Brunch followed by a cruise back in time
On Thursday 15 May, forty members of our Swiss Community Care Society were once again treated to an exciting outing, starting at the Rumilicious Restaurant, Pyrmont, Sydney.
With waterfront views, a generous brunch of Mediterranean food and a stream of never-ending coffee prepared the group for the unique experience to follow.
We then took an easy stroll across the field to Pirrama Park Wharf, in time to observe our vessel, the historic 123 year old steam tugboat Waratah, with a crew of 14 volunteers, advancing towards the wharf.
Once ushered on board by helping hands and seated, the thick mooring rope was lifted, and the tugboat, with its boilers having been heated up the previous night, pulled away. With the heavy chain rattling in the stern commanding the propeller, steam silently drifted past the passengers and evaporated in the sky.
Under the gentle phut phut of the steam engine, we wandered around the boat climbing down the steel ladder to visit the stoker, sneaked a peek into the engine room, and chatted with the knowledgeable volunteers - two of them women.
As the funnel blew black smoke into the dark clouds holding back the rain, a member remarked, ‘the pope has not been selected yet’.
We steamed out into the harbour amongst modern vessels, enjoying the atmosphere aboard one of the oldest working steam tugs in the world. As the Waratah proudly blew its whistle, we thought about how this coal-fired tug was rescued from being scrapped in the 1960s and was lovingly restored by the Sydney Heritage Fleet.
A few raindrops ended a wonderful day.
Enjoy the photos below.
On the third Friday of the month we meet from 12 o’clock onwards at the Concordia Club to enjoy a tasty meal with compatriots. Tables are reserved for us near the wooden sculpture of William Tell, and we order and pay for food and drinks individually. Those who are keen could play a game of Jass. My set of cards is always with me on the day! All ages are welcome at the lunch.
The Concordia Club is conveniently located across the road from Tempe Railway Station! You may want to use your Opal card.
In February 2025 we had a' bumper crop' of around 35 diners - a very pleasing record and get-together.
Enquiries: call Regula on 0432 031 085
Jassen or other games
A group of Swiss people meet at lunch time on the first Friday of the month at the Concordia Club, Tempe to play cards or other interesting games.
Please email Felix for more information at: jasstempe@gmail.com
Swiss Readers on the third Friday of the month - A new author and a new book starting March 2025
On Friday 21 March (revised starting date) we will start reading 'Small World' by Martin Suter. Despite its English title, this novel is set in contemporary Switzerland and written in German. Martin Suter, born in Zurich in 1948, is one of the most widely read Swiss-German authors today. In addition to an increasing number of novels, he writes regular newspaper columns about the world of business.
'Small World' deals with a serious problem: a man in his sixties experiencing the onset of Alzheimer's disease. But the more unreliable his short term memory becomes, the more he remembers events from his early life that his closest family members want to keep secret. Thus the novel brings elements of a detective story to the discussion of the real problems of an ageing society.
Our reading group meets at 10 am on the third Friday of each month, at the Concordia German Club, Mackay Park, Tempe. We generally read for a couple of hours, with a break for morning tea, before having lunch in the restaurant, where we join members of the Swiss Community Care Society having their monthly casual lunch.
You do not need to have your own copy of the book, as we have several to pass around. While the book is written in 'Schriftdeutsch' (Standard German), we discuss it in Schwytzerdütsch and/or English, depending on the speaker's preference. We welcome new members!
Please contact Elisabeth Roth on 96691749 or Bettina Boss on 0466 979 460 for more information.