Remaining days in SYDNEY

From Springwood to Katoomba, Blue Mountains… After saying our goodbyes to our host families, off we drove for Blue Mountains.  Thanks to Bob and Janet Templeman and Warwick Harrisson for driving us.  We arrived at the designated meeting place, Alpine Motel, owned by George and Libby Bubalo at around 9:30 a.m.  We were met by our new hosts, Pres. Kerry McGill (Lorna and Rucel), Malcolm Nicholson (Arleen) and of course, George and Libby (Ben and Chris).  As it was still early, and it was also our free day, the group decided to have a meeting in preparation for our final presentation on April 5.  It was very gracious of Pres. Kerry to offer his place for us.  Wow, it turned out to be a "picnic" lunch for us, with Malcolm bringing chicken and Kerry buying bread and cheese, cold cuts.  Initial preparation for our presentation was made and after agreeing how it will be done, with the 2 boys in-charge,  off we (Arleen, Ben and Chris) went  home to our respective hosts.

Dinner of barbie and salad, wines was a feast for us, Arleen, Lorna and Rucel with our hosts, Kerry and Anne, Malcolm and Move at McGill's place.  Ben and Chris had their share of great dinner too with George and Libby.

Katoomba, Blue Mountains is our second to the last stop place.... (Arleen)

Captivating Katoomba. (March 31) Woke up to a misty morning - It was so hazy that it feels like I was seeing things in a dream.  As if everything was trapped in one big cloud. And I guess everything really was.

Then, came a visit to the Blue Mountains Heritage Centre where we met the GSE Team from Taiwan for a tour of the Blue Mountains National Park. From two amazing Lookout Points, the George Phillip’s Lookout and Govett’s Leap, we saw the majestic view of the Blue Mountains scenery. The experience? Transcendental!

A quick trivia. Pres. Bob Reid of RC Upper Blue Mountains Sunrise, gave us a quick lecture on the amazing flora of the park, such as the Mountain Devil (some sort of a mascot of the Blue Mountains Region), the Wattle (Australia’s National Flower), and the Waratah (New South Wale’s State Flower).

We then went to Echo Point, where we saw another breath-taking scenery, particularly the “Three Sisters,” which is a group of rock pillar formations famous for the local legends. This was followed by a tour of the Scenic World, a former coalmine-turned-tourist attraction. There, we got a ride down for a better view of the former coalmines on the world’s steepest railway, nowadays known as the Scenic Railway, and riding back up through the Cableway car.

The day was concluded with us attending a joint club meeting of the Rotary Clubs of Katoomba, Sunrise, Central Blue, and Blackheath. It was a fun, fun night with the clubs and the Taiwan team, but if I have to choose a favorite scene… it’ll probably be two. One was with the Taiwan team presenting themselves, not as themselves now, but who they’ll be in 30 years (they showed pictures of their moms. Great going, guys!). And second will be our presentation of the song entitled, “No Other Love” with Malcolm Nicholson (keep that inner kid, with you, mate! You’ve been really fun!).

And that’s the end of day 1 in Katoomba. (Chris)

IT’S ALL ABOUT ENERGY. On Friday (April 1) all members of the team were up early with full energy and excitement for the day’s itinerary. All in Kerry McGill’s Pajero, team members were brought to Airly Mine, Glen Davis Road , Capertee where Centennial Coal Mining was. As we arrived in the place where Taiwan GSE Team also were, Graham Prayor, the operations manager of the mining oriented us all about the Centennial Coal operation and background. After the briefing, all were geared-up as a safety procedure for our visit in the mining site underground.

                

As we enter the dark, 35 meter squared panel, mining engineer Andy led us inside chasing through 

the beam of flashlights that each have on our hardhat. After about 45 minutes walk, we reached about half a kilometer inside, 145 meter underground. While inside, we saw for ourselves the activities of the miners especially loading coal mines fresh from the crusher to the conveyor. We finally headed back out of the tunnel after almost 3 hours inside. After fixing ourselves, we took our lunch prepared by the staff for us. 

From Centennial Coal Mining, we then were brought to DELTA Power Station at Mount Piper . Both teams had a tour in the power plant, and were lectured with the technology involved in generating electricity from coal. Together with our host families, we ended the day with a dinner at Megalong Valley Community Hall.

