"Aussie Hospitality" (1 Viewer)

[King & Country]

Hi Guys,

Just got back this morning to the “Pearl of the Orient” from a nine-day sojourn in the Land of OZ.

This is the fifth year K&C and yours truly have been invited down under to meet a whole lot of K&C collectors (old and new) and our two top Australian dealers, Brett and Peter.

I have to say (and indeed want to say) what a great time I had with all these guys (and some wives, girlfriends and children). The “meet ‘n’ greets” in both the Brisbane and Sydney toy soldier stores just get better and better. Likewise the evening dinners in Brisbane, Sydney and Perth were a lot of fun. Plenty of questions were asked…more than a few, I hope, were answered, and of course, I arrived back in HK with a ton of great suggestions, ideas and comments!!!

What was self-evident throughout my visit was the friendly, fun and enjoyable environment that is provided by collecting toy soldiers or, if you prefer, military miniatures. There were no insults…no snide comments…and definitely no one-upmanship… Just a great bunch of blokes who love to collect all kinds of toy soldiers/military miniatures and enjoy sharing their enthusiasm and obvious passion with the rest of us and, at the end of they day, just wanna have fun.

It really does not get any better than this… A very big and heartfelt thankyou to the organizers…Brett and Gerelou in Brisbane…Peter and Sven in Sydney and John (Obee) in Perth.

Also more grateful thanks to all those who attended…too many alas to name but you know who you are! And finally, commiserations to those who could not attend due to other commitments, your presence was sorely missed…but there’s always 2014.

Best wishes and happy collecting!

Andy C.​

 

[wayne556517]

Nice to meet you mate and i hope you make it West again.

 

[Rob]

Hi Guys,

Just got back this morning to the “Pearl of the Orient” from a nine-day sojourn in the Land of OZ.

This is the fifth year K&C and yours truly have been invited down under to meet a whole lot of K&C collectors (old and new) and our two top Australian dealers, Brett and Peter.

I have to say (and indeed want to say) what a great time I had with all these guys (and some wives, girlfriends and children). The “meet ‘n’ greets” in both the Brisbane and Sydney toy soldier stores just get better and better. Likewise the evening dinners in Brisbane, Sydney and Perth were a lot of fun. Plenty of questions were asked…more than a few, I hope, were answered, and of course, I arrived back in HK with a ton of great suggestions, ideas and comments!!!

What was self-evident throughout my visit was the friendly, fun and enjoyable environment that is provided by collecting toy soldiers or, if you prefer, military miniatures. There were no insults…no snide comments…and definitely no one-upmanship… Just a great bunch of blokes who love to collect all kinds of toy soldiers/military miniatures and enjoy sharing their enthusiasm and obvious passion with the rest of us and, at the end of they day, just wanna have fun.

It really does not get any better than this… A very big and heartfelt thankyou to the organizers…Brett and Gerelou in Brisbane…Peter and Sven in Sydney and John (Obee) in Perth.

Also more grateful thanks to all those who attended…too many alas to name but you know who you are! And finally, commiserations to those who could not attend due to other commitments, your presence was sorely missed…but there’s always 2014.

Best wishes and happy collecting!

Andy C.​

Well said Andy, I must say this is my experience too. Over the last few years the friendships made and continued at the London shows dwarf the importance of the show itself. Any of us can just be a pc jockey and sit and press the order button never interacting with another human if we please, but the hobby comes alive when you share it with friends and fellow collectors. And it sounds a if meetings down under are exactly the same as in London, TS's, a few drinks and some real laughs.Glad you had a great time all of you in attendance :salute::

Rob

 

[The Military Workshop]

Just got home from Perth. First thing to do was have some Marmite on toast as managed to find some in Perth (cleverly disguised as Britmite).

As Andy said another great visit Down Under. Thanks to all who turned out in Brisbane and Perth. Some great ideas raised and good feedback given to Andy.

Thanks to Andy once again for coming down.

Brett

 

[PanzerAce1944]

Great Stuff, It really is supposed to be about the "Fun Factor" which seems to take place at each and every one of these gatherings !

 

[waynepoo]

Speaking for myself it is always a great pleasure to attend the Brisbane dinner and have a chat with everyone and Andy about all things TS. Many thanks to him for taking the time to come down under and to Brett and Gerelou for hosting the event. I'm sure all the Dingo Cobbers feel the same as well, there is not a crazy cur among them..:wink2:
Wayne.

 

[villagehorse]

My thanks to Brett for including me in the dinner and Andy for being Andy. Nice to know all went well and Andy is home safely, hopefully behind his desk sketching.{sm4}, Robin.

 

[Obee]

Andy,

it was a pleasure to be able to get things organised for your quick trip to 'The Wild West' on your way back to HK.

I managed to get the able helpers, Wayne for the venue, and Joe for the transport, to make it a memorable visit for us, and hopefully, for you.

Maybe next time, with some advanced warning, we can arrange one of our regular 'Gatherings' of local collectors on a Sunday afternoon, so you can meet more of the guys and hear about the 'tyranny of distance' when living in Perth, the most isolated capital city (desert on one side, ocean on the other).

Thanks Brett, for bringing him over, we all enjoyed the night, and lets hoping some other time Andy in in OZ, we can do it all again.

John