The following is a generic MAD Weekend report written By Steve Dragoni. He is aflicted with a complaint known as Old Age, and as a result there are some anomalies compared to current MAD Weekend practices.
As usual we met up at the church hall at 7:00 p.m. to travel down to Skreens. We left at about 7:30 as someone was late (names will be named unless payments are made).
We arrived at the site to a tailback on the road by the gate. Service crew where ensuring that everyone was in uniform and controlling the service road ensuring that the traffic flowed nicely. we checked in and collected our activity passes. Steve chatted to Jill on the check-in desk while the unit put up the tents.
After the tents where put up a few members of the unit went for a wander looking for familiar faces and saw a few units including...
After a few beers sitting around the camp fire a few brave souls ventured across to the marquee where the barn dance was being held. A good time was had by all and many an old friend and friend was met. A special mention at this time to Simon who disappeared for the rest of the evening. Exactly where he went we cannot say incase his mum reads this.
After the barndance had finished a video was shown, I am not exactly sure what it was as I was busy at the time. After the disco had finished there was the traditional wandering around the campsite talking to groups of ventures and rangers. People started drifting back to the tents to sleep from the end of the barn dance. I do not know what time I fell asleep.
The first thing that had to be done on Saturday morning was find Simon, actually he found us (just in time for breakfast) looking very tired. We then wandered up to the information board to see who when we where playing what sports. We had signed up for the football, volleyball, assault course and where forming a joint team with Zeppelin for the tug of war. As is always the way with this weekend there was a clash of times for our volleyball and football which took a bit of negotiation to sort out. We then spent the rest of the day doing traditional Mad Weekend Saturday activities (sitting around listening to the stereo and playing a variety of sports). A couple of members of the unit went abseilling and canoeing. We did not do any crafts.
After the 6:00 p.m. traditional opening of cans and too much Spaghetti we wandered up to the disco in marquee, It was the normal crowded condensation soaked affair. We used the 1994 method of keeping the beer safe by putting it in the boot of the car in cool boxes. Nothing of interest occurred (nothing that can be posted to a family site anyway). The video at the end of the evening was a Monty Python. I missed this as I was busy.
We did not make the volley ball finals and spent the rest of the morning sitting around and readying the chariot for the chariot races which where the normal egg, flour and water event, with terrified small ventures holding on for dear life as other members of their unit dragged them along at breakneck speed, on a contraption held together with old string.
The closing ceremony was organised by a ranger unit from Braintree. We got our site inspected and drove back to Billericay (stopping just outside of the gates to change out of uniform) The driver of my car would not stop for icecreams.
We loaded the camping gear back into the lockup apart from some of the cooking utensils which needed a proper wash.
All in all it was a good weekend and I would like to thank those responsible for organising it.
SD