SWAmPARAMA

Swamparama

Australian Beer Can Collectors Association

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In May 1983, the first joint meeting between the Queensland and New South Wales

Divisions of ABCCA was held in the northern NSW town of Inverell. The hosts were local

collectors Alan #041 and Brian #430. The meeting, christened “Sapphire City Country

Can Swap” was the first ABCCA swap meeting to be hosted jointly by more than one

Division. It was such a successful event that it was decided to make a joint meeting

between the two Divisions a yearly occurrence. The only points for discussion for the

following year were “when” and “where”.

Sydney collectors Warwick and Gwenda’s collection of everything that could possibly be

collected was fast becoming a major space problem. So much to the extent that they

could not even move around in their own home. In 1983 with this in mind, they bought a

30 acre property at Pimlico, some 15 kilometres south of Ballina on the NSW north coast.

Little by little, portions of the collections were transported to Pimlico with each visit. The

property comprised a number of sheds with one in particular to become home to

Warwick and Gwenda during their stays on the property. This became known as the

“Pimlico Hilton”. It also served as the main food preparation and dining area as well as

housing Warwick’s collections of number plates, farm tools and kitchen appliances along

with a small collection of beer cans. Warwick’s main can collection was to remain in

Sydney for the interim.

Warwick and Gwenda had no hesitation in offering to host a 1984 joint meeting between

the Queensland and NSW Divisions which took place on the Queensland long weekend

in May. The meeting was christened “SWAmPARAMA”.

The term “Swamp” stems from the low-lying nature of the property and also from the

high rainfall experienced in this part of NSW. “SWAmPARAMA” was written in capital

letters with a small “m” to further highlight that the event is in fact a “swap” event, as in

the swapping of beer cans.

About 70 members and associates enjoyed a memorable weekend which was made

even more spectacular by the bush setting of the property. Huge Black Boys, estimated

to be over 1000 years old are amongst the mixture of native trees and shrubs. To one

side is a man-made lake which was dubbed “Flag Lake”. Around the perimeter is an

avenue of flag poles which fly an array of colourful flags. Also dispersed around the

property are a number of old phone boxes and mail boxes as well as many old road

signs. Very pleasant surroundings overall for a beer can swap meeting.

This inaugural meeting saw the introduction of two competitions which were to become

annual events at SWAmPARAMA. The Pimlico “Mr Beer Belly” Competition was

organised by the ladies, who paraded a number of very surprised members before

declaring Queensland’s Peter #137 as the winner. Peter was presented with a suitably

inscribed t-shirt.

At the Inverell joint meeting in 1983, a beer tasting competition was held which was won

by Dick #280 from Queensland. A perpetual trophy was constructed featuring a

Courage Expert Drinker can. It was decided to continue this competition at

SWAmPARAMA with John #752 taking the trophy back to NSW.

This weekend had to become an annual event and so it did. SWAmPARAMA became

one of the most vital events on the ABCCA calendar, made even more so by the superb

preparation and hard work by Warwick, Gwenda and their band of helpers. The Pimlico

Hilton was to serve as the main food preparation and dining area for the event. Adjacent

to the lake was a bonfire area which became the scene for many a huddle on a cold

Saturday night for a few beers and a yarn, along with a few late-evening games of cards.

Warwick & Gwenda

provided accommodation on site in the form of 13 garden sheds for

those members who didn’t mind roughing it as well as plenty of space for your caravan

or tent. Others chose to spend the nights in motels in nearby Ballina.

There is a common misconception that the first Inverell meeting in 1983 was also the

first SWAmPARAMA. This is not true, there were other joint meetings held in

Inverell,

including one on the Easter weekend in 1986. This belief probably stems from a

mistake

on a stick-on label beer can produced in 1993 for the tenth SWAmPARAMA

which

showed the first year as 1983 instead of 1984. Furthermore, the result of the

1983 beer

tasting in Inverell was also recorded on the beer tasting trophy.

As May is generally regarded as the tail end of the wet season in the area, 1987 saw the

event moved to July. This didn’t always mean a dry weekend, but there was certainly a

better prospect of one in July rather than May.

