Scots Day Out Bendigo Victoria Australia

[Terry Searl]

Band aids, Elastoplast, gauze?

Hi Steve ,
I replied to your last note but am not sure you received it ......I don't know how to make a personal message to you ......sorry

Cheers my friend
t

[Lady Grey]

I’m having far to much fun to report regularly

- The Barefoot, kilted Pixie is at it again ... and winning
- Ugh... loud Tam-o-Shatner, beer in stubbie holder, shorts and torn Tshirt and Crocs. I’m dying here - but I’m not saying anything about the fashion crimes to the perpetrators.
- Round Three of bouts - Housemate Won his bout! - Pixie went full contact/grappling this time. Unbelievable ! this young lady is incredible, she only lost by a small margin.
- Your intrepid reporter just had a limp around the location...
- It’s lunch time... being Australia the Rotary Sausage Sizzle is the most popular, closely followed by traditional Scottish Fare, at the time of limping past they had sold out of Lorne Sausage & Pork Pies- still lots of haggis available!
- Just saw a lovely Vivienne Westwood style Tartan Skirt.
- Best attire so far is the lovely gentleman in an electric wheelchair with Plaid Trews, Business shirt, Dark Vest that tones and a matching plaid cap!
- However overall I’m a bit disappointed in the woeful lack of Tartan attire of any description.
- I’ve seen nothing of the much lauded Bendigo Tartan.
- 1.30pm - Temperature has hit 30.5 and is still climbing.

- On to round four bouts, accompanied by the Victoria Scottish Pipes & Drums tuning their pipes right next to the contest ring! No bouts starting.
- Far too many European Medieval re-enactors here methinks. No idea why, Although I know how hard it is to organise a major event so I shall give them a pass, the crowd are enjoying it.
- Those pipes really need to go and tune up in the Pipe Band Holding area.
- We’re back to our regular schedule... full grappling! Woo Hoo
- Hysterically funny reference, with body movements to the “nice breeze” by a kilted referee!
- I’ve got the giggles... 6’3” housemate just got his butt whipped by the Pixie inc full grappling. He lost 17-8! It was beautiful... can’t wait for the drive home!

[Lady Grey]

- Sigh .... your intrepid Xmarks reporter is no Lois Lane I’m afraid.
- Bouts continuing, I’m failing in picture taking and videoing as I’ve discovered my finger blurring some.
- Eyesight is also failing.... My tartan fashion winner has a Tshirt not Shirt. We had a lovely chat about my idea for an adaptive kilt for wheelchair users... then got rather sidetracked with a discussion of mutual friends in the wheelchair rugby scene aka Murderball. (At least I’m attempting to fact check)
- Lots of over-acting amongst the chain mail clad re-enactors
- Is there anything cuter than a 3-4yr old mascot in a full pipe band outfit?
- Sidetracked with fashion again..... I’m not a fan of matchy-matchy but I’ve noticed most of the older gentleman manning the clan tents have matching kilts & ties. However worn with solid colour shirts in brights or darks, NO flowing ghillie shirts. I wonder if it’s an Australian affection? As we all know it’s “not really done” but in this setting and climate it looks rather good. I opinion that if a vest or argyle was worn also it would look twee and “not quite right”
- Bout finals are on... I’ve rather lost interest I’m afraid.
- Free fighting now... Pipe & Dancing competitions still running.
- I think many have headed for the air conditioning at the local Pub’s
- Ooh fun... as a new member the housemate is expected to smash a pumpkin on a pike!
- Finally saw the Bendigo Tartan when the winner was presented with an award.
- A pity there isn’t more Bendigo Tartan around to see at this event, it’s rather nice.
- Why is a pumpkin on a pike being slaughtered with blunt swords? Alas dear reader your correspondent has no idea (and not sure she wants to know)

I shall bid you all Goodbye from Bendigo In the Historical Goldfields of Central Victoria, Australia.

Pumpkins were harmed in the reporting!

[Lady Grey]

News just in.

The pumpkin has been replaced with Cantaloupe...
Things smell sweeter already!
And messy very very messy.

[Bruce Scott]

It sounds like a fun day, is this a regular activity at Bendigo?

I have a distant connection to Bendigo; it was where my great grandparents settled on arrival from Scotland in the 1850s. My grandfather was raised there but moved to Western Australia in the early 1900s.

[tripleblessed]

Would love to be there but a wee bit far to drive from Townsville North Queensland. Have a great day and a dram for me.

Very possibly a good decision. Road construction just north of Dubbo had the potential to turn a 27 hour jaunt into a real trek.
For reference, 13 hours from Plymouth to Inverness, 25 hours from Charleston to Santa Fe, 23 from Ottawa to Winnipeg. A
nice weekend outing.

Does, however, sound like fun was had.

[Lady Grey]

Since photobucket is gone I’m in trouble
Testing using postimage.org

So the long tartan skirt

[Lady Grey]

[QUOTE=Bruce Scott;1354272]It sounds like a fun day, is this a regular activity at Bendigo?

It’s a newish event about 2-3 years young I believe?
Overall it’s a good start but they need to do some work and focus on the whole “scot”theme.

My family headed to Ballarat rather than Bendigo... only made it as far as Creswick.
Seems the miners from Creswick (my GGGrandfather included) headed to Ballarat for the Eureka protest but when it started raining, they all turned around and went home and sat by the fire!
After that when my GGGrandmother died from typhus they all went to Melbourne!

[MacKenzie]

Thank you for the fun reporting!

[CatInAKilt]

Hello!
I'm the GLECAn who made the sporrans!

Can confirm the pony was the cutest. We did a lot of 'awwwww'ing, and I believe there was discussion of seeing if we could borrow it for the marching but tart did not eventuate.

We wear sporrans while bouting because (especially in display bouts with no armour) they look darn good with the black kilts!
(Except for the one brown leather sporran on black kilt, whose wearer sees no issue....)

The scoring system we use is more "who gets hit most loses", so the first to have 15 points scored on them (3 for head, 2 for torso, 1 for limbs) is the loser of that bout, and the winner of the tournament is the person who has the fewest points scored on them over all their bouts.
There are theories that the winner of the tourney emerged from the womb with a pair of messers in his hands, but we have no evidence for that ..... yet!

The fruit smashing was a twofold item; firstly it's a great reminder of the damage that a sword can do, and second it's fliipin good fun!

Am about to arrive at work, but I'll check bank in later!

-Cat