Trips To Australia
2006 - The Skippies
The image of the 2006 trip will remain as very pleasant memories for us both … so many adventures and incidents that help us recall your faces and personalities. As a group .. you gelled from the start, yet you were all individuals with specific gifts and talents. Pat & Adrian extend their sincere thanks to a group of wonderful young people that visited Australia in the summer of 2006. We consider ourselves privileged to have been team leaders of such a fantastic bunch ! …. Our best team ever !
Once upon a time …..after the Mega Bus trip to London …the long flight out from Heathrow ….a brief break at Dubai …then a stop-over in Singapore ( Where’s your passport Adrian ? ) …. The Skippies made landfall in Australia on July 14th 2006
Melbourne was enjoyed by all: A visit to the Aussie Rules game at the Melbourne Cricket Ground was a wow ! ; some of us bought ‘Hansel & Gretal’ hats at Victoria Market; eating out along the Yarra river … visiting the Crown Casino ( only to look ! ) …. and of course the visit to Ramsey Street ( Who watches Neighbours ? … for news on forthcoming events .... please contact Liam ) The visit to the Royal Melbourne Children’s Hospital was an emotional experience for all of us … we all shed a tear or two …for such brave kids )
Off to The Grampians [ Aginda Lodge = all mod cons ] .. and the conservation work … under the guidance of ‘Bushman John ‘, Graham + Kade …. Tree planting in the cold wind at the Lake Linlithgow Wetlands …and ‘cutting & dobbing’ wattle trees in the upper McKenzie River Valley..... with John eating grubs / tree juices .. to demonstrate bush survival techniques (ugh !)… pack lunches in the forest ( no toilets ! ) ; enjoying the social life at Aginda Lodge .. remember the late suppers - because the drivers had gone shopping ! …. loving breakfast/dinner duties…. The visit to the Wild Life Park…. climbing McKenzie Falls + The Lookout.... visiting the Aborigine Centre (Brambuk) … all memories + experiences … life in a mini-bus …including singing along with Pat …. and lots of real skippies + wallabies bounding along nearby …. new experiences … .team work … now all distant memories
And then …to SYDNEY …. A lot of big wows ! ( O my God ! ) What a time we had …at the Central YHA … down in the Scuba Bar ….the first glimpse of the Opera House (wow) , Darling Harbour , the Jet Boat ride (wow)…climbing the Harbour Bridge (wow .. wow ); eating out in Sydney (incl the Sky Tower) ; Bondi Beach (wow)… and the visit to the Jewish Museum ( a few more tears). Then came the farewells (tears … + kiss / kiss )… as we left Australia behind … and some friends travelling on to other sights + sounds. Then our return flight ….. via Bangkok + Dubai … then back to London … and again the Mega Bus trip homeward … now we’re scattered across the country … but still a team !
The photographs received and the messages from many team members tell us how much you enjoyed the trip … and that you will remember the experience for a long time. This is precisely what the Oz Experience is all about … and at the same time … your efforts have made a difference in the lives of young people with terminal cancers… The Joshua Foundation sincerely thanks you for your gift to others less fortunate than yourselves .
Now we look forward to the future .. with new friends to contact across the country . As many go off to University ..or into employment … or just a gap year … we look forward to meeting again … perhaps a reunion / get-together … very soon ? We will all have individual highlights to recall … good ones .. and those less than good … but each and every experience .. made us better people. Now ..via the photographs that appear on the Foundation’s web site … enjoy the memories …. and re-live the adventures.
All our love and best wishes … together with our thanks … for being you ! … Keep in touch … good luck in the future !
Pat & Adrian Cornelius
x x x