Hi Jim and Sandra,
Following on from our clean up and goodbyes at the weekend and in expectation of the sale settling next weekend I just wanted to formally thank you both for your excellent management of the park over the last 12 years we have been there.
I am sure a caravan park can be a challenging environment at times but we have always felt safe and secure in the knowledge that any improper behaviour would be quickly addressed. In all the years we have never had any cause for concern and have thoroughly enjoyed the experiences that our Howqua retreats have provided us.
You have both always been most helpful whenever called upon for advice and assistance including facility upgrades such as air conditioning and the flyover.
You keep the park in excellent condition and the addition of the pool and mini golf amongst a continuation of more minor upgrades were testaments to your willingness to invest in the facility even in difficult times. The park is a credit to you.
We will certainly miss our “Howqua Fix” but realise time moves on especially as the kids get older.
We wish you well with the sale of the park and hope you get properly rewarded for your years of toil and investment.
Thanks again.
Cheers
Craig and Deb Watts
Good Morning Sandra & Jim, Testimonials from RACV
Just wanted to congratulate you guys again on the improvements all over the park! We had a great weekend and it was wonderful to see the place crowded with people. The pool area is beautiful, and the view from the spa area at the deep end is fantastic!
The whole place is a credit to you and how hard you have been working! Keep it up!
A very wise person once told me – Hospitality is the art of making people feel at home………. when you wish they really were!!
Hope to see you again soon!
Kind regards
Janine & Andrew Sherar – site 88 (with the Hodges’)
Janine Sherar
Member Services, Accommodation and Housekeeping Manager
RACV Country Club
Yarra Glen Road
Healesville Vic 3777
Telephone: (03) 5962 4899
Facsimile: (03) 5962 3450
www.racvclub.eoc.com.au
Dear Sandra and Jim
I wanted to do this in person, and I will call you next week, however,
I wanted to thank you both sincerely for the extra effort you both
went to the week before last to ensure the Tourism Victoria media famil was a success.
I have to say your hospitality was overwhelming, you both stole the show and will be long remembered by the entire group. The famil activities across the lake bed were an exceptional highlight and I know Adrian has already prepared an article as a result of our famil and both Melanie and Tania made reference to the fact that a story on Lake Eildon alone is warranted. I’ll keep you posted on future developments.
The Protea Farm, what can I say, we couldn’t get away – we all loved it and again is another asset to the region.
I guess you have heard, but unfortunately we didn’t get to visit Simon’s garden nor did we get along to Bon Appetite due to Natalia’s ill health. The poor girl was as sick as a dog and the journey up and down Mt Buller was not a pleasant one. I guess the plants along the side of the road aren’t looking too good either after our frequent stops along the way. It is all very well to laugh about it now I guess, but poor Natalia was extremely ill.
I hope your Easter period was busy, particularly from a business point of view. We continue to do our bit for the region and you are now no doubt aware that our good work continues as Paul Edwards, whom has been commissioned to write a feature for Royal Auto, will be repeating our recent itinerary and taking in many of the experiences that we did. I hope it all goes well and he enjoys it as much as we did.
So congratulations to you both on a sensational effort. It was well and truly above and beyond the call of duty. Thank you both again and I will make contact with you in due course.
Have a good weekend.
Regards
DAVID GRATTAN
Product Development Coordinator
Tourism Victoria
Level 6, 55 Collins Street
Melbourne VIC 3000
Tel: 61 3 9653 9871
Fax: 61 3 9653 9733
Email: david.grattan@dsrd.vic.gov.au
Hi Jim and Sandra,
I thought I would send you a brief note of appreciation for the manner in which the park has been managed and improved over the past two or three years.
The swimming pool is obviously the main improvement and has made an enormous difference to the enjoyment of the facilities – particularly over the summer period. It is not just that a pool has been developed but the size and excellent quality of the pool and surrounding landscapes. You have done an outstanding job with it all.
