Setting the Scene

Dec5

Kevtoberfest Road Trip #1

When Mr ET aka Glen began his Prep Year at school in 1963, he met Kevin. Glen and Kevin had a lot in common: they both had seven sisters and one younger brother, they lived not far from each other and they were fervent supporters of Essendon Football Club. It wasn’t long before they were best friends. When they grew older, the boys spent their weekends and holidays exploring far and wide on their bikes, only returning home at the end of the day for dinner.

Glen and Kevin at a family wedding, 1975

As adults, Glen and Kevin developed a mutual passion for beer. For many years, they’ve made their own home brews and they enjoy visiting craft breweries in Australia and overseas. In 2011, we holidayed with Kevin and his wife Mary Lou in Munich for a week, where we spent much of our time at the Hofbrauhaus and other beer-related establishments. Even though they live in different states, Glen and Kevin are often in touch and regularly discuss their latest home brewing experiments.

Hofbrauhaus, 2011

P&O Cruise, 2016

It’s not always about the beer – strudel and coffee in Munich, 2011

When Kevin announced his plans for a beer-themed party to celebrate his 60th birthday in October this year, it was a given we would be there. This wasn’t to be a one night event; it would start on Friday night and continue all weekend, before finishing up on Sunday afternoon. It would incorporate the telecast of the Australian Rules Football League (AFL) Grand Final on Saturday afternoon and a fancy dress party on Saturday night – Kevtoberfest was born!

Instead of a quick fly/drive journey, we decided to do a three week caravan trek to Kevin’s home near Bairnsdale in Victoria. The return journey of 3,500 kilometres would cover inland and coastal regions of Queensland, New South Wales and Victoria. It wasn’t by coincidence that the route Glen planned included several towns with craft breweries and, knowing my love of quilting and crochet, he made sure to include some craft shops as well. The itinerary was a winner for both of us!

To be continued…

52 thoughts on “Setting the Scene”

  3. Boy, I sure didn’t have that kind of celebration for my 60th. What a hoot. šŸ™‚ When we travel, we are always looking for a craft brewery to visit once we have pulled off the road for the day. Makes it fun. This is a great story of true friendship lasting through the years which is a gift that a lot of people aren’t able to count in their blessings. Here’s to many more years of enjoyed friendship and ‘good’ beer drinking. šŸ™‚

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  5. Mind boggling being one of 9 children! And a friend with the same! Boy I bet Christmas was a whole lot of fun. And what sharp young men they were too back in 1975, those 70s suits are instantly recognisable along with the haircuts. Good to know that some school-day friendships continue through life and the idea of an entire weekend celebrating a birthday is amazing! I just wanted to be alone on my 60th!! Not that the age bothered me, I just hate being fussed over. Looking forward to the adventures on the road culminating in Kevtoberfest. Sounds an awful lot like one of those mad American movies….

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  9. That’s quite some coincidence that they both have seven sisters and one brother – there can’t be many families with that particular combination. That photo from the 70s is a classic! šŸ™‚ Now that we have the background, I am eagerly awaiting the next part of the trip.

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  14. What a fun adventure and road trip. I think it is so fabulous that the friendship has thrived over the decades. So great to see the photos from then and more recently.

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  18. Ha – found it!! Thank you for sending directions Carol. I figure you published this when I was busy with my daughter just home from hospital – I’m glad I had missed it and not forgotten it! What a long friendship these two have had and what a hoot to turn the big six-oh into a ‘fest’! I hope it becomes a tradition! ā¤

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    • Glad you are caught up now, CC. Everyone who was there is hoping for a repeat event at some time in the future. It was such a fun weekend. I have a few more stories to tell before we actually get there though.

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  19. I remember reading this before, Carol, and being so excited about the reason for your trip: the lifelong friendship between Glen and Kevin, the beer-themed birthday party at the destination, and the craft breweries and craft shops along the way. Any and all of your Kevtoberfest posts will be perfect for the journey invitation. šŸ™‚

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