Apex 40 members tour the Hunter for annual national convention

On Tuesday, May 9 the Apex 40 members enjoyed a tour of Maitland, stopping in at Tocal Homestead, Maitland Gaol and Maitland and Beyond Family History group.

On Wednesday they will head to Cessnock for a trip to the Hunter Valley Gardens and wineries.

Apex 40 is a group for past Apex members to foster friendships.

Every year they gather in a different part of the country for the annual national convention, which they affectionally call a rort as it's a bit of a party.

This year, the Hunter Valley Apex 40 club 'Great 8' is hosting members from across the country, with people from as far as Western Australia coming to the Hunter.

The convention is based in Swansea, and the group has trips planned all over Maitland, Cessnock, Newcastle and Lake Macquarie.

While in Maitland, Apex 40 national president Mark Trambly said the group is enjoying all the city has to offer, and expects after tomorrow's Cessnock trip the bus will be full of cases of wine.

"We're here for almost a week, but then what happens for the region is most of us are coming for longer," he said.

"So it's a great benefit for the region in terms of tourism."

The Apex 40 national convention received funding from Maitland City Council's Vibrant City Sponsorship Program.

Mr Trambly said the rort is 100 per cent a social occasion.

In other news:

"We're just here to renew old friendships and drink your beautiful red wine and have a great time," he said.

"We embrace the local area and it's always good fun."

Last year the convention was held in Darwin, and next year the group will head to the Sunshine Coast.

The group is finding Maitland to be a "great part of the world".

"We love your city and we're very much looking forward to going to the gaol this afternoon, that'll be very interesting for us all," he said.

"We love the region it looks lovely and green, and everyone's very friendly.

"We're not here in our thousands but its still a great benefit for all those communities, we come in and we're at that time of life that we spend money pretty well so it's good for local businesses and the region."

The Apex 40 members are in the Hunter from May 7 to 11, culminating in the national annual general meeting on Thursday, May 11 at Lakeside Tourist Park, Swansea.