Warwick Welcome

by Larry Horton

If I recall correctly, none of the team has ever sold cattle. Farming might have made a brief cameo in some of our pasts but when Dutchy introduced us to his brother who made a li

ving in the sale of cattle, many of us w

ere seeing country life in a whole new way. The nuances of the process of sorting cattle,

weighing them, auctioning them

, and delivering them to the buyers can be a bit overwhelming for city folks. But everyone working at the cattle auction had the operation running

smoothly.

As we left Glenn Innes, we were given the opportunity to see how their club has improved their community. Several years ago, before the popularity of efforts such as Susan G Komen Race For the Cure, the Glen Innes Rotary Club

pooled their resources and unified surrounding clubs in District 964

0 to provide the first ever mobile Breast Cancer Screening Unit to the district and surrounding areas. The project is a testament to what several clubs coming together can do to save lives.

On the way to Warwick, Queensland, your GSE 5510 team took a little diversion to Italy by way of the Angelo & Mary Puglisi Winery in Stanthorpe. Angelo is an Italian in Australia who takes advantage of the wonderful climate and elevation of the valleys on the way to Warwick by continuing his family's tradition of making wonderful wines. Today, the fields within the

vineyards are home to an annual Opera in the Park. It was at this location, the team met their new host club, Warick Sunrise Rotary Club, for

the first time. A good illustration of the jovial reception could be seen when Jenn worked her magic on Angelo with her impression of an

Italian accent. The educational wine tour was full of information and notable quotes. The tour finished with a delicious lunch and a sampling of five different fine wines from the Estate. Angelo and Mary, thank you for your hospitality and generosity.

As we all got in our various cars to head towards Warwick we stopped for a quick afternoon coffee, or smoko, and waited out the rain. The team was delivered to their various

host families and the evening closed.

The following morning the team embarked on vocational visits. Kristen headed out to an Australian wildlife careers property where she

was hugged by several wallabies and kangaroos

which were being rehabilitated. Jennifer and Mariel visited Warwick West State School and I spent some time with the Queensland Police. My stay included attending a team meeting or briefing with the general duties (patrol) constables followed by some road time with the highway section.

The team met back up for fish and chips downtown for lunch and then went on a walking tour of the city of Warwick. Once again, Bruce and John lead the way and highlighted the beautiful sandstone that is Warwick's signature within its architecture. The sunny warm weather eventually lead us to a break for smoothies and a little sit down before heading back to the host families to prepare for the evening's meeting.

Typically, Warwick Sunrise has their meeting on Thursday morning. On this humid Tuesday evening the GSE team had a special dinner arranged and were fortunate enough to share not only with other nearby clubs but also with Matt, the Brazilian Rotary exchange

student who would be heading home in only a few days. After a tasty dinner to some guitar music in the club house of a local golf course we

laughed as a young 12 year old recited humorous poetry from memory before we gave our GSE presentation. He was certainly a hard act to follow but once again I was so proud to be part of this team as we presented. There were a lot of laughs in the question and answer session immediately following. At the end of the meeting, Matt joined our team in a cake cutting ceremony commemorating the GSE visit and the farewell to Matt.

The team was able to see a little bit of the rebellious side of Warwick Sunrise on Wednesday when we all piled into to various off road vehicles and went 4x4 driving up the Condamine Gorge near Killarney. I'm not sure about the rest of the team but even though the Nissan ute (pronounced yoot, another word for SUV) was very capable, I couldn't help but get a little nervous through some of the river crossings as the water crept up and over the running boards. But we were all safe and dry as we negotiated mud and elevation to get some

spectacular views of the lush, green, Australian countryside. As we finished a wonderful lunch delivered to us at a park at the top of Queen Mary Falls we took a short hike to see the water fall. The hike back up reminded me of how well I've been eating on this adventure as well as how long it's been since I've done any real exercise. It seems as though every day brings new experiences and amazing sites to see. In a conversation I had with, Dan, we talked about how neither of us had been off-roading before even though it happens all the time throughout Arizona. If it's as fun as it was this time, I will definitely be looking for more off-road trips back home.

After look out points and Lorikeets, we returned to Warwick and club president, Kieran Doherty, was gracious enough to invite those who wished to attend to a BBQ at his house. It was a great way to unwind the day and laugh with new friends. The sky was clear and we pointed to the Southern Cross constellation hanging in the sky for only the second time since

we've been here. Another one of the night's highlights was explaining the differences between policing in Australia and policing in the USA, specifically how to field sobriety tests are administered.

We just got here and it's already time to go. The team attended the weekly Rotary meeting for Warwick Sunrise and had brekky (breakfast). The meeting was a great way for us to close our time here and as you would expect was filled with laughs followed closely by fines. Once again, we moved luggage from one car to the next and were off to our next club. The exchange was to happen in Boonah. After a morning coffee at the small bakery along the way we eventually met the Hope Island club at the Lions Park. Yup, you read that right and to prove it we made sure to have photographic evidence. Both clubs had a good laugh about the meeting spot, especially since there was a Rotary Park in Boonah. The GSE 5510 team would like to thank Warwick Sunrise club for a wonderfully unforgettable time. We look forward to seeing you at the district conference in Yamba.

In the photo from left to right, me, President Kieran Doherty, Kristen, Phil Strang, Mariel, Bruce, Dan, Donna Stephens, and Jenn.