In another of his rash, impulsive and exciting, spur-of-the-moment decisions, our chairman made a last minute application to join the ACC Sunshine Nomads Tag-along Tour of outback Queensland which finishes at the Annual Muster at Casino.

Not content with travelling from Mornington, Victoria to Katherine in the Northern Territory via the Flinders Ranges, Oodnadatta Track and Alice Springs and then to Karumba on the Gulf of Carpentaria before heading across the North on the Savannah Way to reach the East Coast at Innisfail, he now intends to add another 800km to his trip to arrive in Roma in time to join about 20 other ACC members on what promises to be a fantastic trip.

Lionel is no stranger to Western Queensland as he, and wife Vi, were school photographers at one stage of their chequered careers, and many children, now grown to adulthood with families of their own, would have had their pictures taken by them in schools in places like Longreach, Tambo, Barcaldine and Blackall.

In many ways it will be a journey of remembrance – like the afternoon in Charleville when, after taking all the class photos, Lionel discovered there was no film in the camera and had to do them all again before they moved on to Augathella that same day. Yes - Murphy had already showed his hand back then.

“The itinerary looks fantastic.” says Lionel. “How could I resist the chance to travel to those wonderful outback towns again – this time with fellow ACC club members?”

I’m sure he won’t regret his decision and will have much to recount when they all arrive at the Muster.