Gingi, There are muchas languages en Australia.

That my friends is a three language title inspired by our adventures yesterday. Here's a translation:

Gingi= Aboriginal for hello
There are= there are in English
Muchas= many in Spanish
Languages= languages in English
en= in, in Spanish
Australia= Australia

The full translation= Hello, there are many languages in Australia. I didn't know how many of my readers needed help with the English parts, so I included them as well. You're welcome. De nada.

What inspired the my multilingualism? Is multilingualism even a word? Yesterday after the Mt. Warning AM club presentation the guys minus Beth (see the Moo blog for Beth's location) went first to the Murwillumbah Museum, the equivalent to a county historical society. They had quite the collection. Then we traveled to the visitor center where we all loaded up on Australian souvenirs . I completed my niece Sophie's shopping at that stop...or so I think. Then we went to an Aboriginal Museum in Tweed.

Joining us along the way was Boia (pronounced BOY-a), a Rotary Youth Exchange student from Brazil. Boia's full name is Luis Fernando Fakih Amellei Furquim. You see why we call him Boia. Being Brazilian, he speaks Portuguese and Spanish. Beth and I have had a chance to practice a little Spanish speaking with him, he practices English with us. I always tell people "Hablo un poquito Espanol" meaning I speak very little Spanish. But Boia tells me my Spanish is good and I should change my phrase to "Hablo un poco" meaning I speak a little, not very little. He tells me my pronunciation is dead-on and that it is "Vury good" in his accent.

At the Aboriginal Museum, our tour guide Marley took us on a tour of the museum and told us about the culture of the native Australians. There are still over 360 tribes of natives in Australia, and even more dialects of the language! Much like the Native Americans, these people have no written history. Theirs is an oral history passed down from generation to generation and more and more is being lost every day. Marley was quite the character and taught us a few aboriginal words. The only problem with this language, like many languages, is that the meanings of the same word change from place to place.

Here are a few words we learned:
Gingi (JIN-jee) = hello

Jarjum (Jar-JUM) = kid, child

Moogle(MOO-gull)= silly

Nin-gan-nar (Neen-gone-ARE= Shut up, stop doing, or Please be quiet

Koala= No drink...because koalas apparently don't every drink water, they get it from eucalyptus leaves

Kangaroo= What's that? see below for the "legend" story...I'm not sure if I believed this one.

Nar-loo-waliya (Nahr-LOO-Wah-lee-ah)= good bye

The kangaroo story is this. An Englishman was inquiring an Aborigine about what certain things were called and was writing the translations down. The man spotted a kangaroo and asked the Aborigine what it was. The kangaroo proceeded to hop away out of site as the Aborigine was turning to look. When the Aborigine saw nothing (the kangaroo had hopped away) he told the white man "kangaroo". Kangaroo translated to English means "What's that?" The white man, not knowing any better, wrote down kangaroo. And the name stuck.

Right now I'm waiting for my host Anne to come pick me up to take me to a book binder in Queensland. So it is time for me to ninganar and say narloowaliya. (Shut up and say goodbye)

Mooball Moorrning!

To get to the Tweed Valley Whey Cheese factory, Murwillumbah you do not need to go through Mooball, but you should. It is an old cow-town- For real. We started off the day with a lot of laughs and fines. Afterwords the boys headed to museums and Margarita took me to The Cheese farm. Here's the tale of our mooorning....
Years ago, (Margarita and husband Gary explained this story to me) the main highway when right through the town of Mooball in the Tweed Shire bringing the tall B double trucks right through this little shire town. It is a perfect resting spot for truckers and families. Somewhere along the way the black and white spots were introduced to the buildings, light poles, gas pumps and cream houses. The town no longer hosts B doubles due to the by-pass, but the spots ares still fresh.

Turn left at the black and white cream house just before the holding pen of Frisians, to get to Tweed Valley Whey Cheese Factory. Debbie Allard and Sue Harnett, two happy ladies with pink cheeks greeted us with a G'day!
They have been making and selling cheese for two years. Sue and her husband still have a dairy farm just down the hill where the 100+ cows are grazing. Sue told us that they still
sell 95% of the milk to Norco, and she uses the rest to make the cheese, cottage cheese, sour cream, kefir, natural yoghurt, yoghurt cheese balls, feta, and haloumi. Check out these names: Cam and Bert, Heluva Haloumi, Norm and Bee camembert, and Fresian Fog. Me: How did you come up with these names? Sue: (giggles) A lot of bottles of wine!
They sell to a few small scale stores (we found some at the butcher shop in Murwillumbah), 2 farmers markets and a handfull of restaurants. She explained that the stores sell for the same price, $9/ small round of cheese, as they do at the markets. They want to encourage patronage at the stores that support them, the same for the restaurants.












Sue said her father is a great salesman. He comes to help out at the markets and store promotions often telling customers that he is Jamie Oliver's dad and this is the best cheese in the world. Sue is the Ebay queen, she searched night and day to find pasturizers, containers sinks, etc... After taking classes, the ladies toured large cheese plants to gather ideas and methods, they also received a great deal of help from a local agriculture extension agent. Norco also helps them through lab testing and general support. The thought being that there used to be more than 150 dairy farms in the Tweed Valley, now there are 8, so as long as these ladies are not creating competition Norco will give them support.


I had to include this black and white dog that is staying with Shawn is Wolfy, and he lets me tell him stories about Butter.
It's the start of another day- Headed to White Olive restaurant today!

Tranfer to the last club!

I shaved this morning and my shave gel is running low. By my estimations that means I've been gone about a month. The days of the week have been lost to me this past month. Today was Tuesday and we transferred to the Mt. Warning Club who will be our last hosts before we head down to Yamba for district conference on Friday.

Our meeting place from Gonnelebah (I spelled it wrong I know) to Mt. Warning took place at Byron Bay. Byron Bay point is the farthest eastern point on the Australian mainland. My teammates Shawn, Beth, and Mike got to visit this site on their very first day with the Tweed hosts. It is quite a sight to behold. I would have seen this my first day also, but I was at an even more interesting place...the doctor. So today was my chance and our leader Joe's to visit this must-see Australian landmark.

I must update you on the status of our team presentation last night in Lismore. The Missouri team presented first, followed by the Arizonans. Leader Joe Beltz brought his A-game and killed last night. The rest of the team performed equally well. We blew(my opinion is biased mind you) the Arizona team out of the water. I have to give a shout-out to Larry from the AZ team. Larry is a Mizzou grad and did the MIZ cheer. I know Beth and I yelled out the ZOU cheer back to him. The Aussies didn't know what to think...and with only three people participating...MIZ-ZOU doesn't pack the punch it should. At the meeting there was also a fellow who had ridden his motorcycle through Jefferson City once for a Rotary fundraiser. So he knew about my town!

We have a morning presentation at 7am tomorrow, then off to some museums and a swim in the Pacific weather permitting. Thursday...Thursday I get to visit a book binder. It has been arranged by my wonderful host Anne. This guy's bindery, like my dad's business, is pretty much a one-man-show! So I can't wait to see the comparisons to our business. I am really looking forward to this vocational day!

OH, and I mentioned that district conference is this weekend in Yamba...guess what else is happening in Yamba this weekend...A Relay for Life! That's right, they have Relay in Australia and I sure hope I get to visit. I'm going to try and get some stuff and see how they do things.

House with no Steps, TAFE, the Mayor and a little friendly competition

Sorry folks for the lack of blog postings the past few days. I see that my Trooopy blog was my last...I'm still sad we had to depart from Trooopy. We switched hosts from Kyogle to Goonellbah (Gone-Ill-i-Bah) near Lismore, NSW last Friday. That handoff occurred at the hippie capital of Australia known as Nimbin. It was certainly an interesting little town...My hosts for the Lismore club don't exactly live in Lismore but in Ballina. The bad part of Ballina is that it is about 25 minutes from the rest of the team...but the great part of Ballina is that it is only one dune crossing from the Beach! Unfortunately it's been raining the past couple of days so my stint at the beach has been limited to two occasions.

Then Saturday was a free day/rest day with nothing scheduled. Our team spent most of the day at Mike's host Tom and Meg's compiling photographs for our district presentation.

Sunday it was raining. My host Rob accompianied me to Sunday Mass in Lennox at this quaint little beach church with a very spartan interior. So spartan that the kneelers were wooden. No padding, just wood. As one would expect at a Catholic mass, the service was the same as in the states. There was a few words of the creed that I didn't quite know...and the accents and low mumble that is the creed...I still don't know what I missed. But still an interesting thing to cross off my list in Australia.

