The Great Australian Bike Ride come to Alexandra this morning and local Rotarians were on hand to feed them breakfast at Rotary Park. Beginning in Tasmania, the ride will take participants through every state and territory in Australia before they complete their seven and a half month journey. Comprised mostly of ‘mature’ citizens, the team had a big appetite and filed up on sausage, bacon, eggs, fruit and coffee or tea prior to leaving about 9:00AM. It is sponsored by Australia Rotary and is raising money for mental health.
The team posed for a picture with the mayor of Alexandra and then said farewell to the cyclists as they left for the next leg of their journey.
The team was disappointed to learn that because of the lack of qualified personnel to safely guide us down the Goulburn River and through the white rapids, the trip had been scuttled for the day. A local Rotarian came to our rescue and we were able to get an early tee time, so it was off to the golf course. With non-golfer Chris acting as caddy and “advisor” the team made their way through nine holes of golf. We weren’t the quietest team on the course and one could attribute it to the fact that we were five days away from going home and we were remembering some of the more memorable moments of our trip. Unfortunately, they’re all ‘inside team’ remarks and it was one of those, ‘you had to be there’ moments. GSE team rules were that no one scored more than eight on any hole and lost balls didn’t incur a major penalty…..this would prove helpful to Ryan as he made his way around the course which was also surrounded by a ‘horse trotting’ track. The trotting track became a popular location lost balls.
After a lunch by the Goulburn River, we headed to the Victoria Department of Sustainability and Environment where we met with Senior Fire Management Officer, Steve Grant. Experiencing the first quiet day in a long time, Steve spent time telling us about the recent Victoria fires and the organization that went into coordinating the efforts that brought it to a conclusion. With managing over a hundred different pieces of equipment to spending $80,000(AU) a day on food to keeping track of 700 people at any one time, he was enjoying some quiet time. Traveling through what could be described as the ‘war room’, walls and tables were covered with maps, critical contacts and telephone numbers were posted, and communications equipment of varying kinds was seen everywhere. The difference today is that the focus is on recovery as they map out what will is needed to bring back the people, rebuild houses and infrastructure, and deal with the post traumatic stress that is bound to affect everyone. It is seen as a minimum two-year process.
- The team returned to their respective host families to rest prior to the beginning of the evening Rotary Meeting and their presentation. The evening, which began at 6:30PM at the golf club, was attended by Alexandra Rotarians and their guests plus a trio from the Yea (yes it’s pronounced like it’s spelled) Rotary Club. Chris’ host, Rob Chaffe, was Chair for the evening and the meeting. (Shown below, right) Every Rotary Club leaves a special impression upon the team and this club was no exception. We should mention that the most asked question from every club we have visited and usually from most members has been, “Do you know the song “Black Hills of Dakota?” Since the team leader is not a South Dakota native and since the team members are all under the age of thirty, the response is usually, “No.” It should be mentioned that Chris vaguely remembers Doris Day singing the song in a movie, “Calamity Jane.” It should also be noted that every Australian over the age of fifty knows the song AND the lyrics. So tonight, as a special tribute for the South Dakota GSE team, a quartet of Alexandra Rotarians sang the song for us. Most everyone joined in. By the third or fourth verse, most of the team was singing along. What a good feeling and what a special gift that was! Also, the club played the national anthem of the United States of America for us.
For all their special presentations, the club makes a cash donation to ‘Angel Flight’ along with a wooden angel which was presented to Chris. Each team member received a hand carved wooden black duck. The ducks were appropriately packaged in a Winchester rifle box of shells. Additionally, we exchanged banners with Club President.
On Wednesday, these Rotarians will transport the team to the Healesville Sanctuary where raptor birds are kept and nursed back to health. From there they will be picked up by the Diamond Creek Rotarians for the last four days in Victoria and in Australia.
An hour and a half north of Melbourne……one more presentation and five days until the we’re back on US soil….G’Day.