 

April 2, 2011. Rotarians from Katoomba made our last day in their place more meaningful as they brought us to Jenolan Caves. We were astonished by the huge, beautifully sculptured cave by nature. We couldn’t help but adore the enormous chamber with fabulous mineral formations called stalagmite and stalactite beneath the mountainous rock covered by various types of eucalyptus trees. The team spent the whole morning within the cave and came out for a lovely lunch at Caves House.

From Jenolan Caves, we then headed to ----- National Park for a fellowship and a Barbeque Dinner jointly sponsored by the Rotary Clubs of Katoomba. During the fellowship, we took the chance to say words of thanks to our host clubs and did a simple presentation.

April 3, 2011. hawkesbury RIVERSIDE ACQUAINTANCE in Richmond. The joint Rotary Clubs of Hawkesbury warmly welcomed us and the Taiwan GSE Team through a lovely BBQ lunch at Hawkesbury River, (thank to Bob Bailey) In the same event, District 9690 GSE outbound team for Philippines lead by Ian Jordan joined for the first time with a rotary club gathering since they arrived back from the Philippines. District Governor Marilyn and her husband were also present.

Everyone enjoyed the party and were able to get acquainted with each other. (Ben)

April 4, 2011. A Few More Days to Go, Lots More Places to Go To. 3 days left in our trip. But the Combined Rotary Clubs of the Hawkesbury area isn’t ready to let our excitement wane just yet.

What’s the fastest way to show a group of people the most number of interesting sights in a short period of time?  A bus tour, that’s what. Our coordinator, Colin Taas arranged for a bus tour for us and showed us the more interesting parts of the Hawkesbury town center, particularly the Royal Australian Air Force grounds, the Hawkesbury show ground, the public golf course and driving range, the St. Matthew Anglican church (which I believe was one of the oldest churches in Australia), the Hawkesbury council chambers, the Hawkesbury Regional /Gallery, the Hawkesbury Regional Museum, and the Macquarie Arms Hotel (which is one of the oldest pubs in Australia).

There were three highlights in the tour. Let me share them in detail.

First was the tour of the Ebenezer church, which is the oldest existing church in Australia. Built in 1809 by several pioneering families as a common Christian church, it was ordained as a Presbyterian church in 1824, which makes it the first Presbyterian church in Australia. Most memorable of that part for me was the morning tea on their wonderful patio. Hot tea on serene landscapes in the peaceful atmosphere of the church. Simply refreshing.

Second would be the visit to the Tizzana winery. Yes, I know what you’re thinking… that’s probably the best part of the GSE program yet. Almost, my alcohol-loving friends. Almost. We did have some of the finest wine I’ve ever tasted. Founded by Dr. Thomas Fiaschi in 1887, the winery has survived countless ordeals, including being razed by fire caused by vandals. After being abandoned for a few years, the present owners bought the winery in 1968 and restored the winery. It is now, aside from a winery, a 5-star Bed & Breakfast inn.

Last but not the least is the tour of the Australian Pioneer Village, a village made of “rescued” old houses from all over New South Wales. It was an educational facility to show how settlers first lived in the early years in Australia. Run entirely by volunteers, the place is also recently being used as a studio set for an upcoming Australian Television drama. It was capped by a close encounter with some donkeys, Pintos, and a couple of the biggest Clydesdale horses I’ve ever seen, as well as afternoon tea of damper (pastry of some kind) with cream and ice cream, and real English tea.

After the bus tour, the day ended with the club meeting of the Rotary Club of Richmond, where we performed again our traditional /interpretative Malong Dance. We couldn’t have asked for better audiences, and we felt really fulfilled after the performance.

And there goes another day, a day less in the program. But with what happened today, I’m fairly sure we’re ending the program with a bang. Thank you RC Richmond!

P.S. For the wonderful hosts I’ve had in Richmond, Geoff and Janet, you’ve been really, really swell! Thanks for teaching me how to properly cook a barbecue, Geoff!

April 5, 2011. We all had mixed emotions on this day....  happy, coz we look forward to going home to the Phils. and be with our family, sad, coz we will be leaving the country and the warm people who have touched our lives, excited to share to family and friends the wonderful experiences and memories we have had in Australia, specially in Dist. 9690.

