G'day there...Nobby the Gnome from Nanango here.
It was almost lunch time on Thursday 29th July, 2010.
I was sitting on my shelf at Wayne's World in Nanango with all my other gnome mates, bored to tears, when in walks this old bloke, who looked a bit like a human garden gnome himself. He shuffled slowly along the aisle, then stopped right at our shelf.
"Struth", I thought, "this old bloke looks like he's seriously going to give one of us a new home."
Some of the younger gnomes were all shouting "Pick me, pick me", but the old bloke must have been a bit deaf as he took no notice of them.
Some of the bigger gnomes were pushing and shoving to make themselves noticed, but the old bloke didn't pay any attention to them either.
So I thought to myself, "How can I get this human garden gnome to notice me?" So I put on my very best smile and gave him a big wink.
That worked as he picked me up, looked me over, then took me along to the young sheila at the check out. Before I could say goodbye to my mates we were off down the street.
He opened the door of his car, and there was this old sheila sitting inside, obviously waiting for him.
"I found him!", he exclaimed excitedly to the old sheila. She just looked me over, shook her head from side to side, and mumbled something.
Anyway, we drove off down the street with old bloke smiling his face off, while the old sheila kept shaking her head and mumbling.
The old bloke pulled up just around the corner, and they both got out and headed for the Nanango RSL for lunch, not that either of really needed a feed by the look of them, and left me in the car to my own devices.
So I climbed up on the dash so I could see what was going on outside, and there I stayed until they returned.
In hindsight that was a pretty smart thing to do as it certainly won the old sheila over as after spotting me there she exclaimed, "Oh look at him, isn't he cute, he's guarding the car for us!" So the old bloke took his very first photo of me, guarding their car.
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| Me, guarding the car outside the Nanango RSL |
Now I'll have to stop referring to them as the old bloke and the old sheila as I found out their names are John and Bev...John's the bloke of course.
Since I've been with them I've done a bit of clever investigating, and this is what I've found out so far.
They live in a place called Hervey Bay, which is now my new home. They're both retired and love caravanning.
These days their decrepid old bodies are getting a bit beyond travelling too much, so now they just use their caravan to regularly attend musters with the little caravan club they belong to, the ACC Fraser Coasters, where the old bloke...oops, John, is the President.
Their interests are caravanning and the Internet, what ever that is. John runs a caravanning group called Touring Oz http://touringoz.yuku.com/ and Bev runs a graphics group called Buffy's Groovy Graphics http://buffysgroovygraphics.yuku.com/
As fate would have it, they're actually staying just up the road at the Yarraman Caravan Park with their friends for a muster being held this weekend. I'd love to come to the muster with them and meet all the other old codgers but I'm not allowed as I've been told that I have to guard the car. I think it's more a case that I'd be an embarrassment, anyway, I'm not complaining as it's so good to get away from that shelf at Wayne's World, and actually out and about exploring with these old codgers.
Before we left Nanango John took some photos of some beaut murals on the walls of one of the local buildings, just in case I ever get home sick for Nanango...wasn't that nice of him!
Here they are:
After we left Nanango we drove back to Yarraman, and John took this photo of this scary metal wild horse sculpture just outside the Yarraman Police Station right on the D'Aguilar Highway. Apparently the name "Yarraman" means wild horses.
I got up on the fence so I could be in the photo too, but I must admit I kept looking over my shoulder in case that bloody scary looking horse took a fancy to me.
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| Wild Horse sculpture outside the Yarraman Police Station |
On Saturday 30th July John, Bev and all these other old codgers at the muster headed out to Bethany, the Bjelke-Petersen property near Kingaroy, where the late Sir Joh Bjelke-Petersen lived. Lady Flo still lives there, as does son John and his family.
I hid in the car as I didn't think it approptiate for a common garden gnome to be visiting Bethany, but I should have known better as the Bjelke-Petersens are a terrific lot.
Anyway, John BP took my John and all his cronies on a tour of the property and explained the history of Bethany to them. It looked cold and damp outside, but I was snug and warm hidden away in the car, and saw and heard it all anyway.
After the tour they all went back to the house for pumpkin scones...well not me as I was locked the car.
Lady Flo was there too, and my John bought one the books she was selling called "Feeding the Chooks", and signed it for him...he looked thrilled.
He also visited Sir Joh's grave, which is just near the house where Lady Flo lives.
Here are some photos my John took at Bethany, and I noticed in one of them that those hungry old buggers made quick work of the pumpkin scones baked by John BP's wife Karyn.
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| Lady Flo Bjelke-Petersen |
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| Who ate all the scones? |
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| Me at the front gate of Bethany |
Again, I wasn't allowed to go, and had to take up my place on the dash of the car, and do guard duty.
I could hear them all having a great time, and filling their faces with all that lovely food, in fact they kept me awake.
They even had Santa come and visit...here he is, and I'm sure that we're related.
Some of the old codgers headed for home on the Sunday, and all were gone by Monday morning, except John and Bev, who seem to be the first to arrive at these musters, and the last to leave.
On Monday 2nd August, and again on the following day, John and Bev took me for a drive to Blackbutt as they're thinking of holding one of these musters at the show grounds there next year, in April I think I heard them say.
John took some photos in the main street of Blackbutt, but I wasn't allowed out of the car because of all the traffic around.
Here are the photos he took.
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| Blackbutt Town Clock |
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| Hotel Radnor |
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| Blackbutt War Memorial |
We went out to a place called Jesse's Well, and I was allowed to climb up on the fence at the well, but kept right away from the hole, just in case I toppled in.
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| Me at Jesse's Well |
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| Another photo of me at Jesse's Well |
