Before …..Sioux Falls, South Dakota, USA – March 5, 2009
After…Melbourne, Victoria, Australia – March 7, 2009
District 9790 GSE Chair, Don Hamilton and a contingent of Rotarians including District Governor Peter Gilbert and his lovely wife Barbara greeted us at the airport. The twenty-five hour span from Sioux Falls to Melbourne included layover time and in-air time. Somewhere over the Pacific we lost March 6th…never to be regained. All the luggage arrived in tact…but the bags were the last off the plane.
I rode with Don Hamilton in his truck and immediately tried to get in on the passengers side….of course that’s where the steering wheel is. So, I quietly hid my big mistake and snuck around to the ‘real’ passengers side. Driving on the left side of the road was weird, but after a while I got used to it. However, making right hand turns will take some getting use to. That and the round-abouts. You might have seen them in some cities in the United States.
Traveling south from the airport into Melbourne one saw the brown and black ground, remnants of the fires that had recently ravaged through this state. While not severe at this particular spot…it still was a reminder of what these folks are going through as they start the relief and recovery process.
We’re billeted at the Quest Serviced Apartments in Ivanhoe. They’re like a hotel but primarily for those who may want to stay longer. Two bedrooms and a kitchen/living room and the refrigerator was even stocked. We’re not sure who’s going to making breakfast on Sunday morning.
After removing the outer layer of grime, we met our hosts across the street from the Quest for a great lunch. Nothing like a toast to the Rotary Foundation and GSE teams worldwide to make this a memorable beginning to this adventure.
After lunch we strolled along the streets of Ivanhoe which are reminiscent of areas of large cities with their own identities, small shops, a lot of small dining places….and of course my sweet tooth was mentally recording the pastry shops that were located at various locations along the way.
Another pair of Rotarians arrived at 6PM to take us to an evening reception at the home of a local Rotarian. By now, we were on overload with Rotarian’s names and a reminder that we need to be working harder at remembering last names. Peter and Pam were our hosts for the evening and with a vast array of what I call ‘grazing food’ we were set for the evening. Of course there was more Australian wine and an opportunity to sample a beer called VB….it either stood for Very Best or Victorian Beer.
We were transported back to our apartments at 8:30PM and crashed fairly early. Not, however, without catching the end of an Australian Rules Football game….footy as it’s called here.
Sunday will come soon enough and with it our first host families will be here at11:30PM to take us with them. There are three churches in the area of our apartment, a Roman Catholic, a Uniting Church (Presbyterian & Methodist) and an Anglican Church….all within walking distance. Some of the team members are rising for an early morning run.
More from Australia on Sunday.
G’Day!!
