NRTW HISTORY - MELBOURNE '03  

Friday 31st

January 2003

The Great Britain Hotel :

@7.30pm onward.

[ Launch of my Website and Kit (aka HCM)’s Birthday Bash :-) ]

Well, if your social calendar is looking a tad bare boned after the festive over-indulgences, it's about time you got your arses in gear and braved a second wind by attending the following two events : For those of you who know Kit Chan, the little whipper snapper is celebrating his 25th birthday, and with minor persuasion, has agreed to hold a 'sarong and toga' party on Saturday 25th January starting 7.30pm. He has assured me that he will provide the food (nibbles), as long as the guests bring along the poison (s) of their choice (beers, wine, spirits, turps. etc...) As for the Nrtw itself, it has reached a new state of existence and will be hosted on a website, the details of which will be emailed to you in due course !

Saturday 1st

March 2003

Depot Hotel :

@7.30pm onward

[ Paul Holt arrives from England for a holiday and the grape grazers are still suffering from post traumatic grog disorder ]

In the name of globalisation, there is now a new official Nrtw website. All information pertaining to the Nrtw venues will be hosted at :  http://www.nrtw.net.

For those of you who have no web access, the venue details are as follows :

Due to the arrival of Paul Holt from good ol'England, in the early hours of Saturday 1st March, and in respect of his almost religious attendance to the Nrtw venues, the next Nrtw will be held on :

Saturday 1st March, starting at 7.30pm

Venue :

        Depot Hotel,

        60, Swan Street.

        Richmond VIC 3121

There is usually a $5 cover charge at the door if you arrive after 9pm. If you propose to arrive late, the privilaged Nrtw goers can just tell the door person that you are attending an Nrtw, and they will let you in without charge. Don't forget to check out the site !

PS - For the grape grazers amoungst us - what a storming day last Sunday was ! Lets thank Andy for organising it for us. ( The pain we now suffer tut-tut. )

Ok, since I'm now going to the effort of  reviewing the venues that we go to, I though it would more appropriate to post the review history rather than the invite history :

Friday 28th

March 2003

Railway Hotel :

7.30pm onward

I was in half a mind not to make an attendance to this one, as I was still down with some bug. Not SARS, I hasten to add. ( Having said that, I think a few of us were suffering from 'Severe Alcohol Related Sickness' the next day ). However, the fact that I've never missed one of my own venues, coupled with several expressions of contempt at the sheer hint of me piking out, soon put a stop to that idea. Again, a good turnout, in a good venue. It might actually be a good venue for the Summer as it has a beer garden reminiscent of the Flying Duck. The one bad point was that the Guinness tasted crap - hope it was just an off day. Some of us tried to get into the Motel afterwards, but I'll tell you what - I haven't got a clue what it takes to get in there 'cos we ain't got it ! - So we ended up at some club that Brenda might have to remind us about. Keep a look out for the next venue.

Friday 25th 

April 2003

Marquis of Lorne :

7.30pm onwards

Quaint or what ?? - Lovely pub in Fitzroy.

Good to see some new folk turning up such as Gary Schiralli. It was also good to see Matthew Perry back on the Nrtw scene,  and also Fank Valpato after his trip round Europe, with not much luck on the job front.

The Lorne was pact as...,  'cos it was ANZAC Friday I guess. It started ripping at the seams after the Nrtw bunch started dropping in. The Lorne appeared to do excellent grub and excellent booze, with a restaurant type situation happening upstairs, (Maybe only open at certain hours), but there were no worries in ordering food downstairs till late. The only drawback was  that closing time was about 1sh 'cos of the residential neighbourhood.  So in the true tradiiton of Nrtws held in Fitzroy, we gravitated towards The Perseverance for afters.

Blinding night once again !

Friday 30th 

May 2003

Kelvin Bar :

7.30pm onwards

Happy Birthday to me ...! Happy Birthday to me ...! 

Well I'm not so sure that being a power of two (between 16 and 64 for those cynics amongst us), is worthy of too much celebration, but yes, some of the Nrtw shenanigans were attributable to this auspicious event.

"Pretty groovy man !", is probably the best way to describe the Kelvin bar with its Aubergene walls, and tin-pressed ceiling. Not forgetting to mention Ken & Barbie  practicing their Karma-Sutra skills, to the sound of Groove Armada in the background,  just a-breast of the Retro bar fridge. I think you get the picture. That was part one.

Part two, was making it up the road to the local Sri Lankan. With 32 at the last tukker head count, it was a Lemming trail all the way up there. With a buffet at $20 per head excluding turps, it was a steal. There were more dishes than you could shake a stick at. Very very good !

Back to the Kelvin it was for afters. The piccies will be posted soon !

Friday 27th 

June 2003

Holliava :

7.30pm onwards

Well I never...!

In all my years in Oz, I never knew that this place existed on Swan Street in Richmond, only a stone's throw away from the corner of Hoddle and Swan. All hats off to Jane and her 'street-cred' for suggesting this one.

Storming music, good selection of brews, and more dark and groovy chilling-out areas (not in the strictest sense), than you could shake a stick at. We were at the candle lit front, hogging the Bavarian-esque table and bench, till closing time.

It was also good to see Emma back in Nrtw party mode after her 3 month long stint in S. America. Of course, the Nrtw bastions put on a hard front and marched their way into the early hours of the morning at PJ O'Brians.

