23 Sep LAWSKI 2020
Day Three (Saturday, 12 September): amidst the LAWSKI Scavenger Hunt that had replaced the traditional Race, we stood at Australia’s highest lifted point in stark defiance of Mother Nature and COVID’s willingness to try and wash away our snow/spirit, yelling “you may take our snow, but you’ll never take our freeeeedom”!
The fact that we even made it this far was a true credit to the tenacity of this year’s Committee. Battling fires, floods, viruses, and every lawyers worst nightmare – the regulator – they came through to put on a four-day (70-person) bonanza that lived up to the LAWSKI hype every bit as much as any other “normal” year!
Backtrack a few days to Night One, which was supposed to be a sedate affair involving a few drinks – but cue a cheeky tip from the locals about this legendary singer known as Travers, and low-and-behold, we found ourselves at The Denman downing Money Shots* and bellowing out Sweet Caroline! Not content to call it a night, the party continued (in a socially distanced and sit-down manner of course – ahem, regulator) to one of the lodges, and the attendees sipped a fine Chivas Mizunara and reminisced in front of the log-fire about the achievements of the evening.
How could this first night be topped I hear you ask?
Well, the days saw us hurtling down Cruiser giving those who scoffed at the mere thought of having such an event during COVID, ye olde British archer’s “sign of disdain”**. And to those who said “errrm, there are holes in the snow” we gave it the “hah, should’ve gone around them” as we made small work of The Basin.
The nights saw us don our best cocktail dresses and tuxes, ride the sunset gondola to Merritts, and sip G.H.Mumm in the snow as a multitude of iridescent fireworks lit up the night sky. This was only superseded by us seeing the night away at the wonderfully organised dinner/awards night held at Merritts Mountain House (under the non-customary, but ever-watchful, eyes of several undercover policemen!).
Policemen or not, lest we forget the crux of these events – the philanthropic endeavours they help fund. This year, the Committee and patrons assisted in raising a substantial sum for Batyr, a progressive and forward-thinking charity that empowers young people to engage in positive conversations about mental health and reach out for support when needed. Bravo team!
So, in closing, I say this – in the weeks to come, as those who didn’t attend languish in the sweltering summer heat re-hashing their Fears of (having) Missed Out, think that you could have been one of those to say “we skied until there was no snow and the last man skied, we partied until there was no place left open to go, and no man, woman or overgrown-manchild fell foul of the regulator”.
*5ml Monin Gingerbread Syrup; 15ml Monin Banana Liqueur Blended With Half A Ripe Banana; Cream To Top The Shot And A Dusting Of Cinnamon
**History suggests that in the battle of 1066, the British archers were so effective and so feared by their enemy that when the French captured an archer they chopped off the two fingers he needed to draw a bow-string. Bowmen who had not been thus disfigured took to holding up two fingers to taunt their cowardly foes.