Sunday was also my host Judy's (Rob's wife) birthday. For breakfast we went to Shelly's on the Beach...a seaside cafe where I had pancakes with berries. For lunch we went to the House with No Steps' cafe. It is staffed by persons with physical and mental disabilities. They are trained at the site's many divisions...macadamia farm, avocado farm, cafe, nursery, gift shop, fruit packing, etc. Judy got a Hawaiian birthday cake of which I am enjoying a piece of as I type this blog. Dinner was at Rob and Judy's house and consisted of salad and prawns.

Monday was a vocational day for me. We first met again at the House With No Steps and was given a tour of the facility by the president Bill Buddee. He showed us around and we got to see macadamia sorting in action. First the green husk is removed by machine, then the nuts are visually sorted by workers and then sent through a water bath. If the nut sinks it's good and it is taken from the bottom of the tank by an auger to the storage bin where it will be shipped to a processing plant to remove the kernel. Any bad nuts will float to the top where they are discarded...sort of...to be sold but at a lower rate because of the lower grade. The House With No Steps also has the largest fruit packing facility in the region. They pack their own grown avocados and also pack for other growers in the area. Other fruits they pack include limes and many other stone fruits (peaches, plums, etc). Beth and I both toured this place and we decided to buy a sampling of thier macadamias to take home with us. The cafe had an assortment of nuts and we purchased ours there. The staff noticed our uniforms and we gathered quite an audience. We gave each worker there a Missouri quarter and posed for pictures....and they all held up thier MO quarters! It was a great moment.

After that Beth and I headed to the TAFE (Technical and Further Education) at Wollongbar. I was toured around by Dave, a horticuture faculty member and Beth was toured around with a culinary faculty member. Like Linn State, the horticulture students maintain much of the campus. We talked all the business end of education (classes, schedules, competencies, and the like) and then walked around looking at various student projects. Nearly all of the funding of TAFE, and other higher education in Australia for that matter is fully government funded (federally and state). The number of students is dependent on how much funding they get. There is virtually no tuition. I asked what the average student would pay per year...the first answer was "nominal" and after a little searching for data...the pricetag was somewhere around $600. My jaw dropped to the floor.

After my tour, I met briefly with Greg who is the head of the horticulture department. I traded him an LSTC golf towel for a Wollongbar horticulture t-shirt. After TAFE, we headed into Lismore to meet with mayor Jenny Dowell. She welcomed us with mid morning tea. Tea doesn't just mean tea...it means (tea or coffee, juice, miscellaneous cakes and nibbles, summer sausage with cheese) Australians refer to each meal as a tea. Morning tea, evening tea, and sometimes they do just stop for a cuppa tea and that's it. You have to pay attention to what tea means. Sometimes you eat, sometimes you drink, and sometimes it means both. Mayor Jenny was very gracious. She gave us a book of Lismore history and we capitulated with various Missouri items (a MO book, miscellaneous pins, Rotary banners).

Since she was mayor I presented her with a "Visit Jefferson City" pin, a "Missouri State Seal" pin, and a book of quips from Mark Twain. I said I "was the unofficial bearer of the official seal of Missouri" and she joked "So what sort of buildings does this get me into?"

Tonight we have a big meeting. The Missouri team (us) will cross paths once again with the Arizona team (them). It is completely coincidental that two teams from the States are on GSE at the same time. There is no trophy to win, there is no official competition...but we want to WIN. I suppose the only thing we get is bragging rights...but that's good enough for me. We had one joint presentation at the beginning which in my unbiased opinion WE beat THEM. Our uniforms were coordinated, we had a personal touch in our presentation...good first outing to size up your competition. We have this meeting tonight for round two. Then next weekend we have presentations at district conference. It's the final...it's our March Madness...and Missouri will be victorious!

Catching up!

Where to begin???  It has been a while since I was on here.  Nick has been doing a fantastic job keeping it up to date.  Between the journal, Facebook, and keeping up with pictures, it is hard to fit it all in.  I'll give you an overview of my last week or so.

Gundawondaland-(Goondiwindi)-I continued to fish!  We had a wonderful morning at Peter and Gloria's.  The next day I twisted Peter's arm and we skipped boot camp so we could fish some more.  I had about as much luck as I did in the States, caught a suntan and that's about it.  We were supposed to head to a Cotton farm but the weather canceled that for us.  Instead we went to Goondiwindi Cotton where the owner Sam gave us a history of Cotton around the area.  His shirts are fantastic and we were actually given one after the Rotary meeting!  On our last night in Gundy we went out to Bruce's for a Camp oven Cook.  He had been cooking all afternoon.  Roo Stew and some type of mild Curry.  It was a wonderful night and we loved seeing all of our new friends in one place again.  Tables were set up in the backyard and everyone just took it easy and enjoyed the company and conversation.  I packed the next morning and Peter cooked up a few Yabbies(crawfish) for breakfast.  UMMMM, now if that's not Cajun style, I don't know what is!  We meet at the info center and said our said goodbyes.  Bruce brought us some Milk for the road and away we went!

Tenterfield-Birthplace of a Nation-We handover at Zappa's winery, pour us!  It was a wonderful spot and we had an amazing Italian meal.  The weather was still rainy but we made the best of it.  From there we headed to Tenterfield.  It's called the Birthplace of a Nation because that is where Sir Henry Parks gave his famous speech about bringing the colonies together for what is now known as Australia.  Pretty cool history in a cozy little town.  The first night we met down at the local pub for diner and music.  LIVE MUSIC!  We had an absolute blast and got to know our new hosts.  I feel bad for Tenterfield because they had a wonderful day planned for us and the weather would not allow it!  Rain, Rain, Rain!  We did our best to take in the Granite boulder landscape and Bald Rock.  We had a wonderful night at Ralph and Lee's place and truly enjoyed great food and mingling.  The next morning we met at the School of Arts for a history of Tenterfield.  I'm not going to lie, I was that thrilled about it but after arriving, I was so happy we did it.  You think of Museums and history as boring sometimes but this was so interesting!  We then headed to the cattle auction which Joe loved!  I didn't take a hat....Big mistake!  My head was RED!  We also visited the historical Tenterfield Train station.  Nick has filled you in on our bumpy journey to Drake for handover.  On to Kyogle!

Kyogle-Birthplace of Trooopy!-You all know Trooopy by now so I'll continue without description. 

While Beth, Nick, and Joe where our slaughtering defenseless cows, I went to Euro Chair.  They make all kinds of interesting chairs.  All wood veneer.  They do the insides of upholstery chairs but prefer to do all veneer.  It was a great experience!  I never knew how all of these chairs that I sale daily are made.  They use radioactive waves to heat the plywood and veneer to form it into the mold that they have pressing down.  The heat generated is incredible and they can form two chairs at a time.  From there they go to a router which cuts the shape of the back out while also drilling the holes needed to attach the legs and arms.  Very Cool!  The craftsmanship and quality are unlike anything you will find from the truckloads of China imports coming to the US.  Don't get me wrong, I have to sell that product to stay alive but I would much rather work with someone like Jack who does it the right way and stands behind his product.  It's a small factory but they can pump out 1000 chairs in 2 weeks if they set all of the molds the same.  I'm sure there are people in the US doing this but I haven't had the opportunity to go and see them. Good work Jack and thank you for taking time out of your day to show me around!

We also visited many parks and lookouts while in Kyogle.  Border Ranges national park had to be my favorite!  The rain forest was something I had never seen or knew that Australia had.  We walked down from a mildly hot day into a cool rain forest.  Awesome! 

After learning how to throw Boomerangs with Wayne behind Bills house, we had a massive BBQ!  It was so nice to sit and enjoy the evening with our new friends and host.  Thank you all so much for a wonderful evening. 

We have handed over to Goonellabah today and I'm sure there are many new things in store. 

Sorry this isn't the best entry I've had but I'm tired and off to bed.  Goodnight All!

Riding in Tro0opy

Trooopy is a one-of-a-kind vehicle and was our trusty transportation for a couple excursions the past couple of days. Trooopy has 6WD according to the sticker on the roof. It is a beast of a machine. When I first got here I wanted a Ute to take home with me. A Ute is abbreviated for utitlity. (it's like a small pickup, no specific brand, but usually with a flatbed on back) I wanted one of those until I met Trooopy.


From this point forward I will speak of Trooopy as if she (I'm calling her a she) was a member of the family. That's how trusty the old girl is. Trooopy seats 11 including the driver. She has about 3 cubic yards of interior cargo space in the back plus more towards the front and a roof rack on the entire top. She has 6 wheels and we're pretty sure that she is just as capable of driving on 3 as she is on 6 based on some of the turns we made today. As we traveled from lunch to home today in trusty old Trooopy we came up with few catchy terms that will help you understand why the old girl is so well loved. You might name your cars at home or you might not...this vehicle is one that MUST be named. Here goes:

Over the river and through the bush, to grandmothers house we go...in Trooopy.