10:00 a.m. With Lorna, Rucel and myself, Ian brought us to a supermarket to buy cheeses to be brought home.  Thanks Ian. After having coffee, Ian brought us to his wonderful home and met up again with Judy.  Then off we went to Derek and Barbaba Scott's place for lunch and stayed til 3:00 p.m. to finalize our group presentation for the night's TRF Alumni Dinner and District Farewell.

5:15 p.m. Had a debriefing with Graham Wilson and David Ross, and the Taiwan Team followed.   It was a night of reunions with host families, rotarians and fellow GSE Teams.  We, (4 teams) also had our share of group presentations, what an emotional time, indeed. After all the "thank yous and promise to keep in touch", with a heavy heart, we left Penrith to go back to Richmond. (Arleen)

April 6 was our free day. While the ladies went down to Westmead Children’s Hospital, Chris and Ben were brought by Derek and Maggie to their other house in AVOCA Beach, about 2 hours away from Richmond. They had a quick glance at the amazingly beautiful beach with world class hotels and resorts around it. At around 2:00pm, they headed back home. Chris was dropped off to his host family. Both host families had their final supper with their GSE member in their respective houses. (Ben)

 

10:30 a.m. It was very gracious of Colin Tass, Christine Anamin and Sue Calphy to bring us ladies to Westmead Children's Hospital.  We were met up by Keith Miller, a volunteer and Angela Burnett, head of the Fund Raising Dept. of the hospital.  With only 2 hours to spare, we were toured to  some of the 150 departments around the hospital, among them were, the Rotary Wing-Turner Ward, Book Bunker-Library for Children, Cardiac Ward (Edgar Stephen Ward-Heart Center for Children),  Orthopedics, Starlight Express Room, Playgrounds. They even have a school within the hospital and a half way house, the Donald McDonalds House with 17 rooms for the families with children who are having longer treatments in the hospital.
  
Had lunch at Sue's son restaurant in Parrammatta then,  back to Richmond for Lorna and Rucel after dropping me off to my relative's place in Blacktown. (Arleen)

 

HOME SWEET HOME AS THEY SAY. As we woke up on the dawn of April 7, 2011 to begin the day, we realized that same morning marks the end of our GSE Journey in Sydney, Australia. Graham Wilson, Colin Tass and Ian Jordan facilitated our departure. Hugs and “goodbyes” in our meeting place at car park in Richmond , where we were picked up by the airport bus, and at Sydney airport were like yellow ribbons tied among host families and the team members which promise continued friendship amidst distance.

Leaving behind Ma’am Arleen to spend more time with her family friends in Sydney, the four of us flew back home via Hong Kong and Manila. It was indeed a long flight. We had half emotions as we reminisced the precious times we spent with the Rotarians from District 9690 while we look forward to meet up with our respective families back in the Philippines .

               

Great Time in Springwood

March 26, 2011. Changeover: Blacktown to Springwood. The GSE Team met at the Parklea Market at around 9:30 am to buy some souvenirs. Oh! another few kilos were added to our luggage. At around 1:00 p.m., the Team left for Springwood courtesy of Daniel Kellie again, who graciously drove us from Blacktown to the house of PDG Paul Erickson.

Each team member was then fetched by their respective host families. Bob and Janet took Lorna to a Chinese restaurant; Ben and Chris were brought by Richard to nearby Blue Mountains National Park; Team Leader Arleen went out for pizzas and salads with Rtn. Paul and  Sue and their daughter Ruth and grandson Leo, and friends Don and Ross;  Rucel was taken by her host Rtn. Marilyn to Penrith Plaza and had BBQ for dinner .  Lovely dinner with respective host families. (Lorna)

March 27, 2011. A Holyday Holiday this Sunday. It was a crisp and chilly morning in Springwood and we had a full schedule ahead of us. The Team heard mass at The Shrine of Our Lady of Mercy at Penrose Park in Berrima.

After the mass, Rtns. Richard, Norma and Cheryl took us to a trip within the church grounds, walking to different chapels of the different saints from across the world. Our first saint, San Lorenzo Ruiz de Manila also have a chapel in his honor. There was also a quick tour of Our Lady of Lourdes Grotto and a replica of Jesus’ tomb in a hill near the monastery.

