Hash Trash 2270 | Next Week from Fern Tree Park – Hobart Hash House Harriers and Harriettes

Volume 42, Issue 45 | February 26, 2024

NEXT RUN | 4 March 2024
Run 2271 from Austins Ferry Boat Ramp
Hare: Thrill Seeker
Cost $12 – drinks provided, bring your own barbecue food

RECEDING HARELINE

*Run No.*	*Date*	*Hare Apparent*	*On On*
2272	11 Mar	In The Raw	Mt Stuart Park
2273	18 Mar	Sonar	TBA
2274	25 Mar	Can’t Stop	TBA
2275	1 Apr	Lone Arranger (Easter Monday)	TBA
2276	8 April	*Hare required*

HARES NEEDED – SEE FRINGE BENEFITS BEFORE SHE SEES YOU!

KEEPING THE BASTARDS HONEST

Hares in 2023-24. Make sure that your name appears on this list at least once! (Twice if you’re a Co-Hare)

Arsecutter (2)
Bad News (2)
Big Bang
Can’t Stop
Coupla Weeks (2)
Cracker
Eager (6)
Dishlicker
Eve (2)
Gingernuts
Grassroots
Grizzly (5)

Growler
Hands On
Honkers
In the Raw (2)
Just Kidding
KKK
LaLa
Limp
Mr Bean
Miss Bling
Next Week (5)
Pole Dancer

Prawn Star
Prickit
Rigor Mortis (2)
Robin Hood (2)
Round Up
Sonar (2)
Snack Bar (2)
Steady Eddie
Ted Bullpit
Thrill Seeker (2)
Vegie
W3 (2)

UP AND CUMMING

8-10 March 2024 | Interhash 2024, Queenstown, New Zealand
28-30 March 2025 | Aussie Nash Hash 2025, Fremantle

It’s interesting as one makes the drive up to kunanyi – the sweeping bend in the road suddenly exposing the majesty of the place – it’s not that difficult to accept that our indigenous people, the muwinina people who thrived on this country for over 40,000 years believed that kunanyi held the spirit, the ancestral dreams, and the essence of ‘Genius loci’ – spirit of place. Certainly, many of you dear readers would have had that moment of reflection late at night, perhaps perusing the images created by Charles Leseur. He, of course, was the artist of the Nicolas Baudin expedition of 1801. He sketched the decorated bark structures over burial grounds – of course, these were looted and stolen early in the occupation of this place.

The road indeed is not without some significance, a road suitable for vehicles was being built around 1860, to lead from Hobart to the Huon via Fern Tree. The partially-completed road helped provide access for workers building the aqueduct, constructed to collect water from Browns River, at the Fern Tree Bower for Hobart’s water supply.

For intellectuals (joke) interested in history, the aquafer was once a part of the great waterways from Tasmania’s rich industrial past. The road was completed in 1861. It also provided better access to the newly created Fern Tree Tavern. The road has always been a narrow transit to the bower, so in that fine tradition of community spirit and sense of place, In the Raw, endeavoured to widen the road with his vehicle as he backed Vivian into the On On venue. Like generations before he failed… nothing more to be said, on that matter.

Fern Tree is adapted from the common name of the plant Dicksonia Antarctica (Tasmanian tree fern), which many would have noticed whilst running, between gasps of air, they are abundant in this area. The socially astute would have also noticed the absence of the term Man Fern, so not woke.

The run of course started adjacent to St Raphael’s Church, an interesting structure. St. Raphael’s Church was built at Fern Tree in the 1890s, survived numerous bushfires, unlike the Tavern across the road. The current Fern Tree Tavern is actually the third incarnation of this local icon. The first Fern Tree Tavern was built in 1861 by John Hall, a significant landowner, as the Hobart Town Corporation was building the afore said, new water supply for Hobart. Not to mention the road and the shame of In the Raw.

On 7 February 1967 (Black Tuesday) the bushfires that devastated Southern Tasmania took much of Fern Tree, including the grand Federation-Style Fern Tree Hotel which had replaced the John Hall’s original Inn. Yet the church stood its ground. Funny old world.

The Pack ran up the pipeline track to the Bower. Interesting term one might ponder, generally taken to mean a shaded area, yet in the medieval days of Hash, a Bower was a private area created by Harriettes so as not to be observed. Some things don’t change. The past is ever-present on this part of kunanyi, with many nineteenth-century stone constructions. The track follows the pipeline that has brought water to Hobart.

Now the run was apparently set by Eager’s twin brother Next Week, a cook. Cooks always struggle with rare, they much prefer well done, when black, cooked – we started late.

There is evidence along the track of early settlement and of changing construction techniques for bringing water to Hobart. It was at this point that the original water supply was drawn. A short incline brought us to Silver Falls always popular, with runners. The hare taking us up further to the Silver Falls track, fortunately missing Reids Track.

At the junction with Middle Track the walking wounded continued their ambulatory way along the Silver Falls Trail, a trail specifically sponsored by the NDIS.

