Once again, very enthusiastic anglers and families started turning up days before the fishing event officially started.
The camp-out took place in a much-loved setting on the river banks of Chanters Reserve (now owned by the Dunn family). Ground cover due to continued rainfall helped campers beat the dust and the river was once again healthy, flowing and rising steadily.
There were a few native fish caught over the weekend but not many. Anglers didn’t give up with many heading out on boats for hours at a time. The biggest fish for the weekend was caught (and released) by Sandy Van Dyk which was a 66cm Murray Cod. Unfortunately there were no fish caught in the women’s section (adult).
Full Fishing Results:
• Mens Biggest Native Fish John Robberds Memorial Trophy – Sandy Van Dyk (66cm Murray Cod)
• Mens Biggest Native Fish Runners up – equal winners – Terry Stewart and Brock Phillips (57cm Murray Cod)
• Girls Biggest Native Fish – Millie Chisholm (58cm Murray Cod)
• Boys Biggest Native Fish – Will Van Dyk (48cm Yellow Belly)
• Biggest Bag of Native Fish Doc Memorial Trophy – Will Van Dyk (48 cm and 46cm Yellow Belly)
Fishing is always a highlight of the weekend but the Easter Camp-out is always so much more than that. Families and friends coming together, traditionally year after year – the event is definitely more about being together and making memories.
Like previous years, the Anglers had a number of organised events where each little camp would come together as one big camp. Billy boiling, Harrys Yabby Races, a Footy kicking Comp and a Damper Competition!
In honour of Anglers Club member Trevor Cain, the billy-boiling competition will now run in his memory. Trevor always took a front row seat over the years encouraging and supporting the kids in this much loved and challenging event. This year there were a total of 5 teams with each team having a mix of older and younger kids. And how lovely it is seeing the mix of ages working together showing true team spirit. First place winners were Adelaide Heins and Isabelle Ross (Leeton), Henri Sanson, Madden Alchin and Will Van Dyk.
Harry’s yabby races were another big hit. The excitement was obvious by the kids and adults that crowded around the race circle. There were a total of 40 yabbies and so many entrants that a few had to double up bringing the total number of entrants to 45. The yabbies were allocated at random and the kids cheered as their yabbies edged closer to the finish line. In the big final there was not one winner but two with both yabbies crossing the finish line at the exact same time!
Congratulations to Beau Golding and Henri Sanson!
The footy kicking comp followed the yabby races and in this competition you had to kick the football through the goal posts, the goal posts being a gap in a big old gum tree. It was the best out of 3 kicks with Young Logan McFadyen winning the junior competition with champion status of 3 out of 3 and Brock Phillips taking out the senior section with 2 successful kicks – which was quite the effort with a higher and tighter goal post (the red gum gap).
The damper cooking was such a great turn out with kids and adults producing some fine and creative dampers. Lined up on the table were big and small dampers, smartie dampers, traditional dampers, Raspberry Smirnoff and beer dampers, chocolate dampers and even dampers with bacon and brie!
Winner of exotic section went to Reagan Golding, Jade Collins, Emmersen McFayden and winner of Traditional Dampers went to Matilda Sanson. Yum yum yum! Massive thanks to participants and the three wonderful judges!
Sandy’s Hang-a-Lure competition wrapped up the competitions whereby an entrant had to hang a lure and make a gold coin donation. The overall winner would walk away with every lure hung and the very lucky winner was young Brooklyn Golding!
The Anglers Club would like to thank all goods donated by families and businesses. The event would not be as successful as it was without your help. Congratulations to all winners of the raffle who chose from a selection of prizes which were very generously donated by Peter Johnson, Angela and Dave Pieper, David and Tina McFadyen, Scott and Tanya Golding, Luke and Amy Golding, John and Eunice Orr, and Bob Sanson.
Also congratulations to all prize winners of the competitions and many thanks goes out to the following people for your generous donations. Lorelle Golding, Ray Orr, June Byrnes, Barry and Emma Heins, Leanne and Patrick Cain, Linda Forrester, Angela Pieper, and Sanson Farming!
Special thanks to others that contributed in some way either by donations or helping out. There are too many people to name – how lucky we are as a club. Those that donated and those that gave their time in any big or small way – thank you. The biggest thanks of all must go to President of the club, John Orr and vice president Peter Johnson. They both took great care and much of their own time organising the weekend and it would not have been the success it was without their support.
They were definitely the back bone of such a successful weekend!!
And what a weekend it was! As they say, all good things must come to an end but the Anglers Easter Camp will by tradition come around again – with more fish to be caught, more laughs to be had and more memories to be made under that big open sky by the river.

Story and Images courtesy of Lake News. Story by Rebecca Sanson-Van Dyk.

A group of the children at presentation night. There were more than 50 registered kids during the weekend.

Kids and adults gathered around during the damper competition.

The audience during the Footy Kicking Comp. Jai Robertson was up, kicking as hard as he could.

Will Van-Dyk with one of two Yellow Belly caught over the weekend. Will was the winner of the ‘Boys Biggest Native Fish’, catching a 48cm Yellow Belly and the ‘Biggest Bag of Native Fish Doc Memorial Trophy’ with two Yellow Bellys (48cm and 46cm).