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Glasshouse Mountains/Kempsey, Australia Exchange - November 1-14, 1991,
The relatively new and very small Friendship Force of Glasshouse Mountains had the monumental task of finding hosts for our huge contingent. Jacqueline Giesen, the wry capable and gracious Aussie Exchange Director, had to literally beat the bush. to find us all homes. We stayed in the shadows of Mount Beerwah, Coonorin, Tibrogargan, and Crookneck, fascinated by the Aboriginal legend surrounding their names. These distinctive "mountains" are really volcanic plugs discovered in 1770 by Captain Cook and named "Glasshouse Mountains" because they reminded him of the Glass Houses or factories in England. Our stay with the. wonderful Aussies included two days of group travel in which Aboriginal names like Maroochy, Mooloolaba, Bli Bli, Buderim, and Woombye became familiar to us. We adjusted to the amazing climactic swing as we - them hit a record 104 degrees! Air conditioning was practically non-existent, but you didnót find these sweaty Nebraskans complaining a bit as we shared pictures of our snowy homeland. Most of us enjoyed the beaches and fine white sand, learning about shark nets which made swimming safe. Too soon, were meeting for our farewell party and Barbie (BBQ). Jacqueline was beside herself when the Bush Band (complete with didjeridu) puffed a NO-SHOW. Not to worry. The flexible Aussies and Americans made their own entertainment, from Brian Harrifeld literally leaping into "There Is No Place Like Nebraska" to Bob Wittstruck delighting us with his singing, and Aussie Col. Smith, who could play anything on the piano by ear. We did the Hokey Pokey, the Mexican Hat Dance, and felt that familiar, sweet, sorrow known to Friendship Force Ambassadors and Hosts, as we sang Waltzing Matilda and Auld Lang Syne knowing we would soon be leaving our new friends. "This farewell gathering where all joined together to make up for the lost band, was truly one of the best ever!" said several seasoned ambassadors. Sandwiched between our 1st and 2nd homesteads, was an excursion to Lady Musgrove Island on the southern end of the Great Barrier Reef. The reef is several hours by catamaran from the mainland and our Catamaran captain said we had experienced the best weather he had seen all year! We experienced the clear blue waters and colorful corals and fish from the island, the glass bottom boats, or by snorkeling and scuba diving. The annual return of the giant sea turtles was just beginning and Glad ya made we were fortunate that the rookery where they lay their eggs was just a m stone's throw away from our motel. There is an art to experiencing this phenomenon which we evidently failed to master, But, the sight of forty of us traipsing along the beach on a pitch dark night trying to use our torches (flashlights) sparingly and trying to be quiet as well was something to behold. No turtles did we see, but we did have an adventure later dubbed, "The Great Australian Snipe Hunt!" An additional night with our host families was ours before meeting the Kempsey Friendship Force contingent, accompanied by Ross Foster, their Club president and others. Words to describe Cliff Fuller, the Kempsey Exchange Director, arie hard to come by. He has directed all of the Kempsey incoming exchanges with untiring energy, in an effort to show visiting Ambassadors the best of Kempsey in beautiful New South Wales. Cliff is a comic extraordinaire and labeled himself "The Bastard of the Bush" on his return address label, if that should give you a feel for our experience! We had four days of touring to spectacular seaside vistas, complete with shipwrecks or lighthouse. We experienced the down-home hospitality of the Willowarren Country Womenós Association entertaining us with a luncheon we will never forget. We were touched by the Koala Hospital and the animal preserve at Kingfisher Park where kangaroo, wallaby, and even ostrich would eat from your hand. The barbie at the Fuller farm will long be remembered particularly the frosting-ladened cow patty lovingly presented with song to Cliff by Jack and Jeane Moore. Kempsey folks - pleased that we brought rain with us after their extended drought, and again, the pangs of parting befell us as we headed South with Cliff and Ross seeing to it that we experienced more of Sydney in two days, than we could have ever imagined including a harbor cruise, a view from the Tower on a spectacularly dear day, a night's entertainment at the famous Sydney Opera House, and free time to explore the Rocks, Darling Harbour, the beautifully restored Queen Victoria Building, and more. Most of our group continued to New Zealand for another view of the land down under, but all of us came home with awry soft spot in our hearts for those beloved Aussies. One of our first time ambassadors has become an avid spokesman for the Friendship Force concept of travel...."I'd go back in a heartbeat," he says, "But although I would have enjoyed all the sights and the beauty on a regular trip, it was the Australian people that made the difference. They were so special!" Dip your lid to the Cobbers who did a bonzer job on the humdinger of an Exchange Committee, fair dinkum! Jeane Moore - Applications (details and general support) Eva Hammond - Treasurer (a monumental task with this group) Larry Muck - Workshops (and alternative tour dispatcher) Larry Scott - Departures (and general gofer and right hand) Special thanks to the Streilys, Moores, and George Buckner, for hosting or handling workshops. |
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he November 1st blizzard will long be remembered by the Australian Ambassadors. By mid-morning, flights out of Lincoln- were cancelled and no seats were available on upcoming United flights to Australia for nine days! Seven incessant and insistent hours of phone calls provided a long shot for the 45 nervous ambassadors-30 could try to get to Omaha for an evening flight which might enable them to catch up with their original flight in Los Angeles; and the rest, under Larry Mucks capable direction, could leave the next day for Hawaii with a connecting flight on American Airlines to Sydney. The miracle was that both groups arrived within minutes of each other only one day late!