Back in South Carolina!

Well, we made back home and our luggage finally made it too!! Just wanted to say "thanks" to all my host families and to say how much I enjoyed the trip to WA!!! What an amazing time!!!!!!! I sure hope to visit in the future.

Just to let everyone know, after getting off the airplane in Columbia, Yates, my boyfriend, was waiting for me along with my parents and brother and sister-in-law. Once I was through the terminal, Yates got down on one knee and proposed in the middle of the airport!! What a HOMECOMING!!!! Of course, I said "yes" and we're planning a wedding for the first of next year!!! For those that said it would happen, little did you know that it would happen as soon as I set foot in South Carolina!!!!! I've got pictures and I will post them soon but I did want to let you all know. Again, thanks to all the wonderful Rotarians of WA and I will keep you posted!!!
Lindsey :-)

Home again

Hello! Just a very short post to say that the team - minus Grant - arrived in Columbia last night around 10:30pm. Unfortunately, our checked bags did NOT arrive, but the call I had a few hours ago indicated that they would be delivered to each of us this afternoon. I have to say that the baggage was about the only complication we had on the return trip to SC. Yay!!

Grant is enjoying a few days in Sydney before heading to SC and the District 7770 conference this coming weekend. We had an e-mail from him yesterday, so all is well, but I think he misses the great hospitality we received in WA.

I'm sure others will post with news and pictures in the next few days. I just wanted anyone reading and following along to know we all made it home safe and sound. Now, if you could just get the number of the truck that hit me, I will be happy to go after them for making me feel so run down!! :o)

Shannon

Say goodnight Gracie

Wow. That seems to be a word I have used frequently in relation to this experience and it rings true once again. I am sitting at the computer and it is just before 1am. Someone will arrive to take me to the airport around 2:30am and at 5:50am, the team - sans Grant who is taking a later flight and spending a few days in Sydney before returning - heads off into the wild blue yonder, headed for home. Today we did our presentation at the district conference here and then today we had a wonderful time at the Governor's Dinner. We saw many friends we've made along the way and made a few new ones too. As we walked out to drive back to Mandurah and our hosts, many people called out to us and wished us safe travels home. We kinda felt like rock stars. haha But it was nice to know that so many people enjoyed our presentation and getting to know us, just as we have enjoyed getting to know them.

So my time is running out and I need to get my last few things packed away so I can be ready when it's time to go. I am sure some of us will post when we get home to let you all know we arrived safe and sound. I will also try to get more pictures posted for you all.

Thanks for following our amazing journey.

Goodnight Gracie.

Shannon

On to Mandurah

Here is a map illustrating our travels.

We had a presentation to the Harvey club on Monday night. In the club newsletter, they indicated that the presentation was tremendously informative and entertaining. The team has done a tremendous job in making presentations and handling questions from the audience. -- Garry

Hello from Harvey

Well, not really. I'm actually in Leuschenault. I really hope I spelled that right! But it is near Harvey and close to Australind and Bunbury. Tomorrow we make our final move to Mandurah and from there, it's a scant few days until we are heading back home. Leaving will be bittersweet I can assure you. I cannot possibly convey to everyone the magnitude of the experiences we have all had here in Western Australia. I see so many things in the landscape that I want to photograph, but I know that you cannot possibly appreciate some of the beauty of this country from just a picture. It's definitely a "you had to be there" type of thing at times.

Today I had another wonderful vocational day at Edith Cowan University in Bunbury. I mentioned a previous day I had there last week at the same campus. This time I met mostly with different people than last week and we had a great time exchanging even more information. It's interesting to me to learn how my job duties back in the US are divided up differently here in WA. I hope to keep in touch with many people I met there so that we can continue the exchange of information we started today and last Thursday!

It seems that my "calling out" of the readers of the blog worked a bit and 2 folks posted on my last entry. However, you both did not put your names, so I have no idea who you are - though I'm guessing one is my father and the other is Frank? - so if you would please care to share your identity, I would be most appreciative!

Also, Lou, I know you are reading and I have been meaning to ask which Rotary club you are a member of. Inquiring minds want to know! We definitely appreciate your faithful reading of the blog!

