Odyssey History

Thanks to

Mike Smith   No 9852

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In 2001 the Over the Hill Rally run by Pam and Dick Hendren at Perth for
m
  In 2001 the Over the Hill Rally run by Pam and Dick Hendren at Perth for
  many years was winding down.  Brian Lowther who with his wife Patricia are
  original members here in the West had moved to the new Branch at Fremantle
  started by myself and a two other members, Doug Pritchard and Martin Rees.

  Brian came up with the suggestion that it might be a good idea to replace
  the Over the Hill Rally (which by the way he had started years earlier!)
  with an Odyssey and asked if I would be interested in helping.

  So it was that at Easter 2001 Brian and I ran the first Odyssey at the Happy
  Days Caravan Park at King River near Albany.  I did all the paper work and
  looked after the money and he ran the actual show.  I think we had 143
  people there and it was a huge hit.  It was essentially run by the two of us
  and not a Branch.

  The following year in 2002 Brain and Patricia had moved on to form Warnbro
  Sound Wanderers at the same time as Joondalup and Armadale kicked off.  Doug
  Pritchard had left Ulysses by then and we  at Fremantle were reeling under
  the loss of our President Martin Rees who died tragically in the June.

  As Easter was too close to the Ulysses AGM it was decided to move the event
  to the last weekend in September and once again we both ran it and also once
  again it was held at Happy Days Caravan Park.  We had 218 registered and 212
  turned up with 6 missing out with a bad flu season that year.  It was at
  that meeting that the Presidents decided that the Odyssey would be run by
  each Branch in turn one country and one metro.  So it was to Esperance that
  we all headed in Sept 2003 for a great gathering and a lot of fun.  

  In 2004 Perth ran it with a huge amount of help from Manrdurah and it was
  held in Mandurah.  Another great time with both Branches pitching in and
  making it succeed.

  In 2005 Bunbury came up trumps and held it at the same caravan park that
  they used for the 1998 AGM and once again way over 200 attended.

  In 2006 it was Fremantle's turn and we had a lot of fun and games down in
  Dunsborough with over 250 there.  Once again the whole thing seemed to be a
  great laugh and success.

  In 2007 Warnbro held theirs in Rockingham which was a little controversial
  in that it was in the metro area but it made little difference as once you
  get a mob of Ulyssians together they make their own fun and like  it that
  way.


  And so to 2008............The Saga continues.