Friday 25th 

July 2003

Bimbo Deluxe :

7.30 onwards

This venue is definitely going be on my hit list standing proudly next to the ranks of, The Terminus, and the Yeltza Bar. This obviously means one thing, - yep, you guessed it, it will be visited again on an Nrtw in the near future.

For those miserable individuals who missed the last one, Bimbo Deluxe has a theatrical, yet Indianesqe feel about it, with a bit of grunge mixed in for good luck. Quite a large venue at that, with areas to cater for guys & gals to show off their skills whether they be  ranging from the budding phantom pool hustler, to the budding John Travolta's and Olivia NJ's. It also caters for the more passive members of the general public, ranging from the bar prop-upper, to the veg-out with Bob Marley types. Well you had to be there to make sense of it all. So if there is a lesson to be learnt, - come to the next one if you didn't make it last time.

First Timers: Phil Chapallaz, Dave Hellicar (Dave might have turned up to one in the past, but I can't remember, and I'm sure as hell positive that he can't either!)

Friday 29th 

August 2003

Albion Hotel :

7.30pm onwards

Well, apart from it being the first time I had visited the Albion Hotel, last month's Nrtw was a tad different for several reasons. It was Kit's last Nrtw for a while, as he finally found himself a job, unfortunately for us it was to be in Sydney. We are going to miss his antics. It was also to be my first Nrtw as an ex-RLMer.

The Albion was a bit more of the that suburban 'get out of the house on Friday for a couple of jars' kinda place, than the more alternative venues I have chosen in the past. It had the quaintest of fireplaces that we all appeared to happily settle around.

We headed of to the Elephant & Wheelbarrow on Bay street for afters. The hot dog stand ended up being a very desirable entity, and not for the first time either!

See you at the next one.

Saurday 27th

September 2003

Lambsgo Bar

7.30pm onwards

Well I never! - This has got to be a fav. amongst the beer connoisseurs.  The beer menu has recently exploded, probably in the name of globalisation. They've really put the Belgian Beer bar's selection to shame. Not only do they stock every Belgian beer  that I have come across, but they also stock beers from most European countries, and many an Asian one too. (Including the delightful Sri Lankan Three coin Larger & Stout).  To put you guys in the picture, I would say there was a staggering 150 varieties of the redolent beverage.

Considering the post Footy final lethargy, we did get a good turn out. Probably around 15 of us.

First Timers: Maria's bro. Nick

Friday 31st

October 2003

College Lawn Hotel

7.30pm onwards

For a pub that sits unassumingly a stone's throw away from two  trendy, venue ridden hot spots, (namely Chapel and the Chapel end of Greville Street), it is extremely popular amongst the younger crowd, and was pretty much packed on the night.

Just when I thought that the Nrtw was simmering down before Christmas, we had over 30 guys and gals turn up. How about that eh ? It was like a family re-union. We had the likes of Matt Daniels+other half, Mike O'Keefe, Dave Hellicar, Gary Schiralli, Andrew Clarke, Matt Perry, Tom Cosic, Kit - back from Syndey for the weekend, Borath - back from Brisbane. The list goes on .....

Anyway, at about 1am, we headed on to a dodgy pub in the local area, lead by Matty D and his other half. I think that most ended up liking it (including the management), as it was our Nrtw crowd that took it over.

Last words heard: KFC or a Kebab anyone???

First Timers: Mike O'Keefe, Andrew Clarke, Rich's lovely other half Debbie.

Not quite First Timers: Matt Daniels, Gary Schiralli, Zane Richards.

Boy are you guys in for a treat on the next Nrtw - Hope you make it, but be quick with the planning that's all I'm saying !!!!

Friday 28th

November 2003

The Racecourse Hotel

8pm onwards

So you think I am always Mr. Positive about my venues eh ??

Well let me tell you ! - The Racecourse was a pile of CRRAPP -! I promise never ever to hold another NRTW venue there. 

Man, I think that the state penitentiary has more personality that this place on a non - race night ! Let's just leave the place for those post race piss-ups.

Anyway, to redeem my somewhat imminent disrepute, I quickly proceeded to move the proverbial  mountain as it were, to Mohammed, as we headed rather swiftly towards the Belgian Beer Cafe Bluestone, courtesy of Jane's peer group recommendations.

Well, speaking of the opposite end of the spectrum ! - I don't think you can get much better than the Beer Garden being open for all with a new outside bar selling Belgian brews and an on going Barbie. There must have been more than 300 people there well into the early hours of Saturday.

Ratings: Racecourse Hotel 0, Belgian Beer Cafe 10.

The Belgian Beer Cafe will have to be a regular haunt after that.

For all Christmas NRTW goers: It will be held on the 19th Dec. I need to know the head count for meals before the 5th. Thanks

Friday 19th

December 2003

The Flying Duck Hotel

8pm onwards

I can safely say that I have proudly maintained tradition over the last 3 Christmas NRTWs ......The Flying Duck as usual ! 

Not only that, it was more popular than the 2002 Christmas do, with a staggering 37 attendees. I never thought that the venue would stay so alive despite the shift in most of our working lives.

I would like to thank you all once again, especially to those who have been religious attendees of the venue in 2003, and also to those who keep telling how grateful they are that I have kept it going.

Wishing you all a happy year in 2004, and to yet another year of the NRTW.

PS - We might be looking at a co-location of the NRTW this year. I did say MIGHT - but keep posted!