I hope you all have been enjoying our adventures here in Western Australia. I have met so many wonderful people along the way and made many new friends. I can assure all the Rotarians in District 7770 that this team has gotten the intended experiences out of the Group Study Exchange.

I've said it before and I'll say it once again, you will all thoroughly enjoy the Australian GSE team that will be arriving in the US just after we return home. We've met all but one team member and I cannot wait to see them all again in my hometown of Sumter.

Sorry for no pictures this time around, but maybe once more before we leave in a few days.

Shannon (the perpetually long-winded one who is also desperate for a hair cut!)

Thanks.....

First, I still have no idea how to put pictures on this blog so I am depending on my wonderful teammates that are much more technologically savvy than I to do so.

But I will echo Scott's comments. Busselton is a great place to be. It is not bad when you can walk right out the door and go for a bike ride, swim, or a run along the Geographe Bay. These types of physical activities were necessary because the people of Busselton make sure that you are never without food or drink.

My vocational time was very well spent yesterday with the Deputy Leader of the Opposition in the Upper House of Parliament - Troy Buswell. He is very much in line with Governor Sanford back home and actually pointed him to our website for some possible ideas and policies to advocate for in WA.

From a personal standpoint I have been touched by the true openness of the Rotarians in this area. I want to say thanks to my host family - Lyn and Lawrie Walter - for making me feel at home and part of the family. I enjoyed teaching - or trying to teach - you and the rest of the extended family the state dance (The Shag). And no for all of you dirty minded non-South Carolinians, the Shag is a dance and not what you think it is.

Hello to all back home and thanks again Busselton.

Grant

Farewell from Busselton

As the sunsets on Geographe Bay, we bid farewell to Busselton. Thank you all who hosted us and showed us a good time. The weather here has been great for sailing and experiencing the culture. People in WA are just great! I think we all could learn a thing or two about life and living from them.

I specifically wish to thank my host family retired Police Senior Sgt. Henry and Jan Hooft. They have been wonderful. Its great to have new friends on the opposite side of the world and I look forward to returning someday soon. And thank you Police Constable Sasha Howlett for looking after me.

Well, we're off to Harvey. Until next time...

Cheers,
Scott

Greetings from Bussleton!

Making more new friends in Western Australia!


Entrance to Lake Cave in Margaret River.




Lake Cave

Hello from Bussleton!!

We have been having a busy and wonderful time here, as usual. I went to the local campus of Edith Cowan University on Thursday and found that they are very similar to my home of USC Sumter. We enjoyed exchanging information about our respective campuses. They seemed very pleased to find that I worked at a regional campus with a similar student population. So there is another great vocational day under my belt.

A few photos for you all to tide you over for a while. As I have said before, we'd love to get comments. I know there are folks who are reading the blog and not commenting, so if you would consider just a quick hello for us all, I think that would be great. I'm convinced there are more readers out there than we know about!

Shannon

Headed Northward along the West Coast

Yes, I am wearing the Official Aussie Police Issue Hat (Akubra). It is just one step closer to the full uniform. It will be tough not to consider a Police job here. Just jokin'. I do plan on returning home to SC very soon.

We have gone from Albany to Margaret River and the Wine Region. Then to Dunsborough for a 3 day rest. Now we are in Busselton. We have had an awesome time here in WA and have seen places and visited with people beyond our imagination. Everyone has been so good to us.

This is a life changing experience and I would recommend the GSE program and Western Australia to anyone.

Until next time, Cheers

Scott

Lindsey says...

Well, as you can see - the beaches speak for themselves. It's just beautiful here. We're currently in Margaret River (known for their wineries) and after having enjoyed some of the best wine I've ever tasted and went for a 12k hike yesterday - we are having a wonderful time. Today, Grant & I enjoyed our vocational day meeting with Barry House (member of WA's Parliament) and Trevor Hunt (president of the Margaret River Chamber of Commerce). If was very informative and we are learning a great deal about the area. Tonight we are headed to a Rotary BBQ and give our presentation to the Margaret River Rotary Club. Hope everyone back in SC is doing well. See you all soon!!!!!! :-)

LINDSEY

A fast picture post

I finally got some pics to upload, so I thought I'd share a few. You can find more here at my flickr site as well. I believe Scott mentioned a while back that we saw a couple of Confederate Battle flags flying at the Boyup Brook Country Music Festival, so I have a picture of that up as well, for those interested.