Where the "Oh, S#!&" handle runs the length of the cabin...Trooopy
(BTW they didn't know about Oh, S#!& handles...they call them JC bars/ handles for Jesus Christ)

Where the JC bar doubles as a chin-up bar because you're always hanging on tight...Trooopy.

Herbie, The General Lee, Kit, Batmobile...Trooopy

For the ultimate vehicle to get the wedding party from the church to the reception...Trooopy

Whose car should we take to the Cardinal's game...Trooopy

If you wanted to cross the ocean using a land vehicle...Trooopy (I'm pretty confident on that)

When four wheels aren't enough...Trooopy

Where every ride is an adventure...Trooopy

Pavement, gravel, dirt, water, whatever...Trooopy

Included activities with a ride in Trooopy are: whip cracking, roo spotting, magic carpet flying, music playing, hill hopping, 3-wheeling...she's the ulitimate vehicle...Trooopy

If Chuck Norris and Jack Bauer were to go car shopping...Trooopy

When the one finger wave won't do and you need to say G'Day...Trooopy (I forgot to mention she has an air horn mounted on top)

When one CB radio just won't do, Trooopy has two!

AC, who needs AC? As long as she's moving there's always a breeze...Trooopy

When you tighten your lap belt so you can take a nap...Trooopy

Even the luggage has a seatbelt...Trooopy

Where you hope that your seat cushion is also a flotation device...Trooopy

It feels like you need guidance from a flight attendant in order to be a passenger...Trooopy

Tenterfield might have been the birthplace of a nation, but Kyogle is the home of Trooopy!

Where your meat comes from...

It was a full morning of vocationals in Kyogle. The vocational this morning was not geared towards my horticulture profession but it was an experience like no other! First we went to the Casino (it's a town, not a gambling joint) Stock yards which was a huge place selling thousands of cattle...much bigger than the sale we saw at Tenterfield a few days back. We got the behind the scenes tours looking in the control room. We learned a little about how the Australian national livestock ID system works. Each cow or sheep born in the country is given an ear tag with a radio chip in it. Any time an animal is sold, the property where it is grown is tracked. So from the supermarket, you should be able to track that meat back to the farm where it was produced! It costs the producer 3.50 per tag and it is compulsory.

There is a tick problem in parts of Australia and all cattle are checked for ticks. Certain species carry some bad diseases to cattle. If your cows are found with ticks they are quarantined. All cows leaving the stockyards are treated in a dip no matter what their tick status is. This was an amazing thing to witness. Imagine a chute for the cows...one lane wide...a single file row of cows. The cattle go down a ramp into a 7 foot deep pool of chemical, lime, and water mix for their dip. They walk, or if too short, swim across a 20 foot section of dip to a ramp out to the other side. We thought this was going to be the highlight of our day. This process was trumped by our next stop.

After the sale yards we went to the Casino Meat Works as it is known locally. Some people also call it the abbatoir (pronounced AB-o-twah). I call it the meat processing plant. So far along our journey if there was a food production facility, tours were not given. But with our Rotary connections, a board member of this facility was able to link us up with a tour. Joe, Beth, and myself were in for a special treat.

Pictures were not allowed...which is good for our readers because you don't want to see what we saw. DISCLAIMER: The rest of this could be a big graphic...don't say you weren't warned. It was a meat plant folks, cattle are slaughtered and cut up into steaks. And we witnessed it all. Donned in pseudo-hard hats, hairnets, lab coats, and booties we enter the boning room. This place had around 150 to 180 employees cutting, slicing and packaging beef for consumers all over the world!

Then we were taking to another room to see the cows entering the plant right after being killed. We didn't get to see the kill room because they had finished killing for the day...but we did see these calves being processed. They called them calves, I know they were bigger than that...roughly 300 kilo animals (multiply times 2.2 for lbs).

We turn the corner and hanging from the conveyors are the full carcasses of beef. Turn another corner and there is a line of workers taking cheek meat off of cow heads. That's right cow heads. The eyeballs were still in the skulls, the skins were completely off...no fuzz left...and this sight was a little disturbing even to me. But make no mistake...I will still eat beef. Tongues were being removed, various unidentifiable parts were hanging down, but the EYES...they were staring right at you! Every now and then you could tell what breed the animal used to be...the floppy ears still gave away a Brahama.

Then finally we saw the skinning. It was a very efficient process, done very quickly by machine after a bloke hooked up the chain. This too was very disturbing to me. The newly dead cows come in hanging upside down, convey around in preparation for skinning and disemboweling, and there you have it. I was mesmerized, perplexed, a little disturbed, but totally satisfied with the experience.

We started the day at the sale barn, and ended up with consumer ready product in a matter of hours. We got to see the complete process from yard to near-table. Quite fascinating.

Taking the scenic route....and it was AWESOME!

Today was a transfer day. So far our transfers haven't really lasted that long...usually a few hours and we're at our new hosts. Today was slightly longer. The journey started at 9am in Tenterfield. There were two vehicles. Peter drove one Ute (utility aka a pickup truck) loaded down with all our luggage and had Mike up front with him. The rest of the team rode with Grahame in his Toyota Land Cruiser. Shawn rode shotgun while Joe, Beth and myself rode in the back.

The agenda was as follows: Tenterfield folks take us to the Drake Hotel in Drake for lunch to rendezvous with the folks from Kyogle and head to Kyogle to disperse to our new hosts. We only had to travel about 90K (55 miles) to the rendezvous point but the journey took three hours. The road we took certainly was the scenic route.

The best way I can describe this road, if you want to call it a road, will only be understood by my immediate family. At my Grandpa Rackers farm, we would load up in a wagon behind a tractor to go check cows. Grandpa drove at normal speed with no regard for ruts or potholes. The result at the end of the ride was somewhere close to a concussion and a sore bottom. The path from Tenterfield to Kyogle was very similar. A mostly dirt path, switchbacking around, over, alongside the mountains and following along the Rocky River. Very scenic and very rough. Technically this was a county road. But the county road criss-crossed over numerous cattle crossings, private land/ pasture, through cow piles, through various depths of low water crossings. Depending on the climb or descent the view changed from a boulder rock face on one side or a very steep dropoff on the other. It really was like a ride at grandpa's farm...cows included!

We only bumped one cow along our journey. We saw at least two kangaroos loping through the fields and viewed a couple of snakes safely from the viewing area in our LandCruiser. The scenery was a mix of exposed rock, grassy pasture, and wooded bush. There were a few times I expected to see Julie Andrews out in a field singing and twirling around. At a couple points along the way, we went through rainforest. The change of plant life, the sounds, the darkness of shade and the drop in temperature signaled the entrance of the rain forest. Also the sounds of the bell birds was quite unique. No one we have talked to here has ever seen one of these birds or knows what they look like but they have a very distinct call. It sounds like a glass bell ringing a single time or something like a miner hammering on a metal spike. Very interesting.

Three hours later we arrive at the Drake Hotel thankful for our arrival and dumbfounded by the scenery we just took in. It was an incredible path and I'm so glad we took the scenic route. I forgot to mention that our LandCruiser had over 500K's or over 310 thousand miles. Go Toyota!

THEN we have lunch at the Drake Hotel. I had the Bacon and Egg burger. On the bun were shredded carrots, lettuce, beet root, a burger, bacon, cheese, and a fried egg. DE-LIC-OUS!

After lunch we said our goodbyes and loaded up in "The Troopy" The troopy is a 6WD people mover vehicle. It held all 5 team members luggage, 5 team members, plus 3 members of the Kyogle Rotary Club. That journey took another couple of hours over similar terrain but on paved roads. Today was certainly an adventure.

Tenterfield and Fulton

The tiny town of Fulton, Missouri is famous for Sir Winston Churchill's "Iron Curtain Speech" delivered in March of 1946 in which he warned of the Cold War with the Soviets. It is an iconic speech that put Fulton, Missouri on the map.

Well Tenterfield in New South Wales has two icons that put IT on the map. The first person some Americans may know was singer/songwriter Peter Allen. I was not familier with Peter Allen's work but I have since learned that Hugh Jackman played Peter Allen in Broadway's The Boy from Oz which Jackman won a Tony. Peter Allen was from Tenterfield and wrote the song The Tenterfield Saddler about his grandfather. Put the name of a town in a song and the rest is history.

But perhaps the more significant event in Tenterfield's history occurred much earlier and has had a much longer lasting impact. Sir Henry Parkes delivered a speech in 1889 which catalyzed the movement for the federation of Australia. The Federation of Australia came into being in 1901, but it was Parkes' speech in 1889 at the Tenterfield School of Arts which spurred the movement. Until 1901, all of Australia's colonies (Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria, South Australia, Tasmania, and Western Australia) all acted as independent countries almost. Each was governed as an independent British Colony. One had to pass through customs to go from state to state!

