April 14th, 2008 Matt
I have just got back from a weekend at SpunOut which was absolutely awesome. SpunOut is the annual weekend camp of the Perth Fire Group where we all get together and learn stuff (poi, staff, double staff, diablo, juggling, unicycling etc). This year was the biggest yet with around about 100 people staying for the full weekend.
The weekend started on Friday night with some contact fire (rubbing flaming sticks up and down your arm) and fire eating (sticking said sticks in mouth). The workshop had to be cut short because we set off all the smoke alarms in the building. I think I went to bed about 3am that night, I remember playing LED frisbee in the dark and sitting around the camp fire. I also helped Gnor screen print a heap of T-shirts (with the odd pair of jeans thrown in).
Saturday was the first real day of workshops, I didn’t really take part in many of the workshops, instead I wandered around taking photos (in the end I took about 1700 over the weekend). For me the weekend was more about the environment, atmosphere and most importantly the people. I did attend the excellent fire safety and fire first aid talk.
Saturday finished with the fire show. Basically, anyone who wanted could join in the show and show off what they’d learnt that day (or what they were teaching that day in a few cases). However, the highlight of the fire show was Az and his amazing flaming bicycle. He rode around, wearing only his boxers and a cycle helmet, on a child’s bike with the wheels and handle bars on fire. Later in the show all the performers got up together and Az was riding like a maniac through and around them.
Az on the Fire Bike
The fire show finished with the burning of a little man, which Gnor, Dan and I think Beddy had made from bamboo. Earlier in the day I’d helped Jedly and Angus rig stage pyrotechnics in the man. Angus set fire to the man with his flame thrower and Stu chucked a bucket of fuel over for good measure.
After the show the doof (bush rave) started up with Rusty on the decks. Lots of people played with their fire toys and Angus let a few of us loose with the flame thrower. I also got to ride the flaming bicycle through the dancers and fire twirlers.
Me and the Flame Thrower
Az pulled out his fire soccer ball and a few of us proceeded to play fire soccer. We had a few close calls with Rusty’s DJ gear (for the record I think Az kicked that one), a rather dry looking bush and the underneath of a car in the car park. However, no damage was done. (Steve bought a soccer ball the next day so we need to go down to the beach at some point 
)
By the end of the night we had gone through about 65-70 litres of fuel and ran out. I think I went to bed about 4am that night after dozing around the camp fire.
Sunday morning I had to be up and ready to teach unicycling by 10am. Somehow my name ended up as an instructor along with Colin’s. I spent the hour with the kids while Colin took the adults to the other side of the building.
At some point I spent some time in the chill-out zone watching Tarra and Mark trying to poke each other with sticks. This involved gathering sticks (without leaving the hammock) and tying them together with bits of string pulled out of the carpet. It took about 90mins for Mark to finally win by poking Tarra (although it was very close). I also wandered down to the lake with Gnor and a few others. Gnor and I sat for about an hour watching as the others went canoeing.
Other events on the Sunday included the water balloon fight (which I managed to stay out of because I was taking photographs) and the Olympics which I also took photos of.
Kurt running for cover
Sunday night I was up until 4am again around the camp fire watching Az trying to get chocolate sauce out of a plastic bottle and accidentally dripping it up his nose. We warned him that it’d solidify up there so he was trying to snort and fish it out. It was very amusing but I suspect you had to be there for the full effect.
Monday morning I helped pack up before leaving at about 11am. I arrived at work at about 12:15 having had a quick shower stop at home.
I doubt this is even a quarter of the things I did and saw and I didn’t get to see everything.
I am now absolutely shattered and I can’t wait for Burning Man . SpunOut was a hundred people for two days, Burning Man will be 40,000 people for eight days , I’m going to be stuffed after that. However, as Geo said “You don’t go to Burning Man to sleep!”
Photos One, Two, Three and Four
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