Classic Racqueteers Meet up in Sydney

Virginia · 02-07-2009, 08:52 PM

Calling anyone and everyone who lives in Sydney:

I'll be visiting my daughter for a week or so towards the end of March (hoping to meet the legendary Ken Rosewall) and would love to meet you Sydneysiders for some coffee or whatever and of course some classic racquet chat.

We can sort out phone numbers and whatnot nearer the time, but please post if you're interested and say what form our meeting(s) should take, i.e. coffee, lunch, dinner, or whatever.

I'll bring some of my racquets with me for trading perhaps or just to show you guys some of my treasures. I have to watch the weight though (the racquets, not mine LOL), so maybe not more than half a dozen or so. Maybe a dozen, tops.

Let me know what you all think.

MAXXply · 02-09-2009, 03:04 AM

Well I guess we'll have the day to ourselves Virginia...! Looking forward to your latest bag of goodies...

Virginia · 03-22-2009, 09:54 PM

Just reviving this in case there are some new posters around.

I'll be in Sydney from 27th March to 2nd April and would love to meet anyone who's in the Willoughby or Chatswood area (or anywhere in North Sydney) during that period. Coffee, lunch, chat or whatever.

MAXXply and I are in touch already, and if you want to get in contact, my phone number (at my daughter's place) is 9 4 0 3 - 5 4 4 8

Virginia · 03-22-2009, 11:33 PM

Just thought I'd tell you what happened last time I flew to Sydney.

I was taking four valuable and rare racquets with me and had them in a Head racquet bag on wheels. As this bag is such that the racquet handles stick out at the top, I didn't want to risk having it in the aircraft hold, so I decided to take in on board with me.

I checked first with both Qantas and Auckland airport, that this would be OK and they both said yes.

Imagine my horror therefore when, after going through the xray machine, they tell me I can't take the bag on board. Not only that, but they are going to confiscate it and destroy the contents!

I tried to explain that I'd already checked this out in advance, but they just called the supervisor, who proceeded to read me chapter and verse about taking dangerous goods on board. Every time I tried to open my mouth, he talked me down and was obviously getting pretty angry.

He told me that not only could he have the bag and its contents destroyed, he could also arrest me! He made me feel like a criminal!

Well, being a woman, I did the "female" thing and he finally took pity on me and said he'd see what he could do.

TWENTY minutes later, with the plane due to leave in 15 minutes, he came back and said that as a special concession, someone from the plane would come and take the bag and put it in the hold. Whew!

When I got back to Auckland, I complained both to Qantas and the airport about the heavy handed treatment I'd received. I spoke to the Duty Officer of Airport Security and was told that Qantas was the only carrier that considered tennis racquets were "dangerous".

Qantas were apologetic and said they would clarify their "rules", so that passengers were in no doubt about this in the future. I see that they have indeed put in some additional wording in the paragraph that deals with dangerous goods, so that it now reads:

Quote:

SPORTING GOODS (INCLUDING, WITHOUT LIMITATION, SPORTING BATS,
BILLIARDS/SNOOKER/POOL CUES, CATAPULTS)

max · 03-23-2009, 04:47 AM

Absolutely amazing! pretty unreasonable.

tailofdog · 03-24-2009, 06:37 PM

Same things happen to us on Jet Star no racquets on board and they have very broad sweeping powers. In SOUTH AUSTRALIA a girl actually made us take our racquet bags to an ovesize or fragile section. (FOR THE SAFTEY OF OUR RACQUETS< WE WERE TOLD) They then put the bag through explosives detectors. My wife and i were 60 yr old anglo saxon tennis players playing in the citys National Seniors tennis tournament.

Virginia · 03-24-2009, 09:31 PM

Something odd about Australia then - maybe Hoad and Rosewall were secretly terrorists, who put the fear of god into the airline authorities. They certainly put the fear of god into other tennis players!

Or maybe they thought "Rocket" Laver was a threat to national security!

Bud · 03-25-2009, 04:29 AM

I'd have told them... "you'll destroy these racquets over my dead body!"

People like that are just power hungry and arrogant.

02-07-2009, 08:52 PM	#1
Virginia Professional Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Auckland, New Zealand Posts: 1,469	Classic Racqueteers Meet up in Sydney Calling anyone and everyone who lives in Sydney: I'll be visiting my daughter for a week or so towards the end of March (hoping to meet the legendary Ken Rosewall) and would love to meet you Sydneysiders for some coffee or whatever and of course some classic racquet chat. We can sort out phone numbers and whatnot nearer the time, but please post if you're interested and say what form our meeting(s) should take, i.e. coffee, lunch, dinner, or whatever. I'll bring some of my racquets with me for trading perhaps or just to show you guys some of my treasures. I have to watch the weight though (the racquets, not mine LOL), so maybe not more than half a dozen or so. Maybe a dozen, tops. Let me know what you all think. __________________ See my racquet collection at www.80s-tennis.com/pages/virginia-crawford.html and my addition to the Borg collection of the now rare Donnay Diamant.

02-09-2009, 03:04 AM	#2
MAXXply Professional Join Date: May 2008 Location: Sydney Posts: 1,222	Well I guess we'll have the day to ourselves Virginia...! Looking forward to your latest bag of goodies... __________________ Before TW: satisfied POG Mid user for over 20 years After TW: racketholic - never settled - always looking for my next fix

03-22-2009, 09:54 PM	#3
Virginia Professional Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Auckland, New Zealand Posts: 1,469	Just reviving this in case there are some new posters around. I'll be in Sydney from 27th March to 2nd April and would love to meet anyone who's in the Willoughby or Chatswood area (or anywhere in North Sydney) during that period. Coffee, lunch, chat or whatever. MAXXply and I are in touch already, and if you want to get in contact, my phone number (at my daughter's place) is 9 4 0 3 - 5 4 4 8 __________________ See my racquet collection at www.80s-tennis.com/pages/virginia-crawford.html and my addition to the Borg collection of the now rare Donnay Diamant.

03-23-2009, 04:47 AM	#5
max Hall Of Fame Join Date: Jul 2004 Posts: 2,336	Absolutely amazing! pretty unreasonable. __________________ Trustworthy - Loyal - Helpful - Friendly - Courteous - Kind - Obedient - Cheerful - Thrifty - Brave - Clean - Reverent

03-24-2009, 06:37 PM	#6
tailofdog Semi-Pro Join Date: Dec 2007 Posts: 492	Jet Star Same things happen to us on Jet Star no racquets on board and they have very broad sweeping powers. In SOUTH AUSTRALIA a girl actually made us take our racquet bags to an ovesize or fragile section. (FOR THE SAFTEY OF OUR RACQUETS< WE WERE TOLD) They then put the bag through explosives detectors. My wife and i were 60 yr old anglo saxon tennis players playing in the citys National Seniors tennis tournament.