when we had our KVE AGM. We are aiming to have mass participation at this Auction and Presentation evening because we want to recognise the efforts put in by many people over the years. A number of people have organised the event over the years and people who have only recently been attending quite often don't know the past history. We are hoping that the original organisers and people who have assisted with organising the event over the years will be able to attend and maybe could provide people with their experiences over the years. I am sure that Alan Newton and Ian Grieve must be amazed at how the event has become the premier military vehicle gathering in Australia.

We welcome any suggestions or assistance from participants and people are more than welcome to join KVE Inc. The event has become too large to be run by 2 or 3 people.

I am expecting Bob Mosely to start the countdown to Corowa. It is now under 5 months and hopefully Bob will work out the number of days.

[Jan Thompson]

I now have 63 official vehicle entry forms and a number of entrants who are still unsure of what vehicle they are bringing to Corowa this year. I would like to encourage all participants to send in a form with a $10 entry fee as you will receive more than $10 in return. We have organised mementos and you will also receive a discount meal on the Saturday night provided by the Corowa Rotary Club. Some people are not bringing vehicles but are keen to receive the package and mementos we will be handing out.

There are currently 17 Blitz's and 3 Amphibious vehicles entered to date. I am looking forward to receiving more entry forms over then next 8 weeks.

We plan to release another Newsletter early in February so remember to take a look at the website when you have a chance. www.corowaswim-in.org

[Jan Thompson]

The number of pre-registered participants is increasing day by day.
The second KVE Newsletter will be going out within the next few days. If you are not on my database and want a copy send me an email and I wil include you on the list.

Please take note of the following:

Guidelines for AFV’s

As mentioned previously, here are a set of guidelines that AFV owners/drivers need to adhere to. There is nothing overly out of the question here and most of them are basic common sense and safety requirements that are echoed in most clubs.

There are also a few guidelines included for the Carrier Pilots to read.

On behalf of the committee, we do not want to come over looking like control freaks or fun police. Remember that in this world of litigation and insurance, this entire week we enjoy, could become just a memory if we do not act on the side of caution.

1. No AFVs in Van Park
2. All vehicles are to be registered, on Club Plates or valid permit.
3. All vehicles to have third party cover.
4. No vehicle is to be driven on roads or paddocks without a crew commander for additional visibility.
5. All drivers and crew commanders are to comply with National road laws pertaining to alcohol consumption when operating vehicles.
6. No riding on top of vehicles at any time.
7. Lights must be on whilst on public roads.
8. Pedestrian traffic has right of way.
9. Working Intercom (IC) between driver and crew commander mandatory.
10. Any damages that occur are the responsibility of the vehicle driver.
11. All vehicles are to be driven at walking pace with a guide on foot approx 5 metres in front of the vehicle when driven in pedestrian areas and close environs. This is mandatory within the airfield and pedestrian areas.
12. Guides are to wear a high visibility vest or clothing at all times when guiding a vehicle and must be visible to the driver. Vehicle is not to proceed if guide is not visible to driver.
13. There is to be no AFV movement outside of designated areas without KVE approval.
14. Public access to AFVs should be at owners’ discretion.
15. All of the heavier tracked vehicles are to be co-located within the one area to minimise damage to park grounds and increase vehicle security.
16. No AFVs to use the track along the riverside near the Van Park.
17. No moving AFVs after dark.
18. AFV owners are to adhere to directions given by staff and committee.

In addition there should be rules for owners and drivers of LP Carriers. These should include:
19. All vehicles are to be driven at walking pace with a guide on foot approx 5 metres in front of the vehicle when driven in pedestrian areas and close environs. This should be mandatory within the van park and airfield areas.
20. No vehicle driven without crew commander.
21. Controlled access to riverside track area during daylight hours only.
22. Guides must wear high visibility clothing when in high pedestrian and close environs.
23. All vehicles are to be registered, on Club Plates or valid permit.
24. All vehicles to have third party cover.

As stated earlier, it may look a lot, but most is common sense and a requirement of most clubs anyway. It just looks a lot when put down all at once.

[Bob Moseley (RIP)]

Hi Jan - for mine and others edification, what is the policy on dogs in the caravan park and airport?

Bob

[Bob Moseley (RIP)]

35 sleeps to go!!