Scott entertaining at the Kojonup BBQ

After our eco boat tour with former GSE-er Gary Muir in Walpole.

Shannon and Grant making new friends



Beautiful view of Shelley Beach.

We'll catch y'all later!

Shannon

More Random Photos

Here's a few more photos before we head off to Dunsborough for the weekend. Many of the photos that we have posted so far may look like a vacation, however, most have been taken during our Vocation days.

I will also take this opportunity to thank my host families thus far: Ralph and Gloria Fardon, Frank and Jill House and Ray and Barb Hirst. It has been a plaesure staying with and getting to know each of you.

Cheers,
Scott

Two Weeks

Yes, I am still in Western Austrail. I have been slacking on my Blog postings. Here is a short list of my first two weeks.

Perth- Mornings were spent walking along the Swan River with my host Lorri and her dog Zack, a great way to start the day. The team toured a Nature Center that is totally self sufficient, they are off the grid and creating minimal impact to the surrounding landscape. A behind the scenes tour of the reptile house at the Perth zoo was great to see local reptiles. Our evening boat trip on the Swan River was very relaxing, there were so many jellyfish. Bold Park and Kings Park was a beautiful natural area within the city and offers educational programs and has an area for plant research. Throughout the week I looked at several restoration sites along the river.

Kojonup- A beautiful area with rolling hills and the red gum trees in full bloom. At Dryandra State Park we did an evening marsupial program and got to see a Brushtail Possum, Bettong, Bilbiby, and a Wallaby, my favorite animal was the Bilbiby. The visit to Roo Gully was wonderful. It was a great way to interact with the Kangaroos. My hosts John and Kath have a beautiful farm and were a wealth of information for local plants and animals. I spent several days with CALM (Conservation and Land Management) and looked at their restoration sites and educational programs. My first two weeks were wonderful!

Lori

Random Photos

Here's some random shot along the way.

Cheers,
Scott

One more quick thing!

Yep, I forgot something even in that long post! While we were out in Kojonup and while I was with my first host family here in Albany, the water we were drinking, washing and showering with was rain water. It's fascinating to me how the water is collected from the roofs of homes and goes through the gutters into pipes that take it to storage tanks. And it's pretty tasty too!

Just thought that was a cool fact to share!

Shannon

Spiders and snakes and heights...Oh my!

Greetings from Albany, WA! I am leaving the photo posting to others and thought I'd give y'all a wordy update on things happening with us.

Quickly, here are a few links to places I have been in the past week. I'd love to do an entry on the school system here as I am finally feeling confident in my understanding of things, but that might take a while and is best saved for another post I think. I have been to some unis and to some K-12 places and it's been a nice mix. I think I will be able to discuss it intelligently when I get home which is great. I love to learn new things.

Kojonup District High School
Narrogin Agricultural College
Kattaning Senior High School
Great Southern TAFE
Narrogin Beef Producers

At NBP, we met Matt and Janet Thompson who are transplants from Texas. They were wonderful to chat with and Matt drove Grant, Garry and myself around the feed lot for a bit and to the hay processing plant next door. Definitely something out of my element, but an interesting experience as well.

Spiders (Wendy Anderson will appreciate this I am sure!)
In case you don't know, spiders scare the crap out of me. I have three true fears in the world - other than ever actually finding out what my natural hair color is of course - and they are listed in the title of this post. For the first part of this week I was staying with John and Marion Lightfoot on their olive farm which was quite interesting. It's a "hobby farm" since John has a full-time job and Marion has several part-time ones. We got to ride out to the back paddocks and see some 'roos hopping from the trees. I have to say, that will never get old. It's so fun to watch! Well, we came home from the BBQ on Saturday night and I had gone to my room. I turned around to a HUGE spider on the wall over the doorway. I have pictures, but those are for another day. Needless to say I left the room and called for reinforcements and John caught Ralph (I thought he needed a name) and took him outside. Eeek. Ick. Spiders. It was a Huntsman, for those with that sort of informational interest. Check out this link to see a picture of some of Ralph's buddies. He looked like the one in the top photo.