So if it wasn't for Mr. Parkes, Australia wouldn't be the country it is today. Parkes was asked to come speak in Tenterfield and he threw together some impromptu remarks in his Tenterfield hotel the night before. Who would have thought that that one little speech would lead to the birth of a nation? Parkes is revered as much as the founding fathers of the United States are.

It certainly was an event for Fulton, Missouri to host Churchill, but did the world have any idea what the man would say and how significant his words would be? I don't think the town of Tenterfield had a clue what would happen either. But that is how history goes sometimes. The smallest towns can have the biggest impacts. And just a few words can put a town on the map forever.

What's slimy and worse than an Australian Snake?

We arrived yesterday in Tenterfield and settled in with our new hosts for the next few days. It's Sunday here and we set out for a little sightseeing in the Tenterfield area. There are several national parks. The first one we headed to was the falls in Boonoo Boonoo National park. That would be pronounced Baw-no Boo-new. I know, two words exactly the same spelling with different pronunciations. English is spoken here, but it's a whole other language let me tell you.

On the way to the falls we stop along the road to check out the Japanese tank traps set up during WWII. The Japanese had bombed Darwin in north Australia using the same carriers that bombed Pearl Harbor and the thought was that IF the Japanese would advance into Queensland and New South Wales, they would put in these tank traps along the "Brisbane Line" as a last line of defense. Well the Japanese never landed troops on Australian soil, but these tank traps still exist. They're in the mountains and our hosts seem to guess that these "traps" were more of a feel good measure because there was no way a tank could traverse this terrain.

Then we headed to Bald Rock National Park not very far away. It is the largest granite rock in Australia. If you've ever been to Stone Mountain Georgia, it's just like that only not commercialized and no confederate carvings. It was raining so we didn't head up the rock. Joe and I walked a few meters up and I slipped slightly coming down...just enough to be embarrassed a little and wet the back of my pants a lot.

After that we headed to a lavender farm. It's just what it sounds like and was quite interesting. We had lunch there prepared by the owner/ Rotarian. They have won numerous awards creating their essential oils from their lavender.

Now after that delightful day, here's the part that I'm including to try and make the people back home a little less jealous. Australia is the land of big things. Their bats are bigger, their snakes more poisonus, their spiders larger/ deadlier, the flies more numerous, their jellyfish more stinging. Texas could take a lesson from this country. When we arrived in Tweeds, our hosts warned us of the blue bottle jellies that had nasty stingers in the water and on the sand. Then the Coomera folks warned us of the bugs saying, "You're going out west...watch out for the flies! They're terrible!" I've avoided the jellies so far and the flies ARE bad just so you know. The thing about the snakes is that they flee from humans and most people never see them. That's good news. The one thing we were warned about somewhere along the way but we forgot about until this morning was the leeches.

We're out there looking at the Japanese tank traps and are getting ready to get back in the cars and they're everywhere. We had put insect repellant on our shoes and socks to keep them away and I never had any latch on to me (I don't think). But they're crawling all over your shoes. There's no pain, and you can just pull them right off. But these little creatures were only about a half inch long and IF they attached for very long we were told they could grow to 3-4" long in an hours time! At least the slimy snakes go away...these leaches come towards you! Needless to say these Missourians were a little freaked out. They'll attach through clothing too so you can't just rely on long sleeves and long pants. They like to attach in two places and to make it easier to remember this our hosts gave us a mnemonic device Always check your sock and your jock. You think ticks are bad, well just imagine checking for blood sucking slimy leaches attaching themselves you know where!

The question in the title of this blog was what's slimy and worse than an Australian snake? Now you know the answer.

Here comes the Milkman!

For the past two days in Goondwindi Beth and I have taken an early morning walk because our hosts live less than a block away from each other. Our third morning here called for a change of plans. Bruce Perri, a Rotary member and owner of Milko, the local milk distributor invited us to go on his milk run this morning. Our walks usually started at 6:15. Bruce let us sleep in until 5am when he picked us up to go make deliveries.

He picked us up, and headed to the shop to load up the trucks. Beth and I both loaded up milk crates with all sorts of milk product (no ice cream though). We used these hooks to drag the stacked crates of milk around. Basically they were old bale hooks without the sharp ends. We loaded up and Beth rode with Troy and I with Bruce and we headed out for deliveries.

Flavored milk is a very popular item here in Australia. So much so that I'm finding it difficult to purchase a small bottle of plain white milk. It's there on the shelves, but you REALLY have to search for it. Yesterday I had to settle for chocolate. Milko distributors is like the Heinz 57 of milk flavors. For example: Coffee, Expresso, Strawberry, Vanilla Malt, Vanilla, Banana, Chocolate...I seem to be forgetting some but there were all kinds of sizes. For my work this morning I was paid in two bottles of Espresso...Yu-umm!

Troy and Bruce would go into the store, fill out a picking list, go out to the truck and pull the order. Beth and I used the hand carts to wheel the assorted milks into the store and stock the shelves. Labels facing out! We got some peculiar looks from shop owners wondering why anyone would volunteer to go and deliver milk?!?! After introductions they understood why but I have a feeling after our brief meeting that they think people in Missouri must be hard up for something to do! After all, we flew half way around the world to deliver milk!

One of our stops was a bakery downtown which was owned by Troy's in-laws. I had stopped in there the day before to grab a milk and a donut. The milk in a 500ml (approx 17oz) cost me $3.50. The donut was 50 cents. I informed Bruce that back home 3.50 would have easily bought me a gallon of milk! He joked about having a family to feed and a wife whose lifestyle had to be maintained. Almost everything here in Australia is expensive.

After multiple stops at grocery stores large and small, a school, and a kindy (kindergarten), it started to piss down rain. The word piss in Australia has A LOT more meanings than it does in the states...could be the subject of it's own future blog so stay tuned. We're supposed to tour cotton farms today but it's still pissing down (raining). We're scheduled to go shopping this afternoon so we're all going to pick up Akubra hats, and some Goondwindi cotton products.

Brekkie and Chockie...feels like home.

Traveled from Boonah club to Goondiwindi (prounounced gun-da-windy) or Gundy for short. We're here in Gundy until Saturday and that will mark the half-way point of our Rotary journey.

We didn't really realize it, but Beth's host and my host live a stone's throw away (or closer) so we decided to go for a walk this morning at 6:30. We start out down the block, find a newly constructed path and start following it. We were gone for a good 3o minutes when we realize our path is taking us to a place in which we might not be able to get back to our homes, so we turn around and backtrack. Along the way we were greeted with friendly Aussie "good mornings" and felt very welcomed. We must have looked the part also, because as we were walking we came across an older gentleman and his little dog. He asked us "Does this path lead all the way around?" I said "We're from the US, we don't know this path either!" We all had a good chuckle and we kept walking and found our way back to our respective homes.

I spent the rest of my day doing vocational stuff. Talked with John MacDonald (he could be THE Old MacDonald) because he was older and technically it was a farm...E-I-E-I-OOOOOOO And on that farm he had some fruit. EIEIO. With a citrus here and a plum tree there. Here a pom there a pom, everywhere a fruit tree, Old MacDonald had a farm EIEIO!

You're welcome now that you have the Old MacDonald song in your head for the rest of the day.

Then Peter drove me to his son Sam's farm. Peter used to own and run the farm and now it's in the hands of Sam. He was growing cotton mostly and it is about a couple weeks away from picking. He was spraying defoliant and ethephon (Florel for you horticulrally inclined folks) to deleaf the plants and make the bolls open up.

Australians in general aren't very accpeting of GM (genetically modified) plants. Sam's cotton however is Roundup Ready (RR) from good 'ole Monsanto. They cut a $50 check to Monsanto for every bale of cotton they sell. He seemed to think that that was a little high and that Monsanto should be making quite a bit of dough...but overall was so pleased with the RR traits that he wouldn't go back to the old way of growing cotton. So he gladly pays the $50. I think because cotton is a fiber and not a food that that's why it is allowed to be grown. But if a farmer grows RR cotton, he/she has to also plant 10% of it and not use any chemicals. He showed me the field of unregulated cotton and it was farther behind and a lot taller. Taller isn't better because it doesn't work with the machinery as well. They don't have RR soybeans.

A stop for lunch and then off to the feed lot where Joe and Shawn were finishing their tour and I was beginning one. Peter's son Jeff is the manager there and I got the tour from him. Their capacity is 20,000 head with most of the beef headed to the Japanese market. There were a few head ready to be shipped to Japan in the coming weeks and he was a little concerned as to what was going to happen becasue of Japan's recent earthquakes. The other cattle on the lot were being raised for domestic use and sale at Cole's (one of two large supermarket chains in Australia.) Cole's and Woolworth's pretty much control much of the food market in Australia.