Its also not just the big thingsyou have done but also the smaller things such as plantings and even the paper towels in the bathrooms. It is also the special events you organise such as the recent Halloween evening where the kids all had a lot of fun and it was well organised and run by your team.
The new cabins look brilliant and will also add to the feel of the park.
As you mentioned last time up you don’t see too much of us even when we are there but we do wish to register our appreciation to you and you team.
See you soon.
Warm regards,
Debra, Craig, Nicholas and Georgina Watts
Site 15
Hi Jim & Sandra,
Just a short note to once again say: “Thank You” for a wonderful day today at your magnificent Park
You can be truly proud of what you have achieved, not only today and in the last few days, but over a considerable period of time.
We have no doubt that all the hard work will bear fruit, and we hope it will be plentiful. You deserve it!
Rod and Marielle, Margie, send you their very best wishes and greetings also.
Once again, Thank You and good luck!
Sincerely,
Frank & Thea
Blue Gums Caravan Park, Eildon.
Sandra,
I’d just like to thank you once again for an absolutely sensational
weekend. Your hospitality and friendliness is the best that we have ever
encountered as a club. We most definitely will be returning (if you’ll
still have us) in the future. The cabins were more luxurious than we
deserve and the park facilities were second to none.
I’m still getting calls from my mates during this week all just to tell
me what a great time they had.
Once again, many thanks.
Gary
C/O Toyota Hilux 4WD club of Victoria.
Gary Fisher
Senior IT Consultant
HPA
Direct: 03 9217 5531
Mobile: 0409 404 230
Fax: 03 9217 5702
Sandra and Jim
Just a quick note to tell you we think your park is lovely – the Miners
Cottages are well designed, beautifully furnished and kept. We were all
very impresssed with the cottage and the whole park. Congratulations.
Amanda McKENNA
Howqua Valley Holidays was featured on the TV show, Discover Downunder on the 17th March 2007 and these were some of the comments that were emailed to us:
* Loved the look of the place gotta do that
* I loved it and you said you have a mini golf course coming soon. I also loved the horse riding and and and wow where do I start please let me have this wonderful holiday. My partner and I have been living together for just under a year and would love a holiday away together.
* What I saw was absolutely fantastic, I never knew such a place existed…well done to the people that run it…. fantastic.
* Very impressed and want to go to some of the places they showed.
* We go to Bonnie Doon alot and thought we would like to look at your site.
* Looks beautiful with scope of activities.
* We are excited about having seen your fantastic place because we have been wanting a wonderful holiday where the whole family could experience horses up in the High Country. We can travel by car and its not Too far! Good family fun.
* Its a fantastic show and we never realised what wonderful and exciting places were around in our own state. We have been wanting to have a Horse Ride
* We are now grandparents and about to live our life……first purchase .. the caravan.. then off we go. Wish us luck. Your Park really caught our eye and can’t wait to get there.
I have never won anything in my LIFE, but if I do, be assured that me and my family will be greatly greatful!
* It just looks like a lovely place to take my family.
* What a great place. You can base yourself their and do everything……………
Hey Mum-lets go to Howqua!
Remember the great pool, the spa, the fantastic mini golf, tennis courts, exciting rec. room, Sandra’s great lollies and the “best” hot chips. We can go bike riding, water skiing, fishing, canoeing, play in the big playground, visit the local Zoo, go horse riding or just exploring.
You could never forget the great disco on New Years Eve with glo in the dark neck laces and the Easter egg hunt on Easter Sunday- what about the 7- dwarf tree.
Grand Final day is fun for the whole family-the kids like the party pies and the big kids enjoy the prawns. Halloween the mums need to stock up with lollies- we get dressed up and visit every site.
We can’t wait to hang out with our mates- watching the Kangaroos and rabbits, feeding the birds and delivering the newspaper to our neighbours to make more lolly money.
Lets go to Howqua