Depending how you say it, FARQU might not sound like the friendliest expression. But what it represents is a bunch of mates from Beaudesert creating decades of memories together.
The Fraser and Regional Queensland Unit (FARQU) Fishing Team celebrated their 30-year reunion at a function at The Club, Beaudesert on 21 May.
There were 17 fishermen and their partners at the 30-year celebrations for the group, which has been officially around since 1991.
With their bright orange troop carrier parked out the front, the old mates spent the night inside sharing stories, laughs and a few tears as they remembered years of good times and a few friends no longer with them.
Anniversary dinner organiser Clint Spence reflected on the history of the group.
“There were some early years at Moreton Island, then Graeme Ferguson, Jeff Walker and Keith Musk, all Beaudesert blokes, kicked off Fraser Island in 1991, came back with good reports of the catch, and we’ve gone every year since,” he said.
In 2009, 11 friends pitched in to buy a bright orange 1988 ex-NSW Rural Fire Brigade Toyota troop carrier for their fishing trips as car hire got too expensive, and they have recently added a trailer to the mix.
Clint said the annual trip, which usually happens in October, was about more than fishing.
“It’s just a great week away with the guys, most of them from school or sport,” he said.
“We’ve got a couple of retirees, a couple of cabinet makers, a turf grower, a schoolteacher, a doctor, a meat worker, a Main Roads guy, Energex guy, Mitre 10 guy and we don’t get to see each other much during the year so it’s just great to get together and have a laugh and some good times.”
