Camino Downunder workshops

[sillydoll]

Grossman’s Auckland workshop will take place on Saturday 3rd July 2010 at the Parnell Trust, Jubilee Building, 545 Parnell Road, Parnell, Auckland. The Camino Downunder workshop costs $175 per person, or $300 for couples. Registration begins at 8.30AM for a 9AM start and 5PM finish.

The Queenstown workshop will take place on Saturday 10th July 2010 at Rydges Lakeland Resort, 38-54 Lake Esplanade, Queenstown.

For more information visit http://www.caminodownunder.com

($175 - a bit steep? The CSJ of SA charges ± $4 for a workshop with tea/coffee and handouts.)

 

[KiwiNomad06]

($175 - a bit steep? The CSJ of SA charges ± $4 for a workshop with tea/coffee and handouts.)

I agree sil.... it certainly is a very steep price. I guess there is a 'gap in the market' as we have no 'association' here as such. I am sure that any former pilgrim here on the forum would willingly answer questions from other Kiwis via PM etc, - for no cost.
Margaret
PS And anyone who happens to be near Palmerston North on the evening of July 6th, I am giving a slide show presentation to MTSC. I can give more details on PM.

 

[jl]

From my understanding of this, these workshops are a private enterprise. When My name and address was published in the CSJ bulletin I received a brochure from him about it - quite a glossy one at that. Obviously he uses the new addresses in the bulletin each time as potential clients. Indeed, one friend who walked the Camino last October / November was handed a business card from this "organisation", while on the way!. It would certainly be expensive to attend if one were to factor in travel and accomodation to Sydney (or Melbourne) from Adelaide!

Cheers, Janet

 

[JohnnieWalker]

It is disgraceful that this guy is using the CSJ membership lists like this. The only real long term answer is to start a local association - why not? Sil and me and many others will come to the inauguration

 

[sillydoll]

.... or at least give it our full support and share any knowledge or info we have on our respective confraternities.
Come on Maggie - what about it?

 

[KiwiNomad06]

.... or at least give it our full support and share any knowledge or info we have on our respective confraternities.
Come on Maggie - what about it?

lol I have wondered about it, and wondered how it might be done. But I don't live in a big enough centre of population..... I know that New Zealand looks small on a map, but it is actually very loooooong, and I live a long way from Auckland which is the main centre of population.

Maybe a useful thing to do though might be to begin compiling some kind of database of people who have walked the Camino who are willing to help others with info etc.
Margaret

 

[JohnnieWalker]

The first cyber confraternity? With database, bulletin, web cams for practical pilgrim sessions....why not? Margaret for President!

 

[jl]

I would love to get a local association started here. I have been collecting names and contact details and even copies of membership charters from other associations. The logistics are the problem - I even spoke to Marion at the CSJ last year about it. It is such a long way from one state to another, and even further across the Tasman. We will probably call an informal meeting later this year for Adelaide, but that doesn't answer the National situation. Nor does it answer the Trans Tasman thing. Having lived in both countries I well know the idiosyncracies - and difficulties of trying to co-ordinate such things between us. We have great rivalries and great friendships between Australia and NZ but none the less it is still a 2 hour plane flight - and very expensive to travel between the two countries! It is easier to travel between the states in Australia because one can drive - for 1-2 days, or more!

Mind you I have about 50 names of people who have walked or are planning to walk / cycle the Camino just from Adelaide alone, and the list seems to be growing on a weekly basis. This would be a good number to get things started with here. We just have to sort out a time and a venue! Regards, Janet

 

[KiwiNomad06]

We have great rivalries and great friendships between Australia and NZ but none the less it is still a 2 hour plane flight - and very expensive to travel between the two countries! Regards, Janet

Three hour plane flight Janet...... We separated and moved east 80 million years ago to keep our distance, so let's keep to the three hours! Friendship has to keep in the proper place behind rivalry after all!!
Margaret

 

[jl]

I was thinking sporting rivalries Margaret! Not that I am much into that (sport I mean) - but many are!!!!. I prefer to come visit and walk the wonderful hills and valleys of your Mountain Ranges! Mind you, we have some pretty special places too - not as high, or cold, but with their own special beauty. It just goes to show that it is about time I came over the Tasman again if I can't remember how long the flight is! Perhpas we can hold a joint Camino meeting when I do - or else you come visit us!

Cheers, Janet

 

[JohnnieWalker]

Seriously - does it have to be a "real" confraternity? Members can join up on the internet, there can be either conference call telephone meetings or using web cams - local members can be put in touch with each other - there could be your own "antipodean credencial" etc...

 

[ivar]

If you would like to use the forum, I could create a section for Australia/New Zealand... and there could be a moderator just for that section..

If there is interest, just let me know...

Saludos,
Ivar

 

[William Marques]

Re: Camino Downunder

Confraternities can work even if many members are not local. Although the Confraternity of Pilgrims to Rome (CPR) is UK based many members are from Australia/New Zealand and Canada/USA. If you provide a useful service and backup with local groups forming in the main population centres after a time I do not think it matters whether the people organising it are in Sydney/Melbourne or one of the smaller towns.

