BalloonLife,
March 2000
It all still seems like a dream to me that my wife, Deb, and I had
the very good fortune to spend the end of the last millennium and
thebeginningofthenewmillenniumballooninginsouthern
Australia. This odyssey began for us last March when I received
an email from my friend Gary Pask. Gary is the vice president of
theAustralianBalloonFederationandlivesinMelbourne.He
wantedtoknow ifI couldhelphimfindsomespecialshaped
balloon owners who would be interestedincelebratingthe turn
of thenewmillenniuminAustralia.Hebrieflyoutlinedwhat
would be involved and what the goals of the organizers were and
I knew right thenthat this wouldbe a first rate adventure!
Ibegancontactingpeopleandbeforelong,Ihadmore
adventurers lined up than you could shake a big stick at! Imagine
gettinga callandbeingofferedthechance toringinthe next
millennium,halfwayaroundtheworldwithagroupofour
ballooningbrothers and sisters inAustralia. Wouldyousay no?
Not many did. In no time flat, the card was filled and Gary and the
rest of the organizers started makingthe arrangements.
TheAmericancontingentconsistedof5specialshaped
balloons and16 people including pilots, spouses andcrew. The
balloons,Rubber Duckie (Brian & Susan Owen), Humpty Dumpty
(Rich&PatLawhorn),Chic-I-Boom(DanVarilek&Joann
Fitzpatrick),Chestythe Bulldog(Marty&PattiCunningham)
andBalloon-HildatheWitch(Wayne&ChrisHajek),were
shippedoverabout2weeksbeforetheevent.Thepilotsand
crews met in Los Angeleson December 26 for the long jump to
Melbourne.
Once in Melbourne, we were met by wet weather, as well as
mycounterpartGary,whotookustoour moteltoreviveour-
selvesbeforethewelcomedinnerandregistrationparty.The
celebration was scheduled in two parts. The first was a series of
tethersandmoonglowsinthe cityof Melbourne,followedby
three daysof flying, aboutthree hoursnortheast ofMelbourne
aroundthe smalltown of Mansfield.
Wind and rain limited our ability to complete the first part of
the event but we were lucky enough to get breaks in the weather
whenit really counted. The first breakcame onthe morning of
December 30for the media tether and the second allowed usto
moonglowonthe eveningofDecember31toringinthenew
millennium! We set up in a fenced off area within a stone’s throw
of the Yarra River. Things went offwithout a hitch and the crowd
was very enthusiastic. The balloons were scheduled to glowuntil
about 11:30 p.m. and most ofus deflated as scheduled but Wayne,
Dan and Marty weren’t about to quit so close to midnight and they
keptChic-I-Boomstandinguntilafterthe strokeofmidnight.
Whata treatthat was! Imagine yourself tetheredat midnight on
the dawn of the new millennium, adjacent to the center stage of
the huge celebration at Alexandra Gardens along the banks ofthe
Yarra RiverindowntownMelbourne,AustraliawithaHUGE
fireworks displayerupting from 5different locations as a back-
drop! And all of that surroundedby an endless throng of specta-
tors! Shortlyafter midnight, Kiff Saunders, Director and Chief
Pilot for Global BallooninginMelbourne, inflatedthe big, red,
houseshapedballoonforLibertyFinancialandglowedfor
anotherhourorso,alongwiththestandardshaped“Chubb
Security” balloon.Needlesstosay, oursponsors wereallvery
pleasedwith the display.
Since the worldhadn’t endedatmidnight, we all packedup
Millennium Balloon Festival
Melbourne & Mansfield, Victoria, Australia
By Sam“Who?” Blackburn
After the Millenniu m Glo w balloons traveled to Mansfield for flying in scenic valleys nestled among beautiful mountain ranges.
BalloonLife,March2000
Saturdaymorning and headed for the Snowy River high country.
FreeflightinMelbourneairspace ishighlyrestrictedso wewere all
anxioustoactuallygetintothe air and see the sightsoffered by the
Mansfield area.Along the way westopped atthe Healsville
WildlifeSanctuary toget a goodlook at all theindigenousAussie
critters.Itwas a great way tostretchthe legsandwe evengotto pet
some Kangaroos that were sunningthemselves by the side of the
trail.Alsoalongtheway were Echidnas,Platypus,andWombatsall
wandering around in their respective natural habitats.
After passing over the Great Dividing Mountain Range, we
reached Mansfield. A small town nestled in a valley between
beautiful mountain ranges. The weather in Mansfield was fine
and we were blessed with three beautifully scenic flights over
vast paddocks and buttes dotted withEucalyptus trees, and wild
Cockatoos. As alternate pilot,I wasn’t sure if or whenI wouldbe
flying but the people of Australia are about the most warm and
hospitable people I’ve encountered anywhere in my travels and
I was offered several balloons to fly.
Deb and I flew first with Jenny Houghton in her Kavanagh
E-120. Jenny is recovering nicely from the injuries she suffered
inOklahoma during thisyear’sGordon Bennett race. For Jenny,
it was a nice change to go up in a balloon and not have to do
anything but see the sights. For me it was the fulfillment of a
longtimedreamIhaveheld offlying balloons inAustralia.
Midwaythroughthe flightwe landed and swapped a few passen-
gers before continuing on to a gentle, roadside landing.
That evening, Deb and I flew with my new friend Graeme
“Crash” Drummond in his Kav-77, the“Mensland” balloon.
Crash and I had become fast friends since meeting on our first
night in Australia when he “drafted” meonto the Mensland
balloon team. Again we landed, mid-flight, to change passen-
gers. Crash and Deb got out and I took off again with two crew
members. After another short hop, we landed ina large paddock
along with “Chesty”and Gary Pask’s “Foxtel”balloon. We all
packed up quickly so we could get back to the Mansfield show
grounds in time for the evening’s moonglow. There were about
25balloonsattending themoonglow, whichwas choreographed,
viaradio, tosome local favoritesongs. It was agreatsuccess. The
night was clear with the moon and the Southern Cross shining
above.Thelocalslovedit, theballoonists lovedit and the
sponsors loved it. Thesuccess of the glow had signaled the
completionof allthe major goalsthathadbeensetfor the festival.
Back in Melbourne we attended one last farewell dinner at
the California Motor Inn with more of the organizers. Lots of
toasts were made and addresses exchanged and as tired as we
were, we were all a bit reluctant to let it end but one by one we
succumbed to the needfor sleep. We said our hesitantgood-byes
to those that wouldn’t be accompanying us to the airport and
pledged our resolve tocome backagain and finally, quietlywent
our separate ways to pack our suitcases.
Now that we’re home and back into our normal routine, I
often find myself daydreaming about ballooning in Australia. It
makes me smileeverytime. Andin thefuture whenever someone
asks me where I wasatthe beginningof the new millennium, I’ll
smile allover againand proudly say thatI wason the banksof the
Yarra River, ballooningin a magicalcity,in a magicalland, with
a magical people who make Australia what it is. Magical!
