Happy 40th Birthday Winter Festival my old friend. It’s great to be around to help you consecrate this milestone with all of your friends, adoring fans and agglomeration of groupies, B grade celebs and other hanger’s on seeking to bask in your reflected glory.  You’re a true local icon whose antics have made you legendary around the world.  From humble beginnings you have really grown in stature over the years, maturing into something we can all be proud of a showpiece for our region and a celebration of all that this great part of New Zealand can offer. 

2013 will be my 10th consecutive year fully immersed in the nipple hardening extravaganza that is Winter Festival.  I dabbled as a spectator and competitor prior but 2004 was the year things really happened for me; I got involved speedos and all and fell in love with the fun and frivolity of this special event.

I don’t remember it being this hard, partly due to my early onset of dementia, partly because it gets much harder with age. 

The all-day, all-night grind associated with ensuring the festival and its many extravagant courses are knocked off and enjoyed is a young man’s game yet many of us would-be Peter Pans are not willing to pass the baton on just yet.