The people starting it up and running it will need to get together and meet from time to time but much can be done as John says over the internet and by e-mail.

Try it! You may find you are pushing at an open door and people have been waiting for someone to take the first step.

Good luck

 

[sillydoll]

The South African CSJ was started in Cape Town in 2002 at a pilgrim get-together organised by a couple who had walked the Frances the year before (61,418 pilgrims got the Compostela that year). A friend told me about them when I was planning my walk and I contacted them for advice.
I live 1 800kms away in Durban and when I returned from the walk, they asked me if I would consider answering questions from local wanna-be pilgrims. I organised a St James Feast Day get-together that year in my home. There were 7 past pilgrims and about 10 wanna-be pilgrims.
Once a year I have a Camino Practical Day workshop in Feb/March and a St James' Feast Day get-together in July.
Affiliated groups were started in George, Knysna, Durban and Johannesburg. The CSJ started issuing the AMIGOS newsletter in 2003 and credentials in 2004.
My contact details are on the website for people wanting advice so I answer quite a lot of queries each week.
We don't have an office and most of the work is done by email.

 

[KiwiNomad06]

lol I go to sleep here in the Antipodes, and y'all have got us sorted into a CSJ when I wake!!! Sil, that is very interesting to hear how you got started in South Africa. And Ivar, I can see that a section on the forum website might be a useful way of starting to allow people 'down here' to become more connected. Maybe I will ring Janet in the weekend to see what she thinks...... she has already begun a lot of the 'groundwork' that might enable a group to get going in Adelaide. I think that here in NZ, there perhaps is already a group of Camino-ites in Hamilton who organise something on the feast day of St James. Now.... if only I didn't have to get stuck into my botany study today :shock:
Margaret

 

[Deleted member 3000]

More publicity for the event:

http://www.impactpr.co.nz/News/ClientNe ... inter.aspx

 

[gittiharre]

Re Camino Downunder workshop. Somehow the whole commercial exploitation of this goes right under my skin, I wrote to the Confraternity of St James several months ago as I felt this outfit was using the Confraternity site to tout his so called business. It just does not seem in the spirit of the pilgrimage to have this kind of operation. I think it sucks. Gitti

 

[Deleted member 3000]

I suggest that we put limits on who can make money from the Camino; no one except the airlines, bus companies, taxis, trains, restaurants, hostals, albergues, book authors and sellers, stave vendors, shell merchants, cafes, churches, chapels, cathedrals, internet providers, equipment stores, boot manufacturers, trekking pole makers, baggage transport services, juntas, xuntas, the city of Santiago de Compostela (and, of course, St.-Jean-Pied-de-Port), lavanderias, ice cream stores, soda vendors, pizza shops, bocadillo shops, pulperias, mercados, and super-mercados. Everyone else should avoid commercialism.

 

[sillydoll]

I think you've missed the point. :x
Should commercial tour companies hijack Confraternity membership lists to advertise their products? I wouldn't be happy if they used the CSJofSA's membership details without our permission.

 

[sillydoll]

Tour companies who organise pilgrimages have a role to play. Not everyone wants to organise everything themselves or carry a backpack. I wouldn't mind doing one of Nancy Frey's camino tours one day, just to learn more about the camino and a spiritual camino journey with Ferran Blasco is high on my bucket list.
When we went to Egpyt a few years ago we went with a tour group and if I wanted to visit the Holy Land, I would probably go with a tour group as well.
I just don't agree with hijack marketing.

 

[gittiharre]

Yes I agree totally on the hijack marketing front. Gitti

 

[oursonpolaire]

Companies (or indeed, anybody) who would use membership lists without permission would, in most countries, find themselves afoul of privacy laws-- they are generally careful about such matters. It is generally only amateurs who try to abuse lists.

 

[kellieandruben]

Hello all Sydney Pilgrims - past and future!

My partner and I are holding a free information night in Cronulla in September for anyone with questions they need answered or people with stories they want to share.

SEE: http://holaspanish.com.au/camino-info/

I walked the Camino Frances in April 2006 and the Camino Norte in 2008 and 2009 and my Spanish partner has walked and cycled the French and North ways.

We are often asked to help friends prepare, so we thought we would try to get everyone together and do it all at one time.

If you are interested, please send me a message on the HOLA SPANISH website and we will be in contact with details!

ULTRYEA!!
Kellie

BTW - I wish the Camino Down Under seminars the best of luck but it wouldnt feel right to me to charge for this myself...... however, putting together all those materials cost him money so I guess he has to recoup it somehow. Our session will be a little more low key.... hope you can come along!

 

[CaroleH]

Re Camino Downunder Workshops . . . at our camino get together on Sunday, there was a lady who was just back from walking her first camino, the CF. She had done one of the workshops and gave glowing reports about its usefulness and value. The information, maps, and ongoing support while on camino helped her enormously.

Just thought I'd pass this on. Not aligned with this commercial activity in any way, but pilgs who may not be as computer literate as others may find it useful.
Buen camino a todos.