We then had a lunch at of meat pies and sausage rolls in one of the local pubs in the town centre of Berrima. The place is of a historical significance like the Berrima Correctional Centre completed on 1839 (and still functions as a jail to this day), and the Berrima Courthouse established on 1838 (now serves as a Museum/Book Shop).

Next on the agenda was a trip to the Nan Tien Temple in Port Kembla. A serene atmosphere flooding impressive architecture, majestic landscapes, endearing works of art, and wonderful pieces of wisdom written in beautiful calligraphy on every corner is enough to instill a certain kind of peace in oneself. The day was concluded by a sumptuous meal in Hubertos (a German Restaurant)  along with our excellent hosts for the week. (Chris)

March 28, 2011. VOCATIONAL  DAY  AND MEETING WITH RC SPRINGWOOD. Team Leader Arleen and Chris were brought by Rtn. Ivan Feror to Wes Pac Bank in Richmond. In there, they got to exchange ideas on bank systems, products, HR, client handling,  etc. with  the Branch Manager Garth Lazaro, Adam Zarb and Jessie Anag (a Filipino), both Personal Managers.

Meanwhile, it was likewise an interesting day for both l and Lorna who were brought to 3 different offices in Penrith, by PDG Paul Erickson.  First stop was at the Penrith City Council where the ladies met with Jill and Marnie who are both working in said council. There was an exchange of ideas especially on the workings of the local council. Next stop was at the Study Industry Partnership where Rtn. Cheryl Kitto works. It was really an  exceptional experience for both the ladies as they  were introduced to a unique system of placement of students to apprenticeships and industries,  for opportunities for employment. The ladies then had their lunch at a Thai restaurant with PDG Paul Erickson, Cheryl and some of her co-employees.

After lunch, PDG Paul ushered the ladies to the Interyouth office which provides students, who have difficulty in school, the necessary education equivalent to Year 10, guidance and counseling and one-on-one sessions. At about 3:30 in the afternoon, the ladies were brought back to their host families’ home.

With Ben, he was brought  to the National Foods lab by RC Springwood President David Rayner, who happens to be the site manager of the plant. National Foods manufactures milk products like yogurt, cream, etc. He was taken into a tour of the plant the entire day and was able to meet 2 Filipino workers.

6:30 pm – RC Springwood meets at Springwood  Sports Club.

                                

We ended our presentation with the Malong Dance, a special request from the members. (Rucel)

March 29, 20011. Bridging Communities: Springwood’s Way. In our four-day stay in Springwood, club members impressed us on how they live with the Rotary’s theme this year “Bridging Communities.” Aside from the warm welcome and accommodation, the club brought us not only to significant places in their locality but also to other spots in Sydney.

On Tuesday, Rotarians Pat, Linda and Peter ushered us to Manly. It was indeed a long way of connecting travel which took us to the place from home through car, 1 & 3 quarters of an hour in train, and about half an hour in boat. I should say the place was fantastic. Our smiles and amusement just couldn’t be hidden as we enjoyed taking photos with the clean, natural white sand beach right at the town side, THE CORSO.

After taking a quick lunch, we headed back to Circular Quay Station at the city and took another ferry for about an hour trip around Sydney Harbor. We had a chance for a closer view of the Bridge right below it as we sailed across. We also had a glance of the lovely Darling Harbor from our boat. At around 5:30pm the group made our way back to springwood with our hearts filled with appreciation of how Springwood Rotarians made our day special. (Ben)

Great time in Blacktown…..

March 21 – Monday . At 10 AM, the GSE Team and some Rotarians from Blacktown met at Featherdale Wildlife Park for a great interactive animal experience. Upon arriving at the gate, Rtn. David gave each one a passport for admission and map and for us to stamp the photo of the animals we visited. Everyone was fascinated to pat some Koalas with  photos taken close-up with them,  and enjoyed to hand feed wallabies, kangaroos and emus. More than 30 species or 2,000 animals such as flying foxes, bilbies, wombat , cookatoos, koalas, wallabies, snakes, emus, tazmanian devils, crocodile,  and farm animals were only a few who made our day complete. (Lorna)

