23/12/2019
Well another Christmas and another year where I spend so much time thinking about you all. There really isn’t anything I’ve left unsaid but nonetheless I’m just going to repeat myself. I feel so lucky to have these great memories – first of Cue – I went through there the other day and although it looks much neater and tidier it just isn’t the same. Murchison Traders has gone – well I know it’s at the roadhouse but it’s not where it should be with Anne front and centre every day. We had some pretty wild nights at the hotel, jukebox cranked up as high as it could go – the Brockman sisters able to drown it out!!! – funny little bands, the hypnotist, raunchy shows – one where a guy from Big Bell missed his bus and decided to “borrow” a forklift to get back to the mine – Tiny telling the story of seeing a forklift heading off on the Big Bell Road – very funny. Frayed tempers sometimes – God knows well deserved working in all that heat – the guy who cried when he lost the pool competition , the guy who tipped the pool table over because he lost – the heaven and hell night – Valentines night and all the others – the $10 Tuesday nights – does anyone else remember – we’d have Chinese, Mexican, Indian, Italian, French and all sorts of other nights– and the restaurant would be full – great fun. The almost unbearable heat that we all managed to tolerate – the torrential rain – flooding the hallway at the hotel us using brooms to try and get the ankle deep water outside again – Great Northern Highway under water with the gutters a foot or more deep –a fast flowing river powerful enough to push a car from the hotel down to the roadhouse. Amazing sights. We had dust storms, lightening storms, drought, a snake in the old dining room, millions of frogs hopping about after the first flooding rain in seven years, power failures, a leaky roof in the restaurant, the most extraordinarily beautiful wildflowers – what a sight after the red dirt of summer. But most importantly we had fabulous people – Gary and Lin, Jackie and Pete, Gordie, Linny, Pam (crazy woman), Lorna, Suzy and loads of gorgeous girls in the bar and so many whose names I know I’ve missed. I’m not going to name all the fabulous, kind, generous and yes often quirky or downright odd locals but they all remain in my heart with such fondness. I was so lucky to get there at just the right time and one of my biggest regrets was in having no choice but to leave when I did.
Michael was up there not so long ago said he was so sad to see the restaurant looking awful and food that was not good – over and over again I say just how lucky we were to have Gary – I’ve still never had better steak and his dhufish was to die for – his seafood platters that he’d do for me when I had special guests – fabulous. Never a cross word, never dropping his standards, we had people who were used to staying in very fancy places all over the world and others whose coach trip from Perth was really special and they all sang his praises.
So lovely lovely people from Cue – thank you for giving me such great memories and wonderful stories.
But wait – there’s more – Jurien Bay – again I’m so grateful I was there when I was. Now although it’s probably more user friendly it’s not nearly as appealing – All the new housing estates, new buildings etc. Although it was never a particularly charming town it I loved it. The day I arrived there Gary and I took my darling Max for a walk – we said to each other – “a bit windy” hmmm something of an understatement – except on the windsurfing weekends when the wind seemed to die down completely!! When we were all there we pretty much knew everyone’s name but I’m sure that’s not the case now – it’s the sad bit about towns growing – too many people.
I’m not going to name anyone in Jurien because you all know how I feel about you – except of course for the odd one or two or three who were very irritating – customers not staff. But I guess they’ve grown up now and become model citizens!!
It’s nearly 20 years since I Ieft Jurien and lots of stuff – good and bad – has happened since then but you all remain so front and centre in my memories and heart. How hard the staff all worked, how much fun we had, how many laughs we shared, the special nights we did – cross-dress, come as a famous couple, bands, bucking bull, sumo wrestling, etc, Les Girls, the enormous New Year’s Eves, the Windsurfing Comp but most importantly the Christmas Party. That really was so so special and I can’t thank you all enough for making it that way. Many of you had family in Jurien but you all came down to the party and made it the best night of the year. To know I organised something that I’ve never heard anyone criticize is lovely. As any of you who’ve worked in pubs know it’s pretty rare that someone doesn’t have a complaint about something (or everything) and is more than willing to share his or her opinion!!
We’re all a lot older now but if I could have one wish it would be to have another Christmas Party in Jurien but this time with all my lovely Cue people there as well.
Merry Christmas to all of you and I hope you all have a wonderful New Year.
