Volunteering on the gates again this year, with the Operation 19:14 team, I received an S.O.S. at one point, simply saying, “Could we have the dust suppression water truck near Gate 4 please?”

I find the crying/laughing emoji most useful in these situations.

Our volunteers up at Gate 4 were momentarily lost in a dust storm which was making it difficult to see the car tags hanging from the rear view mirrors of vehicles entering the site.

Gate 4 is where all the members get to drive through into a premier car park, but it’s also where the cleaning van, ice truck and school buses pour in, so there’s never a dull moment.

At least the wind up the top end doesn’t blow the tickets right out of the booth, like down on Gate 3, where without warning, it’s hold onto your hats and baton down the cash drawer.

Each of the four Longerenong gates has a personality of its own, complete with individual traits and quirks.

Our volunteers get kind of fond of their gate, with some needing to look no further to find their perfect match, while others prefer to shake it up a bit, trying on all the gates for size, searching for the entrance with the textbook temperament.

Pretty flash though, the ticket booths are like mini houses, without bathrooms, kitchens or soft furnishings of course, and only big enough for four adults and an EFTPOS machine to get cosy in.

But they are cosy nonetheless.

Gate 2 is incredibly social, as the main entrance seems to attract a huge number of people who our volunteers know, or maybe they just know everybody – it’s a small world after all.  

Gate 1 is the business end of town, the opening where most of the Sales Representatives come in - often very keen to get to their sites quick smart.

Dealing with misbehaving technology, missing tickets, lost cars and dogs who had accidents in unfortunate places, we staggered out exhausted after three days – definitely done and dusted.