Different Faces of Vocation. Service to others is one ultimate reason though we choose different vocations that we are to live on. On Tuesday (March 22) each of the members of the team went on separate ways for our vocational visits which was facilitated by the ever energetic members of the Rotary Club of Blacktown. Rucel went to Ken Fairfax Law Office and had a chance to sit in Ken’s conference with his client.  She spent the rest of the day doing some research on Court Pleadings and Papers. Our team leader, Arleen with Chris visited the SMARTLINE, a mortgage and brokerage firm. They had a personal encounter with Aaron Sainsbury, who is also a Rotarian. He is one of the mortgage advisers in the firm. Lorna who was supposed to visit WASH (Self-Help Program for Women) went to the City Library and learned about the Paint Blacktown  REaD (pronounced “red”, a pun on ‘read”) ia a whole community literacy support program. I was brought by Cathy to Westmead Millennium Research Institute and toured me around the Westmead Hospital. I had a very informative day as I was oriented by the institute’s current research on human melanoma. At the end of the day, each member of the team shared how our learning could be applied to  our own workplaces  and vocations.  In the evening, we attended the meeting of RC Blacktown at Worker’s Club.  After our presentation, we sang “Dahil sa yo”, together with our kababayans.  RC Blacktown, handed us a Certificate of Appreciation, aside from their bannerettes. (Ben)

March 23, 2011. Thank you, Mr. Mayor. Went to the local council of Blacktown and met with a friendly bunch of politicians, among them, the Mayor of Blacktown, Councillor Alan Pendleton.     Not everyday you get to meet someone important.  Well, everyone is important, but you know what I mean. And get the chance to sit on their important seats in their council office and served with sumptuous morning snacks.

 Thank you, Mayor Alan Pendleton for your warm welcome. Thank you, Councillor Russ Dickens for showing us around. Thank you, Councillor Jess Diaz for showing us that Filipinos can make it anywhere if they try hard enough. And thank you, wonderful Rotarians of the Rotary Club of Blacktown, you have made our week equally exciting and educational. We had our free time in the afternoon and stayed with our respective hosts. (Chris)

Wonderful treat from PP Bob Gardiner…Hawkesbury River Cruise. On March 24, 2011, the team was very fortunate and was taken for a cruise down the Hawkesbury River aboard Rtn Bob Gardiner’s boat.  Everyone was so excited, digging on cheese, cold cuts, salads, wine and of course, beer.  Chris guided the boat and was practically steering  the wheel almost the entire day. Ben and Daniel could not refrain from taking a dip on the river. Midway through, Rtn. Gus Baekler arrived in his speedboat and treated the team to a fast and furious joy ride.  Anchoring on Gunyah Beach, we then had our  lunch, then  headed back to Berowra Waters Marina around 4 pm, exhausted after the day’s event, but overjoyed.  Thanks Rotarians Bob Gardiner, Tess  Sayas, Kerry, Scotty, Gus, Tony, Daniel and PDG Dick White for that wonderful  treat.  A paradise, indeed.

            GSE Team with Rtn Bob Gardiner

7:00 pm – A get together party  was hosted by Marivic and Ray Manalo (hosts of TL Arleen and Lorna) in their beautiful place.  Guests were treated to a sumptuous Filipino cuisine (sisig, pancit, tokwa’t baboy, picadillo, fish, etc) and wines, and of course, the famous past time of Filipinos, Karaoke… Rtn. Gus serenaded us with his lovely voice, as well as Atoy and  Ray. I  had the chance to practice my vocal chords too, and nobody went home without  having a sing or two.  Present were, Tony, Atoy and Tess, Kerry and Kathy, Nelma, Gus, Florence and Daniel.

Great night…  (Rucel)

March 25. All Day – Free! After a night’s sumptuous food and karaoke, we were picked up by Tess Sayas at around 9:30am and headed to Blacktown. Lorna, Rucel and I took the train forTown Hall to go to Darling Harbour. Made a quick  tour around the area via the mini train, had burgers for lunch then decided to go to the Sydney Tower.  Before that, Lorna and Rucel went up the foot bridge,  Pyrmont Bridge and am supposed to meet up with them at the end of the bridge. . .  lo and behold. .. we kinda lost each other. . . I saw them coming in from the top (I was waiting for them in the same level, but on the side part of the bridge)  and I didn’t realize they went down, and they, thinking I was waiting for them below. Nevertheless, we found each other and up we walked to Market  St. to go to Sydney Tower. Only Rucel and Lorna went up and I stayed behind and met up with a friend Lea for coffee. Went back to Blacktown by 4:15pm.

