He may be 81, but that's not stopping Bob "Minmi Magster" Skelton from living life to the fullest.
He recently went on a hike to Pinny Beach, a secluded spot south of Caves Beach. He and his twin brother Dave trekked to the site.
"We hadn't been there for 70 years. We went there a couple of times camping with the church," he said.
Topics: "Camping with the church? Hmmm. Sounds dodgy."
Magster: "There were a few paedophile-types there, so we never went back."
They camped there in the 1950s with an organisation called the "Church of England Boys' Society", which was named at the royal commission into child sexual abuse.
When they stayed at Pinny Beach, it was at a church property known as Yondaio.
The Magster is interested in the history of the Yondaio site. The land is part of the Wallarah National Park. It became a national park after the NSW government did a land swap with developers about a decade ago to allow housing on the Wallarah Peninsula.
The peninsula is a magnificent strip of land between lake and ocean that stretches from Swansea to Catherine Hill Bay.
The Magster contacted National Parks, the University of Newcastle and the Anglican Church to find out the history of the land.
He discovered that Yondaio stood for the Youth Of Newcastle Diocese.
He recalled that church officials said back in the '50s that an old lady gifted the land to the church. But the Magster suspects it might have been a Crown Land lease.
If you know more about the land's history, email topics@newcastleherald.com.au.
Salty Shotgun
After camping in the Pinny Beach area in the 1950s, the Magster returned soon after with a mate.
"We caught the bus out. I borrowed my father's shotgun without asking him."
They walked into a cave at Pinny Beach. A wave came in and swamped them.
"Lucky I didn't drown I suppose," he said.
Sand and salt got into the gun, his father's pride and joy.
"I had to pull it apart and oil it up, so he wouldn't find out," he said.
When he returned to the site with his twin brother recently, they had lunch in one of the caves.
Thankfully, no waves got them.
A Kiwi Translation
When he originally camped at the site, the Magster recalled that he and his brother carried their gear on a stretcher made from "chaff bags" [hessian bags] and saplings.
Magster: "We didn't have haversacks or knapsacks, or what do they call them now?"
Topics: "Backpacks. Do you know what the Kiwis call them?"
Magster: "No."
Topics: "Beckpecks."
Joke of the Day
What do you call cheese that isn't yours? Nacho cheese.
