It could have been the heat but a most strange vision came to me this year as I lay under an umbrella; a  vision so vivid it seemed almost real.

As you would all know the Orange and District Picnic Basket Weavers Club has a long history of promoting the social side of basket weaving in the Orange district.

You would be surprised to know how many people have only a passing interest in basket weaving but thoroughly enjoy gathering together for a fun day at which basket weaving occurs but is certainly not the main focus. 

The Orange and District Picnic Basket Weaving Club has existed for over 70 years and has a proud tradition of donating a very large percentage of profits that it makes from its big day to a local charity.

The Orange and District Basket Weaving Club is maintained by a group of individuals who form a committee and meet regularly throughout any given year to organise the club’s one big event - the Orange and District Picnic Basket Weaving Day.

People come from everywhere to join in the fun. In many instances people who attend the day have no interest in basket weaving but simply attend to catch up with friends from around the place they have not seen for a while.

More recently the day has been a popular event for people celebrating birthdays or hens’ days or the like. It is a very diverse event.

Regrettably,  from the actions of a different organisation that is responsible for basket weaving in Orange and which has the express task of making basket weaving more attractive to basket weavers.

This organisation calls itself Basket Weaving Orange. And, it has to be said  that Basket Weaving Orange does a magnificent job. Unfortunately Basket Weaving  Orange does not have as much money as it would like to have to promote basket weaving in Orange. 

The reasons for this lack of money of course have nothing to do with the less serious and more socially focused Orange and District Picnic Basket Weaving Club.

Basket Weaving Orange was formed in mid-2011. The big day for the Orange and District Picnic Basket Weaving Club was held in early 2012 and went off without a hitch and there were no problems between Basket Weaving Orange and the club.

The club then set about organising its big day for 2013 and towards November 2012  looked to meet with Basket Weaving Orange to discuss logistical matters for the big day.

 The club was dumbfounded to be told on December 5, 2012 that its big day in 2013 could not proceed unless the club paid a sum of $10,000 to Basket Weaving Orange.

This concept was incomprehensible to the club given that no such fee had ever been asked for by any basket weaving organising body.

Even so, after brushing themselves off the club decided that poor old Basket Weaving Orange probably needed some financial help and decided to make a $5000 donation.

This gesture of goodwill was rejected out of hand by Basket Weaving Orange and needless to say thereafter negotiations proceeded tersely to a point where the club felt it was being held to ransom by Basket Weaving Orange.

The stated position of Basket Weaving Orange was that it was in control of basket weaving in this town and that if the club did not accede to the financial demands of Basket Weaving Orange the club could not hold its big day.

What point can be taken from this hypothetical tale? The legal system does have some flaws and does produce the occasional injustice.

However, in 999 cases of 1000 if you act fairly and reasonably and honestly you will ultimately be vindicated by  the system.

- Toby Tancred

Whiteley Ironside & Shillington