All aboard the SS Grafton!

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Last Updated: Wednesday, 30 October 2019 14:47

Our Grafton colleagues had a rare chance to 'walk on water' last Friday when their season-opening Street O event for 2019-2020 included controls on Susan Island in the middle of the Clarence River.

Four wonderful SES volunteers shuttled participants the 400m across the mighty Clarence, giving locals the opportunity to explore the island that many often view from the riverbank but have never actually been on.

Series organiser Gavin Rayward was inspired by the "53 Islands" celebrations to include the option to head over to Susan Island. The usual event limit of 45 minutes was waived in this instance!

Almost 70 people took to the course, making up 21 teams. The field was a mix of seasoned regulars and quite a few first timers (including a few celebrating birthdays!). Feedback has been overwhelmingly positive, with teams particularly enjoying the opportunity to explore Susan Island. 

You can see a few pics, the map and a brief video of the launch arriving at the island on Grafton's Facebook page. The map is also posted here.

Special thanks to Maurice Anker from our Northern Tablelands club for doing the map work for Grafton Street-O, especially while he was preparing for the Armidale School District Championship!

Grafton Street-O is all about the local community. Local businesses donate goods and vouchers for random door prizes at the final event for the season. In return, they get their logo on every clue sheet, promotional posters put up in key locations around town, and a 3-point control at their their place of business. The clue is something that the community may not know about that business to give them a little extra advertising.

Did you miss the boat this time? Grafton's next monthly event is on Friday November 8, again starting at Memorial Park at 5pm.

A big thanks to Gavin for his hard work putting the series on each summer, and for this great story.