"And all of it from Woodville," said one proudly.
Betty recalled that they initially had a camp site in the centre of the oval but realised how much fun it was when they were offered trackside "and kept coming back just to retain the site", she joked.
Certainly for baton carriers the rainbow decorated site with its words of wisdom on its noticeboard was a highlight.
Of the original 10-12 members there were still eight in the team 17 years later – numbers fluctuating with newcomers always welcome.
Fundraising was a well organised affair with a special Christmas cake raffle, housie, garage sales and the very popular annual Pink and Blue Bowls Tournament.
The most successful fundraiser was the scrap metal drive in 2017 which won them the prize for top community team with $7669.
Beth and Robert Harding organised and stored the scrap which went to Palmerston North, achieving dual objectives of fundraising and cleaning up the spare metal lying around mostly on farms.
Memories of the actual 24-hour event are held dear:
■ The annual march of the survivors with their sashes, set off one year by Betty Goldsborough, "the most moving you can imagine".
■ The poignancy of the lantern ceremony and lap to acknowledge those who had passed about 10pm,.
■ The crazy fireman and other soldiers who completed the full 24 hours on the track.
■ The spirited and determined high school teams who competed to complete the most number of relay circuits.
■ The great food and entertainment on the stage.
■ The families who joined in.
■ The Lions fireworks at midnight.
■ The night the camp flooded and the course was changed to higher ground around the buildings.
Most of all it is the memories of great times together with great friends some of whom only met once in the year.
Betty Goldsworthy concluded the afternoon with, "A very big thanks to all of you who were involved. I only hope you enjoyed it as much as I did."