During the late 1980s, it became apparent amongst certain collectors in the ACT,

Victoria and Tasmania that the Queensland and NSW Divisions were on to a good thing.

Several members from these other states included SWAmPARAMA as part of their

annual escape from the southern winter. Many have been back virtually every year

since.

In later years, SWAmPARAMA even attracted the attention of members from overseas.

New Zealander Don #1777 has attended, as has playing card collector Peter #1889

from the UK, Rod #1745 from South Africa and Theo #1546 from the Netherlands.

With more and more of Warwick and Gwenda’s collection making the big move, Warwick

saw the need to build further accommodation for it. In 1993 a giant 80ft by 60ft shed was

constructed featuring a mezzanine floor. Warwick was able to display his 10,000+ beer

can collection, as well as the collections of old bottles, glasses, flags, poker machines,

some 200 telephones, model cars, Gwenda’s shell collection, old records and record

players, garargenalia, kitchenalia, QANTAS memorabilia, ephemera, the list goes on.

The museum was christened “MOCAT” (Museum of Collectables and Technology) with

the focus on any packaging that was pre-metric.

From 1995 a proper commemorative beer can was able to be produced for the event,

thanks to Tooheys Brewery, Visy Pak (formerly Containers Packaging) and John #655.

The can was based on an attractive oval label design in a different colour combination

for each year and featured what had become the “symbol” of SWAmPARAMA – a koala.

In 1997, Warwick sold his blindmaking business along with their home in Hurstville in

Sydney to retire to Pimlico. It was at this point when the most dramatic changes to the

property took place. The Pimlico Hilton was dismantled to make way for Warwick and

Gwenda’s new home. The area between their new house and the museum shed was

cleared and a new shed constructed using the original framework from the Pimlico

Hilton. This new shed was christened “The Swamp”, the name being taken from the TV

series “M*A*S*H”. As well as serving as the main cooking and dining area, the shed also

features all the items that were displayed in the Pimlico Hilton.

The increased area that The Swamp provided also lead to the evolution of the

SWAmPARAMA Saturday night dinner. Over more recent years this involved fancy

dress, hat parades, talent quests and entertainment from a country and western band. A

far cry from the quiet bonfire nights, but they did provide SWAmPARAMA with an added

dimension in catering for those in attendance who were not collectors as such. Some of

these nights were amongst the most memorable moments in the event’s history.

The 20th SWAmPARAMA was held in 2003 with members and guests being presented

with special ties and red caps by Gwenda. The only four people to have attended all 20

SWAmPARAMAs received theirs in orange instead of red. The four were Dick #280,

Peter #137 and of course Warwick and Gwenda.

Gwenda also presented Certificates of Appreciation to particular people who have

assisted with and supported SWAmPARAMA over the years, including the sixteen

members present who were at the first SWAmPARAMA in 1984.

Although the Mr Beer Belly competition was discontinued in 2004, many other events

were introduced in recent times including the Ladies’ Rolling Pin Throwing contest,

Men

“Cowpat”

Throwing and the Sunday “Casino Night”.

In 2006, Luc #1628 and Margaret #1764 became the first members to attend from WA,

while in 2008, National President Bob #004 was the first South Australian to experience

the event.

The 25th Anniversary of SWAmPARAMA was in 2008, with the Saturday Night “Silver

Ball” a highlight. Attendees were encouraged to dress in silver.

SWAmPARAMA rivals the

Canathon

as the highlight of the ABCCA collecting calendar.

In the early years it was the Queensland and NSW collectors. Then interstate members

started coming along. Then eventually, several overseas collectors caught the

SWAmPARAMA bug.

Anyone who has attended a SWAmPARAMA would attest that it is a truly unique event,

in a truly unique setting. There is probably not another beer can swap meeting like it

anywhere else in the world.

Click photo to view

The 29th SWAmPARAMA will held in July 2012
Saturday night theme will be SIXTIES
Registration forms are available from your
State Divisions