Bishopsbourne was the venue of our May Rally with our Hosts Denis and Trixie on hand to welcome Rally attendees. When you come across small towns such as Bishopsbourne you think" Oh Yeah just another rural Country town" give a yawn and pass through oblivious to the history and what it means to the locals. Bishopsbourne was an ideal venue for our Rally and we are sure that many came away more aware of its history thanks to both Denis & Trixie, as our normal scribe is flittering around the mainland states bathed in warm sunshine we will let Denis & Trixie take up the commentary. "Bishopsbourne is a picturesque and productive farming area 16kms west of Longford. The village was built on land belonging to Tasmania's first Anglican bishop, Bishop Nixon, who arrived in the colony in 1833. The charming Anglican Church in Bishopsbourne was built in 1844, and was opened for divine service on 25 April 1845 by Bishop Nixon. The Church today still has its first church bell. Tasmania's original Christ College (also known as Bishopsbourne College) was opened in Bishopsbourne in 1846 with the hope that it would develop along the lines of an Oxbridge-style college, and provide the basis for university education in Tasmania. It was also intended to prepare men for the priesthood. The College's first ten years were at Bishopsbourne, and there is still a sign pointing to "The College". However, it never really developed as its founder's hoped, and a depression in the colony, the remote site, and financial problems led to its closure in 1856. The College re-opened in Hobart in 1879, and officially became part of the University of Tasmania in 1991." There is much more that can be described about Bishopsbourne, why not come and discover for yourself.

Original Christ College Bishopsbourne

Now to focus on our actual Rally as described by Denis & Trixie. "We set up on the Thursday as we had been warned we may get an early starter. Sure enough Mick and Kaye came late that afternoon so it was just a twosome for the frosty night. Next day was brilliant and clear and the members started rolling in. From our steady nine in numbers we started with, we grew to 14 and eventually 17 turned up including one from SA Riverlanders, one from the VD's and the Wallace's (Rae and Geoff) who were checking out the venue for Auswide. At "check in" Denis gave everyone an Einstein's riddle to do if they wanted. All correct entries were to go into the draw for a "dinner for two at the venue of their choice". This got everyone going, thinking up where they might have the dinner if they won. Suggestions were "The Rialto etc etc. As Denis and I sponsored this prize we said there was no limit as to the venue. People were very puzzled but we were unconcerned. On the Friday evening we invited the Pres of the Bish Progress Assn to talk about how the complex came about. He stayed for a couple of drinks and everyone asked good questions and generally were interested in how the centre grew to how it is today. The Saturday morn dawned foggy and damp and didn't start to warm up till late morning. I had obtained the church key and those that could, walked the 500mts or so down to the church and had a good look at the inside and the graveyard. It was built in the early 1800's at the same time as the original Christ's College. Ian has some god pictures of this. After lunch the fog cleared to a warm day but still a little hazy for distance viewing. Denis got some hay bales on the back of the ute and trailer and did a hayride up the farm drive for those who couldn't walk the two kms. We wandered around the ruins for a while under the lovely old oak trees and talked to Helen and Don who now own the property. It was sunny and warm and the views to the Western Tiers were lovely but you could not quite see down to Mt Roland which can easily be seen on a clear day. On the way back we stopped at the church again for those who had not been able to walk in the morning. We invited Helen and Don to come to the evening meal which they did. We also had some evening only visitors the Davies from Bracknell (Caroline and Kevin, Blake and Catherine) who are members doing up an old bus and the Pinkess (Tony and Cheryl) who are buying a 5th wheeler. The meatballs were a great success with wonderful smells coming from the kitchen. Pasta and greens were supplied by the chapter and some fruit salad and ice cream for dessert. At Happy Hour the local Mayor Kim Polley joined us and welcomed the first Motorhome group to use the grounds since the Council opened it to "self contained motorhome's". Kim then drew the winner of the Einstein's riddle. Only four right entries were received. Colleen Harrison was the winner and as we presented her with her prize ( a small chicken, a pkt soup,veggies, a bottle of wine and a tin of fruit) we said we hoped that she could find a venue of her choice in this beautiful country of ours to stop and cook it at. This caused much mirth as everyone realised they had been "HAD" After the meal we had quizzes and split into groups. The prizes were well distributed between the groups. A few well chosen jokes completed the night, but as usual there were a few late stayers. The next morning was also foggy and people gathered in the warm meeting room for breakfast. Peter had brought garlic bread for the evening meal and crumpets and raisin bread for breakfasts, all consumed and enjoyed. A small group helped me to clean up and empty all the bins. By lunchtime most people had gone and just a few had lunch and then we all departed." All in all the Rally had been a huge success and we thank our Hosts for their hospitality and generous giving on their part to ensure all will remember Bishopsbourne for some time to come. We will meet again at the Triabunna Rally in June.

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