Snakes
Yeah, I'm not so fond of the reptilian type (except for some of my close friends, haha), but we went to Dinosaur World (which is also home to some beautiful birds, one of which will come right up and put his forehead on your leg for you to pet him. It's too cute!) yesterday and I decided it was high time I held a snake. And YES, there is photographic evidence of this and I have witnesses too! It was a carpet python I believe and was a pretty cool experience. Not that I want to keep doing the snake-handling thing mind you, but sometimes you just gotta try something new. When he started to move around I was more worried that I would hold him too tight to get him to move back around, so I turned him over to someone else. I think Grant had more fun with the snake than the rest of us when it started to climb up on his hat! Definitely photos of THAT to come as soon as possible!

Heights
Lastly, I am VERY afraid of heights. So much so that when I get to close to certain areas, I will start to have an anxiety attack. Scott posted some great pictures of Natural Bridge and the Gap which are nice to see since yours truly couldn't make it that close to the edge. I know my limitations and only go as far as I am comfortable with. Yesterday, however, was a bit of a challenge as we all went on the Tree Top Walk, which at the highest point is 40 metres (about 131 feet) above the ground. The view truly is lovely from up there, but I am not sure I was able to appreciate it as much as some of the others on the team did as I kind of kept moving and would not look straight down. But I would not let everyone else do it and me be too scared to go up there. I had a few moments because the walkways to move with the wind and with other people walking on them, but I'm glad I went up and can say that I did it.

So there you have it. A bit of me conquering some fears or at least facing them. I think that's kind of what trips like this are all about - doing new things and trying things even if you can't get all the way. I even ate a forkful of peas at dinner the other night and confirmed that yes, I really do not like them. haha So yay for me!

What is odder still is that I have lost about 5-6 pounds on the trip so far. That is just from walking around during the day and actually eating MORE than I usually do in some circumstances. I think it's just because we are eating BETTER on this trip than we might back home in the States. Aussies seem to have a healthier diet and while often I find I cannot finish the food that is given to me, none of the team is going hungry and the food has been wonderful.

An amazing adventure all around and we are only half finished. THis morning we met with Peter Watson, a parliamentary member from Albany, and we have one more meeting this afternoon. Over the next couple of days, we'll be at places like the local campus of Great Southerh TAFE, the University of Western Australia, the Albany Chamber of Commerce and a visit to the Sandalwood Factory and more. Thursday it is off for a free weekend in Dunnsborough, then on to Margaret River.

Sorry for an amazingly long post, but I figured since others could give you all some photos, I would give you a lot of words instead! Anyone who knows me personally will not be surprised since I love to talk! And for those reading that I work with, I would like to add the disclaimer that I AM actually doing vocational experience and you should not believe everything you see in the pictures Frank is sending around campus!!

Shannon

Wind Farm

This Wind Farm produces 75% of the electricity for the City of Albany. That seems amazing until you see the size of one of the twelve windmills on the edge of the South Coast. The turbines are bigger than a jets engine. (Look at how big it is compared to our team)

Cheers,

Scott

**************************************

This is Shannon sneaking in to Scott's post to say that the Wind Farm is really cool, but I also am convinced it's a homing beacon for alien life forms. It's like something out of "War of the Worlds". Cool, but totally eerie in my opinion.

Wow, What a View!

The team went to "The Gap" and "The Natural Bridge". Wow! What a view! Photos can't do this place justice. The views are simply amazing along the South Coast.

Scott

Well folks, I tried. I have tried to upload my photos, but it's amazingly slow going, so I have given up. I'll try again some other day, but fortunately some of the others can get the photos going. That's just the way it goes I suppose! So when you see no new photos from me or possibly my teammates, please know that we are trying, but it's not always possible.

Shannon

Just in case you've heard...

We are safe, however, a wildfire burns across from Emu Point near Oyster Harbor in Albany, WA. This has been burning for several days now, starting in the early morning hours on Friday. Firefighting crews with trucks and water bombers have been working around the clock to extinguish this fire but it has burned to the waters edge on this side. There have also been efforts to rescue animals retreating to the water from this fire.

Scott

Scott said...

Baby 'Roos like almonds

From Albany, WA...

Wow, what a sunset! What else could I possibly say.

Scott

Grant on a Farm?