Ben visited the Prospect Reservoir and helped Daniel prepare for the evening’s farewell party. Chris just stayed home with his hosts.  At 7:00 pm drove to Daniel’s pub, Cricketters Arm,  for the farewell party.  Good attendance of Rotarians from Blacktown together with their spouses showed up. After dinner, we said our individual thank yous  and goodbyes to Blacktown Rotarians. . . and did I cry bucket of tears? . . . ask the members . . . we really had a great  and memorable time  in  Blacktown. Thanks too, to Raymond for coordinating our stay and schedules. Next stop will be Springwood.  (Arleen)

GSE Team 3860 on to 9690 DISCON 2011 in Bathurst

Friday, the end of another working week, as well as the end of our week in Penrith. After lunch, the team  proceeded to the lovely, quaint town of Bathurst for the District Conference.

After a short rest, we proceeded to the Bathurst Memorial Entertainment Centre for the opening program of the District Conference. After a brief welcome address by the District Governor, Marilyn Mercer, the district conference proceeded with the inspiring talk by RI President’s Personal Representative, Past RI Pres. Bill Boyd, followed  great speeches from various speakers.  The evening was concluded by a wonderful presentation delivered by the GSE Team for Taiwan.

March 19, 2011 - All dressed up,  we had our breakfast at 7:00am of bacon, sausage and eggs, plus toast, coffee or tea.

Walked to the venue, Bathurst Memorial Entertainment Centre by 8:15am for the Saturday Plenary Session.  After the call to order, parade of flags followed and had the honor to parade our Philippine flag while our national anthem was being played.

This was followed by various speakers including ---- Mayor Cr. Paul Toole and another talk of RIPR Bill Boyd, he is really amazing.

Governor Marilyn also had the district awards, both club  and individual awards. PDG Bob Aitken, the managing editor of Rotary Club Down Under House received the “Service Above Self Award”. Afternoon was free and we got the chance to practice for our group’s presentation for Sunday morning. With our Rock and Roll attires, we met up with RC Burwood at 4:30 pm for drinks and “pica-pica.”  Boarded the bus, together with the other Rotarians up we went  to the venue at 5:45 pm. We were seated separately and I was assigned at the table of DG Marilyn and Sps. Dudley, Alex Buchanan and Sps. Jo, together with John Konrads. It was a sumptuous dinner of ribs or fish, with night long dances  to the tunes of  rock and roll. What a great night with Rotarians all in their fantastic and stylish costumes.

March 20 - Again, we were all up early and already in our Philippine costume and headed for breakfast at 7:0am. We were at the venue by 8:45am and stayed at the green room to wait for our team’s presentation time.  We did our presentation at around 9:30am and ended it with a malong dance number.

This was followed by more  inspirational  talks and the 2012 conference presentation by DGE David Cook of Lower Blue Mountains.  Afterwhich,  brunch was served. The last part of the conference was a report on resolutions by Barry  Thompson,  address again by RIPP Bill Boyd and he ended his talk with this message,  and I  quote  “the world doesn’t need more celebrities, it needs more heroes, people who are willing to stand up to their principles,” unquote.  Finally, it was Conference flag handover and tribute and accolades to DG Marilyn Mercer for a very successful  District Conference .

All bags packed and with wonderful memories of Bathurst, we, together with the Taiwan Team headed back to Penrith.  All were “Koalas” once we hit off the road. Thanks again to Daniel Kellie for the ride. (Arleen)

GSE’s second week in Sydney as they Explore Penrith

Our Monday (March 14) in Penrith was worth reminiscing for aside from club presentations and educational tour; we were able to visit, for a rare chance, Sydney’s State of the Art Sports Facility during the 2000 Olympics, THE REGATTA CENTER and PENRITH WHITEWATER STADIUM.