We went to Woolworth's our first day in the district. We were rained inside so we spent a lot of time at Woolie's as they call it. They abbreviate everything. My family, especially my dad, will be glad to hear that they do indeed call breakfast brekki, and chocolate milk, chockie! Those two things were the start and end of my vocational day...started with the brekkie and ended with a chockie when we got home!

G'day y'all,
That's how I'm going to address people hear from now on. A good mix of Aussie and Missouri dialects.

Gundi, Home Sweet Home!

So we are in Gooddiwindi now.  My first evening here and we went Yabby hunting(crawfish)!  We put a net in and caught 200+ yabbies.  We sorted them and will eat the big ones tomorrow night.  The little ones are bait for fishing this evening!  could my run of host get any better?!?!?  Peter is my host along with his wife Penni.  Their daughter Kate is 24 and was on the Rotary youth exchange a few years back.  She and her boyfriend Verge cooked us a lamb roast and veggies last night, Wonderful!  Some how I got talked into going to Boot Camp this morning with Pete.  Boot camp is always in a new spot around Gundy.  We were up at 4:30 and headed out.  Boot camp consisted of an hour of extreme conditioning.  Whew, I haven't worked out in over 6 months like this, horrible pain but I feel so good now.  We started with a warm up jog, 1/4 mile.  Then it was 12 pushups, 5 updowns, 9 clap pushups, 5 updowns, 6 chest slap pushups, 5 updowns, 3 fingertip pushups, 5 updowns, then a 1/4 mile job.  Now do that 3 bloody times!!!  In hiking boots because I don't have shoes, whew!  Then we ran down to a roat ramp and spent 30 mintues doing jog down, sprint up, with bench dips and crunches in between, SFA!  Then a "cool down" jog back to the park for stretches.  I'll feel this tomorrow.  I'm going back on Friday to do a canoe race for boot camp.  The best time around the island gets fewer workouts on shore.  I better be on my game!

 Pete and I visited a lot of his building projects this morning now we are going fishing!

That's all for now.  Miss all of you.....but not enough to come home:)

open door policy

Catch This Y'all
This evening I have some down time to fill out postcards. I have the screen door open to catch any breeze passing by Joy's home, and so I can listen to the frogs and birds that welcome the night.
So have my postcard list, I have 17 cards and 20 names so I'm noting who should get one now and who later..blah blah..something brown slithers in my room from the bedroom door and under my backpack. I freak out, do I grab the bag or stay on the bed?!? We (Nick and I) had a fake snake scare at Naurelle and Alastair's. This thing wasn't that long, was it a snake or lizard ahh!! what if it gets in my bag. What if there are others in my bag and I put on my backpack and it bites and kills me!
I pulled the backpack towards me while I stay on the bed.
It's a millipede. Are they poisonous? If I had tv and watched the latest nature shows I'd know, damn my television theories!! It's going towards the dirty clothes in the closet, SFA, where did this thing come from? why does everyone leave the doors open in the land of poisonous pests?
Okay, I've determined that the millipede probably has a small mouth and I can herd it out the screen door. However at this point I'm terrified of all the other creatures that could be in my laundry and bags. No sooner have I comforted myself with the fact that I just put those clothes there an hour ago than a frog jumps up against the back wall of the closet. I hollered- loud. The millipede beast is trying to climb the closet walls, so I shoo him across the floor and through the screen door where i study the extension cord carefully for unnatural movement- it could be masking any number of slithery creatures. Back to the frog, just in case he's poisonous I grab a dirty shirt, catch him with it and out the door he goes too.
I had to share this because my heart was banging in my ears I was a little scared and still am... should probably check the bed for creepy crawlies. Sleep tight, don't let the bed bugs paralyze you in your sleep :)
BT

The sounds and smells of Australia

So the team has been posting photos on facebook and writing about our experiences on the blog but there are some things words and pictures cannot describe.

As I write, my host Alastair is cooking breakfast of onions, mushrooms, eggs and beef sausage links.

Perhaps the most unnerving sound I have experienced is that of the call of the kookaburra. The first night I work up at my first host's home it was around 6am local time. My body has adjusted to the clock and I get up at 6am here no matter what just like I would at home. So imagine it's your first night in a home, you're in the semi-awake state, it takes you a few seconds to figure out that you're in a foreign country and all of a sudden it sounds like apes and monkeys outside your window. It was still twilight, I was half awake and it sounds like monkeys are going ape out there! And it's quite loud so my instinct tells me two things: these monkeys are big and they are close. I stay in bed.

At morning tea (breakfast) I ask about the "monkeys". I was genuinely concerned because our first night in Sydney we saw these very large bats which the Australians call flying foxes. The wingspan is HUGE and they were hundreds of feet in the air. In my mind since the bats were huge, so too were the monkeys.

I was informed it was a bird. Thank God! Screaming monkey alarm clock sounds make me a little nervous.

We have moved to our third host club of Boonah which is an hour or two inland from the coast and it feels like home. Winding roads, rolling hills of pasture, crops, cows, are all here as are all the familiar smells that go with it. They neighbor was mowing hay the other morning and you could smell it across the field. Not only does it look like home, it feels like home. My hosts Naurelle and Alastair hosted my teammate Beth and her host Joy for evening tea (dinner) last night and Beth, Joy and I did the dishes. Naurelle doesn't have a dishwasher (familiar to me) and so we hand washed and dried...just like home.

I have only seen one snake since I've been here. My hosts strategically placed rubber snakes outside on window sills to get my reaction. I only noticed them when Beth, Alastair and I were returning from a walkabout on their 40 acres and Beth screamed and jumped. I quickly see the snake and jump also! In all our prep for the trip everyone says "Oh, you gotta watch out for the snakes..." I saw one snake slither away in a garden...otherwise I've only seen them behind glass at a zoo. My hosts got a good laugh. They were waiting to see how long it took...sounds like something I would do...just like home.

I would have to say my favorite sound is that of an Aussie talking. It is so distinct and captivating at the same time. I learn more from these people but simply sitting down for a cuppa (cup of tea) than anything else. We all speak English but there are some vocab issues every now and then. Sometimes but not often it's the accent, most of the time they use some abbreviated form of a word. Brekki is breakfast, Cuppa is cup of tea, and so on and so forth.

And when we eat...which is another source of great smells here...they'll call it a feed. When it was about time for lunch yesterday, the hosts say, "Well go and have a feed before we go back." I'll say this, in the States the livestock feed and humans eat. As well as I have been eating here...I might be swine.

G'Day USA,
Nick

Seaplane10

Sorry, I'm a little behind on the blog.  As Nick has told you, we are in Coomera right now.  Thursday we had our vocational day.  I met up with a builder named Gordon who was kind enough to show me around a hospital renovation.  We went into new construction and also we were able to get into a few furnished areas.  Their procedures are very close to ours.  I do like the fact that almost every business recycles their rain water!  I have some great awning ideas for Chico back at Marathon!  They are starting to transition their health environments into welcoming areas with great colors and a warming feel.  It was a great vocational day and it was really nice to talk to Gordon.  I wish I could dive into it more but I'm exhausted and want to get the rest of the blog finished.  I have my personal journal filled in and would be more than happy to discuss it when I get back.

After vocational morning, we had our second presentation.  This club is so down to earth and young!  They wanted to the full presentation with no corners cut. It was nice not to be rushed like the first one.  I thought we all did a fantastic job on the presentation and everyone seemed to be pleased.  They are a small club but good things come in small packages!  They gave us gift bags with all kinds of AU stuff.  A full flag, DVD of their anthem, information of Parliment, and a peace stone.  I really enjoyed talking to Barb during lunch and I think she will be a wonderful president when she takes over!

Today we met up with Hyden(might be spelled wrong), who is the President of Coomera.  My Mum, Deb and I drove to his dock to meet the team.  Jenny, Sharon, Barb, Neil, and Hyden all joined us for a day on the Coomera River.  What a day it was!  We started out talking back and forth and switching positions on the boat so we could talk to everyone.  Hyden anchored us in a open area and took off on his dingy.  When he returned 10 minutes later, he had 22lbs of fresh prawn and mud bugs!  They were just caught last night!  The mud bug they have is a mix between a fat lobster and a crawfish.  That is the best way I know how to describe it!  WOW, this is the freshest seafood ever!  It was simply boiled in saltwater and served.  From there we headed over to a island where they had a meal set up for us.  We ate family style and they had everything from Fresh fish to steak.  While eating, Peter, the seaplane operator landed and came up.  Coomera Rotary had arranged for us to go up in a seaplane!!!!!!!  Joe, Nick and I took the first round.  Peter took us up to down the Gold coast.  If you said you were comfortable, he would slam the wheel left or right really hard, Great times!  The view from up there was amazing!  Perfect day on the coast.  While flying, Joe took over the controls and drove us for a while.  Peter asked Joe if he liked us or not????  What does that mean?  Well Joe pulled up on the controls and then pushed them down causing the roller coaster experience.  After eating all day, that was not the most pleasant feeling.  After landing, he took the rest of the crew up for their own personal experience.  Each flight lasted about 30 minutes, we cannot thank Peter enough for taking time out of his day and business to show us the sky.  After the flight we started home on a slow cruise up the northern finger of the Coomera.  Perfect ending to a perfect day!

