It all came about during the long weekend in October 1974 as the snow melted at the end of the best winter since 1964. A select and talented group gave themselves to much refreshment at Walter Spanring’s Hotel.. Present on this occasion, as far as we can as cer tain, were Ken Armstrong, Brian Buffi er, Ken Cross, Andre Gogosevic and Adrienne Marsden, with Walter Spanring playing an encouraging and benevolent role. It seems that at about two in the morning this group of brave souls decided that they would form a new Club.

Despite the fact that decisions made at such an hour and in such circumstances are usually forgotten in the frost of the next morning, and hangovers help to sharpen judgement, the following week Ken Armstrong got hold of Bryan Buffier, then an inhabitant of Canberra exclaiming something like: ‘lets do it’.