Meanwhile the athlete’s continued the climb to the Radford Track named after George Harvey Radford who was 19 years old, when along with (Joseph) Mark Richards (31 years) died of exposure whilst running on the Mountain. They were both running in a race to the top of kunanyi and back.

Some 39 runners faced the starter dressed in clothes such as singlets, light knickers and sandshoes. Needless to say they didn’t have the advantage of Salomon trail shoes lined with Gortex with Kevlar laces. The race favourite was H. H. Johnson, an early Hasher. Of the participants 23 successfully reached the Pinnacle check point. The first was Chas. Beard, who achieved a time of 1 hr. 36 minutes. Mark Richards and George Radford were both among those who reached the Pinnacle.

In due course the first competitors arrived back in Hobart, to great excitement from the crowd. Beard and McDonald came down Davey St. first, but G. Cockshutt came up from behind and passed them, finishing first with a time of 2 hr. 44 min. 51 sec. Not a bad time given it was snowing and freezing cold. Mark Richards and George Radford both died of exposure on the way down. And so we continue.

Both runners and others descended into Fernglade a fairy tale sort of place, a place where Harriette’s may have lost things in the past, yet keep the box it came in for the nostalgia it provides. It was here that the writer met a contingent of Chinese, somewhat perplexed, having parked their car at the Springs. I pointed them in the general direction i.e. up there.

It was constructed in 1928, it was the botanist Earnest Rodway who proposed its name, interestingly he was also a dentist, perhaps it was the strange amalgam of smells the inspired him.

The nostalgia of the glade was not held for long as we exited on to the trail to Bracken Lane, a time to stretch the legs for those who were able. It was down hill to Halls Saddle.

The Sluice House at Halls Saddle would be next point of interest. Built in 1862, it is a perfect Georgian gem in the middle of the bush but alas we were to go the other way along the pipe line back to Fern Tree. Souvenir was here doing a sterling job as Hash run sweeper.

The track then traverses through Longhill Gully Heritage Site, a wet gully traversed by two imposing aqueducts, constructed of dressed sandstone, and completed in 1881. Built some say by Italians pining for the aqueducts of home, the trail leads to Nieka bogdivm an old Roman fortification. The remaining piers, built in 1862, to carry wooden troughing for Hobart’s new mountain water supply across Longhill Creek. The wood has long gone, with only the stone piers remaining, now carrying steel and iron pipes.

One can’t help but notice the stone flagstones along the trail and thoughts of Gentle Annie. On August 26, 1880, a seven-year old child accidentally drowned, fell into the trough. The girl’s name was not Annie, but Josephine – why spoil a story with the truth – she fell into the then open troughing. Following this incident, the Council approved the covering over of the troughing with heavy flag stones.

On the last section stairs and handrail had been provided by the NDIS again to support the non-runner, from the top it was but a mere stroll to the On-On. And in celebration of February 1967 Next Week had built a fire for us to gather around. Occasionally, in the staccato of flickering light, one could notice the pensive elf-like figure in the shadows, as In the Raw contemplates widening the road on the way out.

On-on
Thrill Seeker

SKOLS

Next Week – Hare (not Eager).
Her Highness Eager – fell over and executed a two-and-a-half pike.
Grizzly – alcohol abuse while trying to get a photo.
In The Raw – can’t bat, can’t bowl, can’t reverse.

Dishlicker, Organ Grinder, Souvenir and Wobbly Boot – c*untry members.
Cracker, Gov’nor Honkers, Lone Arranger and Grizzly – far cough yak hunts to Interhash in Queenstown.

Clearfell – retained the FRB jacket because Souvenir probably wouldn’t return it for four years.
Sonar – 450 Runs millstone.
Stunned Mullet – new owner of a veteran V8 Mercedes. Soon to be spotted wearing a flat cap with all the other special car wankers.
Lone Arranger – was ‘tired and emotional’ after a big Red Dress Run and was in bed by 6:30pm.
Growler, Limp and Eager – also had big RDRs.
…and other skols I forgot to write down.

DATE: Saturday, 16th March 2024
START TIME: Run starts at 11:00 am.
It is a bus run. Bus will be parked on Marion Bay Road
(near Townsend Lane) above the main car park
at the Showgrounds.
VENUE: Bream Creek Showgrounds, Copping.
COST: $10.00 (includes sausages and some drinks).
HARES: H4 Hashers
Enquiries to Biddy (Big Legs) – 0417 331 441
You must comply with the Bream Creek Show Society’s Covid-19 Laws

HASH FLASH

Link to all photos for Run 2270

H5 MISMANAGEMENT 2023-24

Grand Master	Triple-K
Joint Masters	Growler Sonar	0412 161 017 0488 707 068
On Sec (poxy)	Grizzly	0419 960 561
Hash Cash	Dishlicker Mother of Pearl	0408 994 427
Hash Lips	Snack Bar TicToc
Hash Hops	Contessa Coupla Weeks Sir Eve
Trailmaster	Fringe Benefits
Hash Flash	Steptoe
Hash Horn	Fallen Madonna
Hashet Manager	Viagra	0419 504 105

Website https://hobarthash.tripod.com/h5/