The Great Chiko Roll Mystery of 1983

Parents & kids sit around a beach bonfire chatting and laughing. They are all toasting marshmallows and eating potato chips. 

Lee

Hey Bree, can you pass me the packet?

She passes him the marshmallows packet.

Jay

These are so good! Mum, why can’t we have toasted marshmallows for dinner every night?

Kimberley

Great idea, Jay! Maybe we could start Marshmallow Mondays at home when we get back from our holiday?

Jay

Are you serious? Cool!

Valerie

Of course she’s not serious! As if!

Davina

Anyway, everyone knows Marshmallows taste best when you’re on

holidays.

Lyall

I can’t believe we have to go back to school in six weeks! Why can’t summer holidays be six months long!

Janey

That would be awesome! Nothing to do for six months but surf every day!

Bree

Ocean Breeze really is so beautiful.

Katy

Yeah, I love this beach.

Roger

Your mother and I have been saying that for twenty years.

Michelle

Twenty years! No way! Is that how long you’ve been coming here?

All the parents nod and agree.

Kimberley

We’ve all been renting vans and cabins at Ocean Breeze Caravan Park since we were your age, kids.

Jessica

What was it like back then? You know, in the 1800’s?

Michael

Funny. Hey, guys, remember when Roger used the camper stove inside and almost set fire to our annex?

Samantha

And what about that New Year’s Eve when all our parents climbed up on to the kiosk roof and sang Auld Lang Syne at midnight?

Sian

I remember one summer’s day when the beach was packed and a certain someone lost their board shorts in the surf…

She points to Ronan

Michelle

Dad!! Ew!! Gross!

Ronan

Yep! I walked out of the water stark naked to a whole lot of whistling and cheering.

Amy (Says this to Michelle while nudging Kimberley)

And that was just from your mother.

All Kids

Ewwwww!

Sian

How about the night we all swam out to the big orange floating pontoon and saw those dolphins?

Jessica

Oh, that sounds cool! I wish it was still here.

Samantha

Why did they take that away? We had hours of fun jumping off that thing.

Roger

Oh you’d never get away with it these day. Too “dangerous” for modern parents and local councils!

Jay

Health and safety regulations are SO annoying!

Lyall

Yeah, the beach is awesome, but the Ocean Breeze caravan park is pretty lame now.

Davina

The most exciting thing was the giant inflatable jumping mat.

Katy

Yeah and they took that away last summer coz some boy was showing off for a girl and broke his ankle.

Jay

Jake Portelli’s broken ankle was the most exciting thing that’s ever happened at Ocean Breeze.

Michael

Nothing much ever really happens here which is why we’ve always loved it.

Amy

With one big exception as I recall … the Great Chiko Roll mystery of 1983.

ALL

The what?

Amy

The Great Chiko Roll mystery of 1983. Now that brought plenty of excitement to the Ocean Breeze Caravan Park!

Lee

What the heck is a chiko roll?

Michelle

Isn’t it like a giant spring roll?

Valerie

Was the mystery figuring out the actual ingredients of the Chiko Roll?

Janey

What was so mysterious? What happened?

Jennifer (to Amy)

Oh, please don’t tell the Chiko Roll mystery story, Mum! It gives me the creeps.

All Kids

Go on, tell us! Tell us!

Ronan

Okay, okay, gather round kids and I’ll tell the story.

Amy

Hang on, I thought I was telling it!

Ronan

I tell it better.

Jennifer

Bree and I will tell it! We’ve heard it enough times! So, a long long LONG time ago… waaaaay back in the olden days…

Parents (offended)

It was 1983!

Everyone turns around to watch slideshow of images from 1983 on back screen.

Jennifer

… the Ocean Breeze Caravan Park was celebrating its 100th birthday. They’d organised a big party with heaps of food. The big attraction was the Kiosk’s most famous menu item – The Ocean Breeze Chiko Rolls.

Kids

What the? Huh?

Bree

Back in the 80’s there were two reasons people came to the Ocean Breeze Caravan Park. One was to taste the kiosk’s delicious Chiko Rolls. The other reason was to see the amazing array of Australian animals that once lived here. There were koalas, kangaroos, wallabies, wombats and heaps more!