We started the day as early as five in the morning with thrill for we were to beat the time and meet the members of Rotary Club of NEPEAN in Penrith at 6:30  am. The group had fun as we were introduced to the energetic members of the club. After a while, we took advantage and had photos with the Nepean River as where the venue of the meeting was just on the riverside. The excitement was then intensified when after the meeting, Rtn. Graham Wilson and his wife Helen brought us to Regatta Center  and the manmade whitewater river. After which, Graham with the assistance of John Harding drove us to one of the biggest water reserves  in the New South Wales, the Warragamba Dam. Our excitement was paid with astonishment to see the huge, highly sophisticated technology of the water system.

Full of contentment, we made our way back to our respective host families to regain our energy and freshen up for another meeting, this time with the Rotary Club of Penrith. The team arrived at the venue at around 6:00 O’clock in the evening and were assigned to different tables.  After dinner, we made our presentation.  It was fortunate then that the team was able to listen to the inputs of the club’s invited speaker from Nepean Research Foundation who talked about latest researches on health management. As the meeting ended, the team’s Monday in Penrith also ended with our respective host family. (Ben)

March 15-  The GSE Philippine Team went to Canberra, the Australian Capital Territory. Three hours drive from Penrith, Canberra is a capital city of beauty and culture. With great historical museums and galleries we explored and learned about the Australian heritage – as seen in the National Museum and War Memorial Museum. We also visited the Parliament house, which is very famous and most well known buildings in Australia, being the centre of government. We went to discover how the senate and congress operate.

What a lovely day to see the sights of the national parks and rolling hills.  Thanks to Graham and Keith Wakefield for bringing us there. (Lorna)

March 16 (Wednesday). Another vocational day for the GSE Team.  Arleen and Chris went to West Pac Bank – Penrith Branch. They got to compare the banking system and realized that such have almost similar banking system,  rates, products,  but  Oz banks have sophisticated credit checking system for their respective borrower. West Pac ranks number 2 in NSW.  Rtn. Mark of RC Penrith Valley, the Branch Head  and Josh, their Business Manager  were very gracious hosts, answering questions of Arleen and Chris.  Rucel went to a Lawyer’s Office of Mr.  Mario Bellantonio and was fortunate to visit and attend an actual court proceeding in the District Court of Penrith.  In the afternoon, Lorna, Ben and Rucel went to Penrith police station and got to get more information from the domestic violence desk, forensics and police  prosecution unit, respectively. (Chris)

Day 9 (March 17) of our Group Study Exchange took us to the second oldest settlement in Australia – Parramatta, which was  established in 1788.  First stop was the office of Rotary Down Under , RI’s  Regional Publication Office.  We were hosted by PDG Bob Aitken, the managing editor of said publication.  We were given a bagful of give-aways / tokens and served morning merienda.  We then headed to Parramatta Park  and listened to PDG Jack Elliot talked about the  city’s history and his Rotary experiences.  We were together with the Taiwan Team here.

After the sumptuous lunch, GSE Chair Graham Wilson took us to the  Regional Office / Headquarters of Rotary International,  a  special request of TL Arleen.  We met Frank Pessimenti, the Regional Head and Bruce Allen, Manager, along with filipinas working  there and  holding important functions too. It was indeed a wonderful experience to meet these people who are in the forefront of Rotary’s program. (Rucel)

Week 1_Exploring Burwood and Strathfield

Dist 3860 GSE Team Mindanao, Phil to Dist 9690 Sydney, Australia

March 9, Wednesday – Arrived at Sydney, Australia, 6:30 am via Qantas Airlines. We were met by Dist. 9690 GSE Chairman Graham Wilson and some members of RC Burwood and RC Strathfield who were our hosts for 4 days. We started the ball rolling that same day. We just said our Hi’s and Hellos to our hosts and we went straight to the Council Office of Burwood,



afterwhich, took sandwiches and sodas for lunch at the park. In the afternoon, we went to the Burwood Community Welfare Services where Lorna got more interests in their domestic violence program. After some rest, we attended the joint meeting of 4 Rotary Clubs, with RC Strathfield as the lead club. Before the formal meeting, we had an orientation with GSE Chair Graham together with our counterpart Team from Taiwan. We also met District Governor Marilyn Mercer and her spouse Dudley. Our respective teams were presented and we did a multi-media presentation. There were PDGs present too in the meeting. (Arleen)

Three Vocational Tours on Second Day. Our second day, as expected, was indeed fruitful. Our first stop was at De Lorenzo production site for hair style products in Silverwater. Together with the Taiwan GSE team, our mind was enriched by the information about the operation of the company that the General Manager himself and other staff of the company shared to us. Our body was nourished by the food they have prepared for lunch. Our team was even more glad as we happened to met four Filipinos working in the company.

