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CHRISTMAS IN JULY – 29th July 2017

As relative ‘newbies’ to the Porsche Club and after all the hype around Christmas in July… the 29th FINALLY arrived!  The ‘speed induced’ drive to Arniston, past the canola fields of the Overberg, was awesome.   On arrival at the majestic Arniston Hotel, Colin Plit was there to greet us and give instruction on where & how to park, the only thing missing was his luminous waistcoat.  Seeing all the Porsches’ lined up in front of the hotel with the Indian Ocean as a backdrop was spectacular, well at least I thought so!  

After a refreshing welcome drink of bubblies and orange juice on the lawns in front of the hotel, we checked in and had a little spare time for an early afternoon siesta or lunch at the hotel’s restaurant and judging by the noise and vibe, this is what most people opted for.  

At 3pm we were instructed that the “fun & games” were about to begin…. A bottle of Tequila and Jägermeister donned the table; great fun was to be had playing a drinking game which was expertly demonstrated by Jane Plit, before the ‘brave’ attempted the challenge.  When bright yellow ‘raincoats’ form part of a drinking game, you know that spillage was expected.  The bantering and competion between Enver & Johan was fierce and kept the crowds entertained from the balcony.  After a couple of Jäggie and/or Tequila shots everyone started to relax and joined in the fun for the ‘plunger & loo roll’ game which was won by Team Louise!  In between all the shenanigans on the lawn, there was still time to check on the Lions, who eventually destroyed the Hurricanes in the semi-final of the 2017 Super-Rugby.

Everyone then went to freshen up before gathering in the bar/dining area, wearing their favourite Christmas hats. The tables were festively decorated and as the Christmas tree ‘blinked’ away the mood was set!  A delicious three course meal had been prepared by the hotel; from an array of salads on the starters table to a feast of all the traditional Christmas fare. After an enjoyable starter, main & about 2 litres of liquid refreshments …. I did not have space for another morsel, so alas, did not get to sample the desserts but believe it was pretty good.    

It would not have been Christmas without Santa (aka Glen) and his happy little helpers, namely Lynda & Shane.  Presents were handed out to all and with much excitement wrappings were ripped and gifts revealed!                       

There was a special birthday celebration ‘in the house’ as Corlandi was celebrating her crown birthday and was surprised by the chef with a ‘sparkling’ birthday cake.

Lourens Bester took to the floor as auctioneer. A big thank you to our generous sponsors, as always. Allan Friend, and Millstock, for the wonderful goody-bag gift of the mobile device chargers, Sorbet for the nail polish and vouchers. Bidders were very generous at the auction! Thank you all, both the donors, and the bidders, for your support.

With all the formalities over the dancefloor was opened and Shane showed us his incredible footwork to the tune of Michael Jackson’s ‘Beat It,’ always an impressive show!

The crowds eventually started to dwindle as everyone headed off to their rooms, some may have staggered a little but all had smiles on their faces, gifts tucked under their arms and the knowledge that another successful Porsche Club event was coming to an end but good memories had been made. 

The mood around breakfast the following morning was a lot more subdued, Ken even mentioned that he had eaten something ‘bad’ the night before as he had a monstrous headache (haha).  We bid our farewells  and slowly all the cars departed for the final stretch home with good memories of the night before.

I cannot wait for next year’s Christmas in July.

TANIA COSTIGAN


29/07/2017