We came home and showered before heading out to the Coomera Waterfront tavern.  The rotary club walks around with a meat tray.  The tray consist of lamb, bacon, steak, and chicken.  They sell raffle tickets to people around the pub.  From what I understand, they had a good night.  Joe was in their Rotary gear helping Hyden collect money.  It was a great way to wrap up the night and continue the fellowship we started on the water.

It will be a very sad day today when I have to leave Deb and Stu.  They have been great host!  I didn't know this when I came but they have a boy from Youth Exchange staying here.  Vianney is truly my little brother now!  He is 16 years old and I will miss his companionship!  We had a wonderful time together and I know that we will stay in touch for many years to come!  I have to also say goodbye to Noodle and Jasper, the dogs:)

Ham & Pineapple Grilled Cheese Please

Sorry for the slow updates, we have been been busy in Coomera! Our days have been jam packed with the most interesting adventures. The journal has turned to 'chuck' scratch (chicken). In Coomera my host family was Pam Roberts, a solicitor (lawyer). In Pam's home live her daughters Natasha and Phoebe, and Natasha's daughter Isabelle. Pam's home is beautifully decorated in a Moroccan/ India style complete with murals. Her Son is a landscape designer and maintains her many gardens, plants and water features- It was like stepping into another world at her home- I love it! Pam reminded me of Christiane Amanpour and Kathleen Schaffer

As Nick described the Carlton United Brewery tour very interesting! They recycle everything from the, wash water and kegs to the yeast. After the yeast has been used six times it is then sold to a company that makes Vegemite. It was the most informative tour I've ever had, and I made that decision before the sample pints of brew.

Thursday was a vocational day, and the club arranged for me to go work at the Waterlife Restaurant in the Marina City. On duty were Chef Jason and Owner/ Manager David. The restaurant serves breakfast and lunch on and off-site, and they are been catering for a year. They purchased a floating island that they use as a chapel. The kitchen was very organized and clean. The menu was similar to the country club or local Missouri diner. Chef Jason asked if I knew Bobby Flay, I said no and continue on to list the reasons why I thought he was a tool of the food network. Then the thought struck me that maybe Bobby was his icon or something or an investor of sorts. So I quickly apologized and told him to look up Tom Colicchio.

Some of the differences in food I've noticed are: Frito Misto (fried soft shell crab, calamari, fish) is menu standard, Thai curry is standard, Beets come on burgers, seared/ grilled onions are always paired with steaks, Fish and chips is a must have, coffee is usual espresso machine or instant - no air pots sitting around, Caesar salads come with hard boiled eggs, bacon is the round and 'skinny' parts and no as salty, Vegemite is best on toast with butter (just another vehicle for butter), tea is more common than coffee, margarine is used as a sandwich spread, fresh Passion fruit is common as well as Macadamia nuts and oil. And they eat kangaroo. I do miss the free refills on coffee :(

For dinner Thursday we were all staying with our hosts. Pam and I decided to cook dinner instead of going out. I wanted Mexican food (not common here), Pam wanted potato gratin, so we hit the grocery store on the way home to pick up tortillas, cheese, etc.. but most of our menu was grown in her garden. Cumin spiced Angus beef tips, guac w/ their avacados. very creamy potatoes gratin. And she has an herb garden, passion fruit vine and lime tree. We sucked down Passion fruit from their garden. The rest of the menu included fresh salsa, tortillas, garden limes and Phoebe's bf came over with Thai take away, so we also ate his rice. It was a crazy menu. We ate and drank well.

Everyday is a new adventure, we are having such a fun time and learning a lot along the way. Lots of love to everyone at home- We miss you dearly!
xxoo- Beth

Handover then off to the brewery

Back home if guests would come to town and I wanted to show them a good time, I might head to St. Louis and take the tour at Anheuser-Busch. Well that's exactly what the Coomera Club did for us when we arrived. After a little luggage juggling we headed to Carlton Brewery which makes all kinds of beers we've never heard of in the States except one. They do make Foster's but it is not their most popular brand. VB is by far Carlton's version of Bud-Light back home.

The current size plant has been at it's current location since the 1990's and is one of the most "green" breweries around. It is near the Gold Coast and the Gold Coast council charges something like $2.00 per liter to buy the water needed for inputs but charges $2.60 per liter to discharge it. My volumes could be off here, but the pricing is right...things are very expensive here. And when the company wanted to move into the area, the council said that's fine, you can come, but the company has to install all of its cleaning systems for all waste products involved. This plant captures and reuses all of its CO2 to use in the carbonation process and in cleaning the already clean bottles that arrive from the glass factory. None is given off into the atmosphere.

The only thing discharged from the site is sewage, which they could clean if they wanted to but choose not to. All water, bad beer, spilled beer, gray water etc. is captured on site and purified back to a state that is cleaner than the original clean water purchased from the Gold Coast water supply. In essence, Carlton's "dirty" water that has been used, is cleaner than what the Gold Coast sells them. But because it's used water Carlton can't discharge it into the system...even though it is cleaner. It is so clean and so purified that it wouldn't sustain life. Our guide explained that if you used only their purified water to drink from...in two weeks your teeth would be gone because your body would rob the calcium from them. And in a month's time your bones would start to deteriorate. I had one glass...I think I'm OK.

Of course any brewery tour ends with samples. We had a card we could use to get us 4 samples. I had three. And their sample was a full serving, not just a few ounces.

It started out a poopy day...

Sorry folks, that I missed the blog yesterday. I had a problem with copy/ paste and lost it all and it was way past time to go to bed. So I'm going to be a little more succinct today and just list a few things.

This morning the team traveled to Currumbin wildlife sanctuary to learn about all of Australian animals. We walked in and were offered a pie plate full of nectar. This nectar attracts lorikeets who gather on the plate, your wrists, shoulders, and head packed wing to wing so that there are approximately 20 birds on your person feeding until the nectar is gone. Quite fun and lots of pictures were taken. If you have a fear of birds this was not for you. Lorikeets are bright green with a bit of color on their heads. You will get pooped on, but what comes out of the bird is as clear as what goes in so it's not as bad as you think.

Then we all posed for pictures while holding a koala. Very docile creatures they are. Koalas only eat from Eucalypt trees which have a wonderful lemony aroma to them. Because of the specific diet, even the droppings and urine from Koalas actually smells pretty good.

Then it was off to the mob...the mob of Kangaroos. It was like a petting zoo only with roos. As with any other zoo, there are droppings. I'm not quite sure how much roo poo I stepped in, but it didnt' really matter! We were feeding and petting and observing kangaroos up close and personal.

I got to play a digiridoo at the park as well and that's where we met up accidentally with the other GSE team from Arizona who is also visiting the district but on a different itinerary. It turns out the AZ members have ties to MO. One went to Mizzou, and another is from MO originally! MO is well represented!

After the sanctuary we walked...along a short stretch of beach of course...to Currumbin surf club for lunch on a high deck over looking what else...but the ocean. I had Cajun Calamari Salad and ate my whole meal the proper way. Fork in left hand tines down, knife in right. No cutting and scooping like back home. And I ate nothing with my fingers and never put down the utensils the whole time. Try it back home sometime...it makes you eat slower.

Then tonight was a welcome dinner at the Tumbulgum Tavern founded 1887. The dinner hosted both the AZ and MO teams and both teams made presentations. I met one of my future hosts and I'm crossing my fingers...she may have a book binder lined up for me to visit with! I will know in three weeks whether or not this happens!

All team members received Australian survival kits from the District Governor John. There was an AUS ball cap, Vegemite snack pak (like the cheese ones we have back in the states with the little butter crackers only instead of cheese it was Vegemite), Jaffas (chocolate orange candies), TimTams which are biscuit (a biscuit is a cookie down here), a bottle of insect repellant for flies, a stubby holder (what they call a koozi cup), and a book of Australian translations.

Tomorrow is handover day for our team to the next group. We're leaving the wonderful people of Tweeds Head South and heading for Coomera a little to the north. I'm already going to miss these people, but hope to see them all again at the district conference at the end.

