AASC National Meet – Darwin 2021 -Member email
Well Gooners finally after a year of much angst we are able to confirm that the AASC National Meet will be taking place in Darwin over the weekend of 21-24 May. After such a turbulent year I think we all deserve the opportunity to spread our wings and dust of the hibernation cobwebs and get together, in a warm and hospitable environment and celebrate by being with fellow Gooners from all around Australia.
Every year since we started the Club back in 2007 we have travelled to a capital city to enjoy some fun times over drinks and food and meet up with old friends as well as meet new Gooners.
For the first time we are making the trip up to the northern shores of Australia to the Top End. In recent years we have established a group of Gooners up there who are die-hard Arsenal fans like the rest of us and we thought it was about time we made the trek up there to catch up with them to sample some of their famous Top-end Troppo style hospitality. The group is led by Fabio Lee Serra, who has worked hard since the group was founded to promote Arsenal Australia and has greatly assisted us with creating the upcoming Meet weekend activity schedule. We are all looking forward to catching up with Fabio, Joel and all of the Darwin Gooners and enjoying a great weekend.
Funny that we are finally heading up to Croc country as it was not that long ago when we presented a number of the Arsenal lads with Crocodile Dundee style hats when they came over for the Australian pre-season tour in 2017. I vividly remember Granit Xhaka looked puzzled by the strange hat he was given to wear and promptly proceeded to put it on backwards! Those of you who were lucky enough to get a Guernsey to attend the now legendary Sydney harbour cruise event on that Tour will probably still fondly recall Ray Parlour wearing his hat with a pint of beer in each hand stretched out above his head while on the boat singing and telling his classic stories!
National Meet Weekend Activity Schedule
Friday 21st May
As per usual we start the weekend off with the traditional Gooner Gathering Meet & Greet event. As Gooners arrive from their various places of origin we meet up at our hub venue for an informal welcome over canapes and a couple of social lubricators. During this event we’ll outline the arrangements for the weekend and the upcoming events.
Saturday 22nd May
One of the events I’m personally looking forward to most over the weekend is the Jumping Crocodile boat trip. I’m sure we’ll all be happy to finish that trip with all of our fingers and toes still intact!
Another feature of the Saturday day tour will be a visit to Litchfield National Park. There we’ll enjoy a BBQ followed by a visit to 2 waterfalls. We’ll definitely be looking forward to a cooling off swim after a good day in the sun. Not sure who will be brave enough to be the first Gooner to jump in the water though! Perhaps we should offer a prize for this stupidity? Hopefully some other tourists get in first and will distract the crocs enough for us to get a quick dip in before we head back for the evening’s activities.
Saturday night, as per National Meet tradition, will be an AASC Annual Dinner event where we can relax and share our collective experiences of being Gooners over a meal and some refreshing beverages. The Arsenal Trivia Event will follow the Dinner and will offer spot prizes during the evening and a team winning prize of course.
Sunday 23rd May
Out first event of the day is the Annual General Meeting which takes place at the civilised time of 11am, allowing us all the opportunity to properly recover from the previous night. At the AGM we sit down and discuss the previous year the Club has experienced and debate ideas to improve our processes and further develop the Club. In addition we formally recognise contributions to the Club over the past year and agree on changes to the Club structure with Members taking on new roles within the Club. Those not able to join us in person will be able to join us via a virtual link to be provided to paid-up Members.
Following the AGM we will head onto the 5 a-side Football event for the afternoon where we will also enjoy a BBQ. If anyone is still standing capable of walking after playing in the heat, we will meet up again in the early evening for a stroll through the Mindl Beach Night Markets. The local Gooners tell us there are some very interesting local NT food delicacies that must be tried there and even a hot Curry for the Ex-Pats who have made this something of a ‘Meet treat’ over the years.
Once we have got that out of our systems we will head back to our hub venue for the Super Sunday screening of Arsenal v Brighton. Hopefully we will give them a good hiding and finish off the season on a positive note and if we haven’t done so already, celebrate St Totteringhams Day!
Monday 24th May
After a long and well-deserved lie in after a weekend of doing nothing but have fun, we have found more fun for you. For those not returning to the misery of so-called ‘real’ life for another day or so, we have researched a number of additional optional activities that you can enjoy. Further information relating to these options will be provided.
Next Steps to book your Gooner NT Adventure
To book to join us we need you to go to our website at www.arsenalaustralia.com.au and login using your Membership details and go to the Shop, where you can purchase a Meet Access ticket for only $85. The ticket will provide access to all Friday to Sunday events.
We urge you to book your place promptly and make your travel plans quickly to secure flight deals as sales are on now and prices will rise closer to May. You be pleased to hear we have sourced excellent accommodation rates at The Cavenagh Hotel www.cavenagh.com which is located in the heart of the CBD close to the waterfront. The Hotel has all the facilities needed for us to have an enjoyable stay and have offered us generous discounts on standard room rates as follows: $90/night for a King Room and $100/night for a Twin Share. We have already reserved rooms but need you make your bookings promptly as they are busy during May and we may need more.
To book your accommodation you will need to either call them on 09 8941 6383 and refer to our booking code of AASC2021. Danielle Jones is the Accommodation Manager and can be emailed at sales@thecavenagh.com
Finally, we are looking forward to seeing as many of our Members as possible up in Darwin and making this first Gooner trip to the NT a memorable one. See you all in Darwin soon!
Cheers & COYG!
Tony
Tony Kendall
Chairman
Arsenal Australia Supporters Club