Best the Lund kids tell you their experience:-

"The night before the school picnic was like the night before Christmas. With the excitement of tomorrow pending, sleep didn't come easily - then suddenly it was here - picnic day.

Mum would be busy getting food, drinks and blankets ready while dad worked on the boat as the Aurora was always one of the fishing trawlers that carried Nelson Bay school kids and their parents from the co-op wharf to Banks' Farm (Taylors Beach) for a wonderful day of fun every year.

The boats were always a picture that day with scrubbed decks and flags flying.

There were usually four boats - the Aurora, uncle Arch Thompson's Dawn, uncle Jim Hill's Duncan, Roger Coin's Terri K and later Alf Mitchell's Eileen-Sylvia and others joined the fleet.

We would all board our favorite boat and sit where ever we could find a space ready for the trip, which was alive with the anticipation of the day ahead.

The dolphins always provided much entertainment and we would lie on our stomachs and watch them surfacing at the bow, keeping pace with the boat.

On arrival we scrambled ashore and proceeded to find and mark our spot for the day with the laying down of blankets and other necessities on the ground, which had already been mown in readiness.

Soon the races began with much encouragement from the spectators. Running, skipping, sack races, wheelbarrow races (often resulting in a few sore noses), three legged races, egg and spoon, hop, skip and jump race, and blindfold races - it was so exciting.

It wasn't all for kids, one of the adult races was the "honeymoon race" in which a couple ran hand in hand to the end of the field, stopped, exchanged clothing (outer layer) and ran hand in hand back again.

Everyone won a prize so, on those wonderful days, there were never any losers.