As I proofread I see I'm not very succinct am I? I'll leave you with this, we had to sing the national anthem tonight and all the Aussies joined us. My voice is still too hoarse to hit any relatively high note in our anthem. Not like my normal voice would sound much better...but I will have to learn the words to Advance Australia Fair before I leave.

G'Day Mates because it's morning where you are. And good night because I'm going to bed.

Arr..Me..Hearties!

First of all I must say, We miss you Jackie! Not a day has passed that we don't express how much you helped us and that you are in our happy thoughts!
Sunday, First Host Family day: God Bless the Greenies! My host family is Richard and Natalie Marriott, two daughters Ashley (10 going on 18), and Brooke (8 forever young)- They are an absolute delight!!
First good sign, we pull into the driveway and there are tomatoes and squash vine tangled in the landscaping. Richard said that these were volunteers from when they tilled the compost into the soil. I've done the same thing!! Love it!
R& N are both Math and science teachers, Natalie also teaches computer tech. They have spent four years caravaning around Australia, home schooling the kids and living on the road. They recently bought this home, one year ago, it is a beautiful space.
We met Don, Carol and Brianna with Mike at a local brew pub. Fish and chips was just as popular as the Chicken nuggets and chips. It is official: Mike is eating VEGETABLES! There was a generous salad with the fish and chips, even the kids plates; leafy greens with carrots, onions and tomatoes.
We all went to Bryon Bay Lighthouse, the most easterly point of Australia. The view is breathtaking, Waves breaking on volcanic boulders surrounded by a green hillside...I can't get enough of the blue ocean. Byron Bay the town is a hippie/ trendy oasis for world travelers and the young granola crowd.
Ashley, Brooke and Brianna were quite entertaining. Brooke started a paper pirate hat assembly line in the back seat, we all got hats. Red for the boys, white or light purple for the girls. Each hat must have a skull and cross bones to enter the ship. Rules are rules. Natalie demonstrated how to make origami boxes, and Ashley kept us in communication with Brianna's car via walkie talkie, even when not in range. The treck down to the beach & up to lighthouse was a good hike. We got wet from the rain, but we could see it coming across the water and took shelter under the bush.
Dinner was a hosted at Wendy & Charles home. They have built a garden into the hillside of their back yard, it is quite a project. Charles carries stones up 2 at a time. They have some herbs, tomatoes and lettuce growing. They get meat from a local butcher and try to use local produce as much as possible, Richard and Natalie do the same.
Food thoughts: Eggs are kept in dry storage. We saw vegemite snack packs (think Kraft lunchables) in the store, I'm bringing some home for gifts- Here's your warning.
There is a large section of the meat department devoted to pet food, see pic, a great way to use by-product. I've seen some tubes of ground meat items at Pet's Mart-like stores, but this was a well developed product.
Here are some prices I jotted down; In Au- tax is included: half leg of lamb $12.99/kg, Veal roast $14.99/ Kg, Porterhouse $24.07 kg,
Off to start the Tuesday!!

First Amazing Day with Host Familes

Hello Everyone!  Our trip is getting better and better!  We met Reg Norvill this morning for a walk down to the surfing area along the Golden Coast.  We took pictures at the time line which is an hour difference depending on what side you are standing on.  New South Wales observes day light saving while Queensland does not.  Very hard to keep up with but it starts some very interesting conversations between locals.  Don and Carol Neale are my host and I could not be happier!  I fill very comfortable in their home and we are talking right now as I type.  They have a daughter Breanna who is 13 years old and stars in school plays and dance.  I can safely say, she loves music just as much as I do.  We are trading some mp3's tomorrow!  They also have 4 children that are on their own with 5 grand kids.  The home is so beautiful with a view that looks out over the town towards the ocean.  They have traveled a good bit and there are signs of that in the decor.  I love seeing the differences in building structure and layout.  The toilet is separate from the shower and the sink is in a common area.  The veranda has to be my favorite spot because of the view and stocked bar.  The sign above the bar says "No Drinking Till 5" but the clock is stuck on on 5:)

  We started the day at Brunswick Heads.  Beth and her host Richard and Natalie meet us and we had a very nice meal at an old pub patio.  The weather was great with big gust of wind.  From there we all headed to Byron Bay, the most easterly point in Australia.  I have been on the eastern tip of AU!  It is the home to Paul Hogan's(Crocodile Dundee) Pub.  This is the area where all of the backpackers come and it was packed!  There is a working light house on the top of Byron Bay that has been there since 1905.  We walked all the way down the the beach from there which was a wonderful hike after eating and sampling Aussie Beer.  After leaving the Bay, we stopped by several other heads to take in the surf and amazing views.  Along the way Don took us to a large area of land that he is developing for 2400 homes, a school, shopping centers, and industrial area.  When can you ever take a trip and get to dive into a culture with your own tour guides?!?!  We are truly blessed!  Thank you Don, Carol, Breanna, and all of our host!

We made it back home by 5:20 or so and hurried to the showers so we could meet on the the veranda for predinner drinks.  We then drove over to Charles and Wendy's house on the Tweed River to meet up with the rest of the GSE team and their respective host.  It was a fantastic time!  The sang us some Aussie songs and in turn we sang the National Anthem....in Tune...HA!  But at least we did it.  We had drinks and mingled with each others host, trading stories, traditions, and differences in culture.  Wendy cooked chicken wings, slaw, potato bake, and salad while Charles manned the flat grill on the deck with steaks.  We followed that up with ice cream and fruit salad, all very fresh. A perfect Sunday evening in Tweed!

Wendy and Charles had an amazing garden that was a testament to hard work and dedication.  I'll let Nick dive into that since that is his field.  We are off to our respective vocations tomorrow.  I've been set up to go to an architect and am very excited.  We will spend the day with them and the evening with our host families.  I find it so easy to talk to Don, Carol, and Breanna so I'm sure it will be another lovely evening!

I'll do my best to check in tomorrow!  Good Morning to you in Missouri, Good night to my Mates here in AU!

Sick Day in Australia

I have been fighting these cold-like symptoms ever since we landed in Australia and have been battling these symptoms with Zicam and Nyquil. Sunday I lost my voice completely. Which is certainly a problem when you're meeting new people and so excited about everything you see. What normally would be expressed with exhiliration comes out in a muted wisp of air.

This morning I awoke after a decent night's rest feeling a little better...still a little congested...but overall not bad. Feeling good, I decided to participate in the optional 7am walk up to Point Danger which overlooks the ocean and has a very modern looking laser lighthouse. The path up to the point was along residential streets but the path back wound along the coast. The Quicksilver World Surfing championships are occurring right now and there were hundreds of surfers in the water waiting to catch a wave. While the sights were incredible, the walk was too much for my body. I was running on low batteries and today was supposed to be a day spent with our host families exploring the area.

I was supposed to meet with Rod and Robyn but they were unable to make it because of a baptism of their grandchild in Brisbane. So plan B was for me to go with Don who was hosting my teammate Mike. This was the first big day of activities and I wasn't ready. I needed a doctor and some rest.

Wendy (and her husband Charles) came to the rescue. What we call urgent care in the States is a surgical center here in Australia. I walked into this clinic with no voice and lots of hope. This is how it all went down and this happened in less than 30 minutes: I walk in and provide my name, date of birth, and approximate address of my host for the evening. The receptionist informs me that a consult is $60 to see the doctor. I have a seat, have a very quiet chat with Wendy (as I speak in whispers) and 5 minutes later am in the doctor's office/ exam room. He asks about my symptoms, listens to my chest, checks my throat, and says I have an infection and writes me a prescription. I pay my $60 fee, exit with Wendy and walk back down the block to a chemist (pharmacy) and to fill my antibiotic prescription costing another $12. Less than 5 minutes at the chemist and I'm back in the car.

Wendy takes me back to her house where I take my pills and we have quite a long conversation about all kinds of things. Wendy and Charles were to be hosting our team and host families at thier house for an evening bbq so they had lots to prep for, just as we would do for guests in the States. Wendy and Charles are gardeners, and I check out their landscape. Their back yard is the steepest thing I have ever seen and it was so incredibly designed! Words cannot describe it and pictures can't hardly either. While Wendy and I chatted, Charles mowed grass. You have no idea how theraputic it was to have the familiar smell of mowed grass waft in through the windows! They give me a bed to lay my head on and I rested for a couple of hours and got a Sunday nap in. Around 4pm my host Rod comes by to pick me up and haul me and my luggage back to thier house to get settled before we return to Wendy and Charles' for the bbq.

I have tea with Rod and Robyn and we talk (me still whispering) about this and that and soon it's time to head back to Wendy and Charles'. Rod and Robyn are also gardeners and Rod toured me around thier property too.

