SA Rugby Grand Finals

As one of the main sponsors of SA Rugby for the last two years, I have been lucky to be the main contact on behalf of Phil Hoffmann Travel, to manage the relationship. This Friday we hosted a table of 10 at the Grand finals eve lunch at the Entertainment Centre. It was actually Phil Hoffmann's 65th birthday, so a special day for him. Various speakers including a famous All Black over from NZ. So famous ~I can't even remember his name!! The lunch finished at 4 so we headed over the road to a great pub called the Gov for several more swallies. Needless to say, one for the road ended up as several, as I watched tram after tram arrive and disappear. In the end I had to get a taxi, having left it too late. No brownie points this time!!

The following day Saturday was the finals day itself. I was picked up at 1.30pm by a lovely South African guy I'm getting to know called Anthony Morley, a top ear nose and throat Cancer Surgeon from the nearby Flinders Hospital. Anyhow, he likes Rugby too, so came as my guest to enjoy some hospitality in the Sponsors Tent and watch some high quality Rugby Union. Finals started at 9am with the ladies final, through to the under 18, B grade and A Grade finals. It was at a recent Rugby game that I got to hold the Webb Ellis Trophy. The actual one won by Australia in 2003 for the 2nd time, so they got to keep it. Maybe England can win in October and keep the latest version of the Trophy. Sadly we didn't get to sell enough spaces on our Rugby Cruise, otherwise I might have been off to the Rugby World Cup in NZ. As it is, having to save some pennies for a family holiday.

Having been set up for the evening, Debi and I went off to Gerald & Liz Morris's house for a dinner party with several other new friends. Having got there at 7pm, we got home at 1am, which meant a fairly hefty bill to pay our baby sitter. No family support here so every time we venture out in the evening, we have to arrange a sitter. The dinner party was great fun, Gerald and Liz being fantastic hosts and great characters. They hail from Glasgow, so more ex pats. Now no more alcohol for me for several days. Serious training for the trailblazer challenge has now started. 

A day at the Races

Last Wednesday I was lucky enough to get invited to the Balaklava Cup, a race meeting about an hour and a half drive to the north of Adelaide. We were hosted by our good friends at Malaysia Airlines, arriving by coach at about 11am. Sparkling wine (not allowed to call it Champagne) followed by several beers and a continous stream of food meant we were well looked after. People had certainly made an effort to dress up for the day, which made for some entertaining people watching.

It was also funny to watch the change in people as the drink took hold. Don't ask about my tipping, absolutely useless as per normal. Manuela from our office had offered to drive us back to the city so that actually meant we got back 90 minutes before the coaches. Supposedly I was quite amusing in the car on the way home. I'll bet it had nothing to do with the copious amounts of the amber nectar consumed during the day. Did miss out on a few more bevvies after the last race and on the way home,  but got home pretty early really and earnt loads of brownie points. Certainly beats a day at the office.