I have never been much of a "farm boy" so to speak. The closest I have ever gotten is the few times I cut down a tree at a Christmas tree farm. And far the most part I stunk at that.

But the experience that we had in Kojonup and the surrounding areas (Narrogin and Kattaning) has shown me that it does not matter whether you are a "country boy" (as John Denver would say) or a boy that is from the city - when you put people together from different backgrounds, you can only learn that much more about each other and their culture. With that said, there were many firsts for me on this trip: 1.) first time I ate lamb roast (GOOOOOOOOOOD) 2.) first time I have ever heard of the butcher coming over to the house to cut up your lamb 3.) first time I ever fixed a windmill that pump water out of the ground for the sheep (and by fixed I mean helped hold the ladder).

We really did learn though the value and importance of the Kojonup area to Western Australia. These type of towns are vitally important to the survival of WA. But just as important they made us feel welcomed and at home.

And here is something for all you history buffs - Kojonup is the first Australian city to have 1 million sheep. I would like to see a SC city do that.

Hope all is well back in SC.

Kojonup Report

Having Lori on board has opened a few doors. For example, we spent a wonderful afternoon at Roo Gully, which is a working wildlife sanctuary and education center that specialises in the care of injured, sick and orphaned marsupials. I have included a picture of me with a young kangaroo. Normally, you cannot get close to a kangeroo in the wild, but these kangaroos are domesticated because of the great care that they have received at the sanctuary. We also got a chance to take a night-time guided tour in the Dryandra National Forest, where the tour guides use special handheld spotlights that use a light range that is not visible to the animals. We were able to see a number of types of small endangered marsupials.
We have had some great opportunities to see many types of agricultural facilities on farms, in labs, and on feedlots. Kojonup is the first Shire in Australia that had more than 1 million sheep. I think they are down to 800 now, though.
We made a presentation to 85 Rotarians and guests last night and it went very well. Our presentation was 30 minutes long, and we should keep it to 20-25 minutes. But, this audience did not mind the extra length. They were especially interested in gun control issues, and Scott did a great job explaining this issue. I think they were skeptical of US policies on gun control at first, but they were much more comfortable with the US approach once Scott had answered all questions.
Earlier in the day, Scott, Shannon and I were featured on a 10-minute radio interview with the a regional station on Australia's version of NPR. On the previous night, we were the guests of honor at a BBQ at the farm of Tim and Wendy Trethowan. As we were winding down the event, a large blue commet streaked across the middle of the sky. It had a long aqua tail. Pretty impressive.
The BBQs in Western Australia are a little different than ours. When we think of BBQ, we think of vinegar-based, mustard-based or tomato-based pork. They grill a variety of meets, especially sheep meets. They taste a lot better than the meet we get at home.
At the BBQ, Grant and I also got to play doubles tennis, and it was great excercise. Grant and I were each matched with one of the Kojonup Rotarians. They were much more polished than we were. And, we had a great time.
The weather here is interesting. In this region, they get about one third of the rain that we do each year, and this year is drier than normal. Only about 12 inches in some parts of this region. Almost all of their rain comes in their winter (our summer). Daytime high temps have ranged between 85 and 95 while we have been here, but the lack of humidity makes a big difference. Night time temps can drop into the 40s with a breeze from the Southern Ocean.
We are on our way to Albany, which is a small town on the Southern Ocean. So, we have many more adventures ahead of us.
One other note, we really owe a special thanks to Joyce and Barry Walsh, who were the host family for Lindsey and the coordinator for our Kojonup visit. Joyce, who is Dutch, runs Barry's dentist's office. Barry is an Irishman with a big laugh. They took great care of Lindsey, who is now operating at full steam.
-- Garry

Week 3 in WA is Starting!

Yes, it's Lindsey - "the sick one". Don't worry, I am now fully recovered and ready to take on new adventures that are coming our way!! Today is Thursday, Feb 22 and we're leaving Kojonup and heading back near the coast to Albany - can't wait. Each city/town has been such an experience, I get overwhelmed with anticipation as we begin new travels each week. Just wanted to say thank you to all thoses for asking how I was feeling and hoping I got well soon. Take care and I'll blog more soon!!!!!
LINDSEY :-)