And in that amount of time (a half day) and only one dose of medicine, my voice is hoarse, but audible for the first time in two days. And I have a lot more pep in my step. Our menu tonight was chicken wings and steak with slaw, potato bake, and salad. Dessert was vanilla ice cream with a medley of tropical fruit. I got a chance to talk with my teammates and thier days' adventures and I got to meet the rest of thier host families as well.

My day did not go as planned. I was sick and far from home. Wendy and Charles took in a sickly American for a day and I am on the mend. I can't help but think it has something to do with these warm Australian winds and the smell of fresh cut grass.

I cannot tell you how gracious these people are and how helpful they've been. Tomorrow is my first vocational day and I'm headed to a retail nursery/ landscaper in the area!

There is one thing I forgot to mention that undoubtedly lifted my spirits. Wendy was a torchbearer in 2000 for the Sydney Olympics...and in her house is the torch she carried. I got my Olympic fix for the day! That's a great cure for what ails Nick.

I can't believe what a great day of being sick I've just had.

Final flight for a while...

We started in St. Louis at about 11:00am on Wednesday and 30+ hours of waiting and flying later we landed in Sydney. We spent half a day in Sydney and then caught one more flight into our host district in Gold Coast. We flew on JetStar airlines which was a very nice, clean, and new seeming plane. It was an Airbus 300 I think.

It was the best flight so far because it was the shortest we have taken. The descent into Gold Coast had my ears hurting and slightly deafening. In addition to that, I felt a little under the weather today...I think its a cold...but after a regimen of Nyquil and Zicam I feel a little better. But I've lost my voice. It's down to a whisper and kind of squeaky. We have our first presentation to give on Tuesday night. I don't think I've ever lost my voice for more than a day so hopefully all of this tea I've been drinking will help.

We ventured to a Woolworth's today nearby our hotel. Woolworths is a grocery store. We're staying at this resort hotel for one day and our view is incredible. Even though there was some heavy rain to dampen the ground, it did nothing to dampen our spirits. These people have been so nice to us. We were welcomed at the airport, transported and dropped off at this luxury resort for a day to decompress and then treated to Thai food for dinner. Charles (his last name escapes me) said it was his favorite restaurant. And I've only been in the country for two days...but I agree with him. The lemongrass stir-fry with mixed seafood was spicy and delicious. We also sampled some Australian wine while visiting with these fantastic people. Again, my voice was faltering and it was noisy so I'm sure my voice strained more than it should.

Tomorrow at 7am we're going for a walk in the morning and then at 10am our host families pick us up and spend the whole day apart from our teammates for the first time. We will spend the whole day with them and meet back up at Charles' (and wife Wendy's) house for a welcome BBQ. Charles has promised he has quite the garden. It sounds like it's both edible and ornamental landscaping so I can't wait to see this thing.

I hope my readers aren't as confused with my writings as I feel that I am. I have a hand-written journal, a typed journal and this blog to which I contribute my thoughts. I think I'm repeating myself sometimes, but I'm the only one who knows it. Then again I DID do a lot of repeating tonight because of my non existent voice. These Aussies don't know what I actually sound like. I realize I should probably save my voice, but the conversations, the sights, and my curiosity keep my lips moving. Thankfully this blog doesn't require audio.

Good night all. Nick

Day 1&2 in Sydney

First impression of Sydney, everyone is very helpful. When we look lost, someone will offer the right direction, a spare ticket or piece of advice. We have had a warm welcome in Sydney. The city streets look familiar, we keep comparing them to Chicago and San Francisco. Some of the people remind me of Denver- laid back and drunk on sunshine.
My journal is getting narrowed down to bullet points. Here are the top three categories:

What we ate- Lunch yesterday was narrowed down to a Fish and Chips shack. But it wasn't the usual greasy saturated newspaper experience. Rotissarie chicken and Prime rib, Grilled seasonal fish, and salad were alternative options. I ordered the fish and salad combo; Mixed green salad with carrots, peppers and red onion with a lightly battered crispy fillet of Australian Hake served with s&p, lemon. Tarter sauce and Tomato sauce (ketchup) ( extra $0.30au. ) Recycling was encouraged. Shawns burger came complete with pickled beet slices. Fries were sprinkled with chicken salt and regular salt was available on request.
We all must have been craving milk because one trip to the convenience shop returned 3 litres of milk to the room. Our food storage now contains, trail mix, 2 bottles of whiskey, 3 litres of milk, some soda and juice.

Food cost in au $: ribeye in butcher shop $38/ kilo (2.2lb), 1% Milk $5.85/ 2 litre, Bananas $3.99kg (?), Breakfast buffet $21, Hotel burger $19

Interesting Food choices: Black sesame gelato, Coffee shop pastries selection included the usual plus; Passionfruit glazed doughnuts, beef pot pies, huge 5x5 wedges of Banana bread

Gotta go get ready for the next flight, Love you all!!

Finally in Sydney...tomorrow Gold Coast

We finally arrived in Sydney around noon local time after our 14 hour flight from LAX was delayed at departure. In Sydney we walked, we rode the subway, and we rode the water ferries where we needed to go. We walked across the Sydney Harbor Bridge and on the other side found a place selling fish and chips. It seemed like a good choice in food and it was. I kept the lid to my tartar sauce in hopes of finding a larger bottle of it somewhere down the road!

Lots of school children walking around various parts of town we were in. All in uniform. Many young guys in shirts, ties, and jackets. The girls wore dresses and sometimes hats. Then one group of young fellows was dressed in camo. Quite interesting to see.

Sydney reminds me of a cross between San Fransisco and Chicago. The iconic Harbour bridge mimics the Golden Gate and the shores surrounding the harbor aren't as steep as San Fran's but the climate sure seems similar. We walked for a long time down George street and it's many shops reminded me of Michigan Ave. in Chicago. There were lots and lots of people out and about...business people, school children, tourists. Michigan Ave's horticulture displays are much better in my opinion. Not much for large colorful displays in Sydney...at least where I was.

As I walked along I didn't feel like I was in a foreign country. Sure there were Australian flags flying atop the Sydney Harbour Bridge. But all the English speakers and familiar shops (Subway, Payless Shoes, Seven Elevens) made it feel like any other big city. But Burger King's aren't Burger King's. They are called Hungry Jack's. Same logo, same menu, different words. My purple Powerade I had assumed was grape. Nope. Black Currant...and quite tasty. Many of the shops don't have doors. It's simply open to the street and you walk right in and right out. Apparently many people don't have air conditioning in their homes because the climate is to moderate all the time.

We hopped the train back across the bridge and made our way to Circular Quay (pronounced key) and made our way to Sydney's most iconic symbol the Opera House. It was finally there when I saw the tile covered roofs that I felt like an out-of-towner. Everyone knows the Sydney Opera House is in Australia...and I was standing next to it in person.

I blogged earlier that this was a Rotary sponsored event. After exiting customs there was a donation charity box sponsored by Rotary. I deposited an American dollar. How fitting that one of the first things we see coming off the plane is the Rotary logo? It was a simple clear container with lots of assorted paper currency and coinage. It's just one small little project sponsored by one club...but thousands of those clubs put together all around the world...THAT makes a big difference.

Good night from Sydney, good morning back in the States.
Nick

Sydney!!!!

We made it!! We are checked in and enjoying the sights of Sydney. The plane ride was well worth it! It's so beautiful here and the weather is absolutely gorgeous! The team is currently riding a ferry though Sydney harbor watching the sunset. This is the first time we have had wifi since touching down. If this first day is any indication of the journey we are headed on, we are in good shape. We will head back shortly and get some much needed rest. Back to the airport tomorrow for our last plane ride to the Gold Coast. Good night all!

Waiting and waiting some more

I am usually a stickler for punctuation and capitalization but this is coming from my iPhone so forgive the choppiness. We have made it to LA and it is 8:42 pacific time and out flight doesn't leave until 11:50. Then starts the 14.5 hour journey across the pacific ocean.

Our Thursday will be spent entirely in the air and we won't be into Sydney until Friday morning. So the team is all sitting here making phone calls back home before bedtime in the central time zone. I'm sitting here tethered to a wall outlet charging my phone typing this post.

Were in the international terminal at LAX. That is an appropriate abbreviation for this airport. Because once you get past security this is a rather boring place to be. Not very many food vendors, an assorted news kiosk, all very lax. Wall outlets are at a premium. They too are lax.

The lines for security were really long this evening...and all those people have to come to this terminal...but where I'm sitting right now...even the number of people are lax.

I tend not to sleep very well on planes. I hope the lax-ness doesn't carry over to my sleep.

Good night, enjoy your Thursday. I don't think I even get one this week!