A Memorable Birthday Run
Birthday is one of the most treasured days in one’s life. It is the day we are brought to this wonderful world to enjoy the various funs such as hashing and socializing. As such, it used to be celebrated by most people in various ways. And it is of no exception to some devoted hashers who used to celebrate it by conducting a hash run.
Come last Tuesday which fell on 9th September, 2008, it was GM Cocker’s 55th birthday which had automatically promoted him to the respectable status of Senior Citizen and made him a life member of the Senior Citizen Club with no entrance fee and monthly subscription. Coincidentally it was MH3’s weekly running day of which he was its hare as announced by him a week earlier. As expected, it had attracted a big turnout of some 90 hashers who included a few guests and GMs of all the other 7 Malaccan hashing chapters. Among them were James Bond, Rasputin, 4896 (Si Peh Kow Lat) and John from Perth Hash, Australia.
It was a sunny afternoon. Anxious to join the said run, my partner and I arrived early at the run-site on the outskirts of Malacca city in front of Tiara Golf Club along the Ayer Keroh – Bemban Road. Only Cocker’s car was seen parked there. Understandably, he must have left early to set the running trail.
As usual, as oldies and slow runners who do not want to be left behind and get lost, my partner and I started the run as early birds at 5.00 pm by following the paper on a wide laterite road which led to the south. A short distance away, it turned left into a bush, down into a deep drain and up into a thick bush before hitting the first tricky check in a small clearing. A spread-out search was conducted. It was then that we were being joined by 3 other early birds, namely Dr. Tan, Bombastic and Tongkat Ali. After some 25 minutes of tough and tedious search in circle, its connecting paper was found by me in a bushy path some 100 metres on the left of the back trail. As usual, as early birds, we did not join the paper.
The paper continued to trudge left, right and centre through the bushy and undulating terrains for the next some 20 minutes before hitting the second simpler check near a river. Another spread-out search was conducted. Once again its connecting paper was found by me some 100 metres away northward. It continued to lead forward for a short distance before turning right across the said shallow river to a village road. Not wanting to get wet, we continued to walk northward along the said river without following the paper hoping to find a bridge and cross it to follow the paper. On the way, we were surprised to see another 2 early birds Orang Kaya Ngoh and Sweetie Pie walking from the opposite direction on the other side of the river. It was then that we realized that the paper did not lead north along the river but led south instead. Anyway, we continued to walk northward for another some 300 metres before crossing a wooden bridge to the village road. The time then was 6.00 pm when the run was scheduled to have started. As we were quite near to Ayer Keroh – Bemban Road northward which led to our run-site on the left, Bombastic, my partner and I decided to take the home trail without following the paper. However, it was of exception to energetic Tongkat Ali who decided to continue the run by following the paper trail southward along the river. We arrived back at the run-site at 6.25 pm where the hare Cocker, co-hare Kennies and few non-runners were enjoying their cold beer, soft drink, banana and boiled birthday eggs provided by the birthday boy Cocker.
It was a bushy and tricky run at the familiar run-site of some 7 km as measured by Cocker’s GPS. The first scheduled runner was back at 6.52 pm followed closely by a second runner. They were none other than energetic Ranger and guest John from Perth Hash respectively. More runners trickled in from three different directions as time passed by. They included James Bond, Rasputin, Orang Kaya Ngoh, Sweetie Pie, Rubbish Bui and long-lost Websitekang who had been away for some one year and whom I last met at the last Interhash 2008 in Perth, Australia in March, 2008. He still looked as fit and jovial as before. Keep it up. The last runners were back at around 7.30 pm when the sky was still bright. They included Biggles and Tongkat Ali.
Hash circle was conducted by GM Cocker. It was well-attended by an unusual big pack of hashers who included some invited guests. As usual, a number of sinners who included the hare and guests were put on-ice and on-downed. It was then announced by Marion Chung a.k.a. Sleeping Beauty that her coming run on 16th September, 2008 would be held at the familiar run-site of Bertam Ulu. See you there, fellow hashers!
On-On was held at New Good World Restaurant in downtown Melaka Raya. It was well-attended with 7 tables fully occupied. A 6-course delicious Chinese dinner was served with free-flowing Tiger beer, whisky and red wine. It was followed by another on-down session for the sinners, the cutting of birthday cake by Cocker and the presentation of Doctorate of Hashing I.T. degree to Websitekang from University of MH3 by its Chancellor Professor GM Cocker. Congratulations, Dr. Websitekang!
It was a good birthday run, good On-On and memorable night. The food and drinks were on the hare cum birthday boy. It ended at around 10.00 pm when we called it a night with fond memory. Thanks Cocker and Happy Birthday!
On! On!
Scribe: Drug Buster
Date: 11th September, 2008.
