Blencowe Families' Reunion

Port Macquarie, New South Wales, Australia
25-27 April 2008

A reunion of the Blencowe Family and other spelling variations and their descendants is planned for the 25-27 April 2008.

The 25th April is ANZAC Day in both Australia and New Zealand making it a long weekend. It is also the last weekend of the autumn school holidays in most Australian states and New Zealand.

Greater Port Macquarie is a thriving coastal region and popular getaway destination. Established as a penal settlement in 1821, the region presents a diversity of seaside and hinterland venues and attractions, blending colourful heritage with rich culture and contemporary coastal style. Situated 4.5 hours by road and a one-hour flight from Sydney and Brisbane, Greater Port Macquarie is easily accessible.

Climate
Port Macquarie enjoys one of the best climates in Australia. The daytime temperature in April is around 26 degrees Celsius with warm balmy evenings. Cosmopolitan al fresco cafes, bars and restaurants abound. Combine this with a wide range of quality accommodation, shopping and galleries, river cruises and water sports, and you have the perfect destination for a holiday and reunion.

Accommodation
Accommodation options include international hotels and resorts, modern serviced apartments, motels, B&B's and cabins and caravan parks. Port Macquarie Tourist Centre will handle all accommodation bookings and will begin taking expressions of interest. You may stay where you like but we hope to negotiate packages in three different price ranges at centralised places. This will make transport a lot easier.

We are hoping to entice families to come as small groups within the larger Blencowe group. We will be planning activities to appeal to the older family members, the young and fit (and those who think they are) and for accompanying children. All types of activities can be viewed on the council's website www.portmacquarieinfo.com.au and we ask you to explore this website and let us know what activities appeal to you. We will have a set selection of tours and activities over the three days with some exciting exploring options for interested small groups both before and after the weekend.

The reunion will run for three days but we are encouraging people to come to Port Macquarie for at least a week. We will organize group excursions for those who wish or you will be free to do your own thing. I would suggest overseas travellers come to Australia for a minimum of three weeks. You could fly into Sydney for a few days before travelling on to Port Macquarie then continuing north to Queensland where Brisbane, the Gold Coast, Cairns and the Great Barrier Reef are wonderful tourist experiences.

At this stage we would like an expression of interest from people who would like to attend. We are also after people to volunteer to spread the word amongst family groups. It is such a good opportunity to get your distant cousins together for a group holiday on neutral territory.

We have information packs containing DVD's or CD-Roms supplied by the Port Macquarie Council which can be sent to interested parties. Email would be the ideal way to send further information so please advise if you'd like to be on the Reunion mailing list: blencowefamiliesaustralia @ yahoo.com.au Watch Blencowe website for updates.

Your reunion organisers,
Frances Forbes & Anne Burton