From De Lorenzo, we dropped by the Olympic Center for some photo taking and proceeded right away to the Court House of Burwood where we had a chance to witness a judicial hearing and luckily heard the judge laying down his decision on one case. The team couldn’t help but get amazed with the high technology security measures of the court house.

We finally headed to the Bank of Queensland managed and owned by Mr. David Kwong. Our team leader, Arleen and one of the members, Chris had an insightful exchange of ideas in the field of banking and finance with Mr. Kwong. After the long day of highly educational visits to the three vocational areas, we went home to our respective host families with satisfaction. And I should say for the second day, we have filled-in one of our bags of knowledge. (Ben)

March 11 - Friday. At 7AM, all our bags were packed and the team members were all ready. Graciously ushered by Mary, Shirley and Lorice, we all took a train from Strathfield to Circular Quay and boarded a ferry to Taronga Zoo. On our way, we enjoyed the beauty of the Opera House and Harbour Bride which we only saw in postcards. We took a lot of shots and after 15 mins, we reached the fantastic zoo. It is located on the edge of scenic Sydney harbor in a natural bushland setting. It is a home to almost 3, 000 animals. We entered the zoo via sky safari. At around 9.30 AM we met the GSE Taiwan Team along with our tour guide, Ben and immediately started to explore the beautiful place. We all had a great time to encounter several fauna like emus, wallabies, kangaroos, wombat, platypus, bilbies, penquins, woodpecker, tazmanian devil and of course, koalas. We learned that koalas sleep 18 to 20 hours per day. So the group teased one another calling a team member koala when they are sleepy. The elephant and seal shows were too fantastic. We had a whole day of fun and learning; went home in Burwood at around 4pm; took some rest and at 6PM we all proceeded to a Lebanese restaurant (organized by Fuad and Lorice) for a dinner. Everyone enjoyed the generous serving and sumptuous dishes from salads, fruits, meat, seafoods with delicious garlic sauce. After an evening of fellowship, some Rotarians with their spouses went to Jaafar’s place for a cup of coffee/tea. Everyone went home with a smile. (Lorna)

March 12, Saturday. Strathfield “SES”. We were privileged to have been invited to witness Strathfield’s State Emergency Service (SES) Training Exercise. SES is an all-around rescue unit funded by the government but ran entirely by great volunteers. Started in 1955, there are at present 11,000 volunteers, 25 of whom are in-charge of the Strathfield area. Equipped with modern rescue and response equipment, their methods are efficient and assuring, all the while, taking into consideration, each individual victim’s circumstances. Led by the 15-year veteran, Local Controller Darrin Parkin, Strathfield’s SES are off to do great things for the community. This can be liken to our Disaster Coordinating Council and Central 911.

Shopping. We reached Paddy’s Market around 2:30 PM for our souvenir shopping spree. You see, we heard that if we’re shopping around for mementos, we can get better bargains there. And they were right! Keychains, refrigerator magnets, and little stuffed koalas for less than a dollar each! 3 baseball caps for 5$! 3 shirts for $20! Authentic Australian boomerangs for $2! And there’s a lot, lot more to see and buy.

It was very gracious of Lea Sereno, a long time friend of Arleen, to accompany us in Paddy’s, then walked at Hyde Park before hearing the 6 PM Mass at St. Mary’s Cathedral.

After another long walk along the boulevard, we reached Opera House and Harbour Bridge. What a sight, really. Light effects of the place were amazing. We went home around 8:30 PM.

March 13, Sunday. Change-over of hosts. We were brought by our respective hosts to McDonalds at corner Hassall and James Ruse Drive, Rosehill and met up with our host families from Penrith. After some huggings and bye byes, off we drove to Penrith. GSE Chairman Graham was Arleen’s host. (Chris)