Reflections of a footy season down-under and it's hot up north!

After patiently waiting for my ribs to heal up I managed to play in the last 2 games of the soccer season. I was particularly pleased with my final game for the Raiders as we won 3-1 and I got 2 assists and the man of the match award, a lovely way to finish off what was a highly enjoyable season of footy on the bottom of the world. Sarah too enjoyed her first season of league football for the women. Joining the team has been extremely rewarding for both of us on many levels. We firstly had a great time playing the matches and participating in training and also we both got fitter too. Secondly we met some great people who we will keep in contact with in the future. Thirdly as a result we have had a good social life on the weekends we have been in Echuca. Lastly through Sarah's contacts at the Club she has managed to find work and now works for a minimum of two and a half days a week. In country Australia it really is who you know in order to obtain employment. This is because when we first arrived earlier in the year Sarah sent her CV and a covering letter to a few organisations, most of which didn't even respond to her. When we joined the footy club she got talking to people and was recommended by a couple of people and got work instantly. So it has helped us financially too. It is also nice to meet people outside of my work and the exchange programme and to socialise with people from other walks of life. So all round we thoroughly enjoyed being part of Echuca-Moama Border Raiders Soccer Club.

As Winter turned to Spring the weather became warmer by day although it still remained cold at night with temperatures hovering around freezing in the wee hours and up to the 20's on some days. In the penultimate week of Term 3 I went down to a town called Maldon with the grade 4 children and that was an interesting experience, particularly with some of the people I met when down there. The last week saw my parents arrive. We met them at the train station in Bendigo and they occupied themselves around Echuca whilst I completed the last few days of the term. On the first sunday of the Spring holidays we drove down to Tullamarine Airport in Melbourne to catch a plane to the Tropical North of Queensland. We arrived in Townsville in the evening and the weather was hot and muggy. The following day we took a boat to Magnetic Island which is off the coast of Townsville. It was a hot and sunny day and we took a bus to the north of the island. My Dad and I then walked across a large hill in the wonderful landscape, which took around about an hour, to be rewarded with a near deserted sandy beach in a cove. We swam in the sea and sunbathed on the sand for a couple of hours before returning the same way before visiting a bar. That evening we had a lovely meal of Aussie steak in a steakhouse. The following day we left our motel and after visiting a rather non-descript wildlife place on the outskirts of Townsville headed further north into the Tropics. More of this next time.