A post by Larry Horton

Today I woke up to the sound of birds chirping. This is significant for several reasons. You know those exotic tropical bird sounds you see in jungle scenes of movies. There is one in particular that is pretty much the standard for exotic bird sounds in jungle movie settings. It's a long drawn out bird call that changes tones and speeds throughout. That is the Kookaburra. Here's a video of what it sounds like to wake up in Murwillumba or Grafton:

I'm also very much appreciating life outside of the big city. People don't lock their doors here. The windows are open all night and the slightly humid air is wonderful to wake up to. I don't have that luxury in Phoenix.

And along that same note, I saw the Southern Cross in the beautifully lit up night sky of Coomera on Saturday. The clouds finally broke and revealed the most gorgeous site in the sky. It was so fitting when Bronwyn, my host family mother, saw a shooting star blaze across the sky as she pointed out the details of the Milky Way only for it to be followed by another shooting star for me.

More things to add to my list that I won't see in America.

Vocational Visits

Vocational days have been eye opening. Every school you visit has a different atmosphere, vibe,  and culture. The first primary school I visited was a Stiner school in Bryon Bay. A stiener school is an alternative school with a different philosophy, it is very free flowing and artsy. Though different students and teachers were happy to be there and seemed to be thriving. I was in awe of the students art work and musical talents. Though this school was anything but traditional there were many similarities, the way school began was very similar to the beginning of my school day. Morning circle brings the students together, students practice math facts, play team building games and close by playing music on their recorder. The rest of the day seemed to flow seamlessly as students, teachers, and administrators were treated as equals.

The primary school in Grafton had much more similarities to public schools in Arizona. I had the opportunity to spend the day with a few different teachers helping out with lessons, talking to students, and observing the lessons. Curriculum seemed to be very close to the curriculum taught in Arizona. The students were given time to ask me questions about home, my school, and the United States. Students were completely intrigued by the jumping cholla, coyotes, and the fact we don't have many natural disasters to worry about such as floods and cyclones. 
Thank you to the schools and teachers who allowed me to spend a day with them. 

Coomera Valley

Wow!  You sure know how to show folks a good time!  Another amazing group of people took us in and made us their own.  We should have known from the time we were picked up in the bus that we had an interesting few days in front of us.  We began with a handover picnic in the middle of the woods. 

Again, we had to say goodbye...something that we must unfortunately perfect along this journey.  As a side note, this is the one and only truly terrible part of this experience.  Each time we meet a new group of people, we are immediately taken in and made to feel at home.  The connections are immediate and wonderful!  Eventually, however, we must make our way on down the road.  If anyone wants to know what we disliked, this is it.  Too bad there are weight limits for our baggage.  We might just be tempted to take home one or two Aussies!

So, with another goodbye behind us, we moved on to another fantastic experience.  We headed down the road, taking several stops along the way to marvel at the sights.  The Natural Bridge, the waterfalls, the trees, the sounds.  Wow.  These are things that are difficult to put into words.  We have many, many pictures.

We began our first evening together with the Outback Spectacular and spectacular it was!  Dancing horses, music, picture perfect images.  These things help to tell part of the Australia story, as did the steaks and beverages.  Dan also represented Arizona by taking the "stage" to participate in part of the show.  The stage is really a large arena with tiered seating all around, including tables so that we could eat while watching.  We will leave stories of Dan for him to tell!

Koalas and roos, oh my!  The next morning we went to Paradise Country to visit the local animals and to take pictures with the koalas.  We also learned more about sheep and roping.  Dan again had the opportunity to participate in the show, as did Kristen.  We think she married the shearer, but we cannot be sure!  Jenn also took kicking the can to a whole new level while making tea by campfire.  We sure know how to have a good time!

Following lunch, we continued on down the road to Sea World.  Animals again were the highlight, but this time we also hit our first roller coaster together.  No hands, people, no hands.  And we have pictures to prove it (you will hear this quite often).  Thanks to Tony (who is the man, by the way), we got up close and personal with the dolphins.  Literally, we were right there!!!  You cannot imagine the absolute delight that was radiating from us.  It was A-W-E-S-O-M-E!!!

After our adventure filled day, we each had an evening with our host families.  Good times were had by all, and again bonds were made.  Have we mentioned that we love the people of Australia?!!!

Our rest day was restful and over the top fantastic!!!!  So many stories!!!  Sights from the sky, beach time (including full on downpour) and an eventful goodbye gathering were the highlights of today.  Rest days stories will be saved for another day. :)  Thank you SO much to our wonderful hosts!!  The stories we will tell...

Byron Bay provided a perfect spot for our next goodbye/welcome.  We splashed a bit in the waters, laughed about our visit, and then joined our next hosts for a fabulous lunch by the sea.  It couldn't have been a more perfect conclusion to our visit.

Next stop...Grafton.

A post by Larry Horton

Last night at the Grafton Rotary meeting, there was a question and answer section following our presentation. One of the members asked me about the differences I've noticed so far between police work in Arizona and the US and here in Australia. I thought that would be a great thing for folks back home to hear as well.

Let me preface this first by saying our team did an amazing job presenting last night. We have been presenting well since we arrived but last night we had the freedom of time and it made all the difference. Tempe Rio Salado that sponsored me here is a breakfast club and there is also the Grafton Midday club here and both try to keep their meetings to an hour or so. Tonight was the first real supper club that we have attended and the meeting was around two to two and a half hours. We were given the luxury of having plenty of time to present which resulted in us engaging our audience better than I have seen in previous presentations. Many people approached me after the meeting and told me how impressed and entertained they were by what we had to say. And in the question and answer section at the end I could help but be filled with a little pride when Kristen was thrown a curve ball about volcanic geography around Flagstaff and the Grand Canyon area by someone who was a geographer and she handled it with the poise and professionalism of a seasoned presenting veteran. And on top of that, I learned a little about the San Francisco Peaks myself. It was one of those moments where you knew you had selected the right person for the job.

But on to police work. Guns. They don't have them here. It's obvious to me now how much guns dictate every move we make as police in Arizona and how guns -- or the lack there of -- dictate a totally different philosophy here in Australia. This was never more evident than when I was riding along with Michael Froggert of the Queensland Police last Saturday night. You'll see a photo I posted of him and his crew previously. As we were in Michael's police car we began to conduct a vehicle stop. This was another major difference. Here in Australia, a police officer does not have to have probable cause to pull a car over. They can without any reason deiced to pull a car over. It could be totally random or it could be because of a minor suspicion. That changes the whole game. On top of that, Michael had a portable breath tester to determine breath alcohol content which would contribute to a DUI investigation. It was a small device that fit in his hand. Here, police can administer that breath test without any cause or reason. There is no need to see signs of intoxication. And, if there is an alcohol reading (.05 or higher) then the portable test at the stop counts against the driver in the investigation which is something not admissible in Arizona courts.

The major difference though is the way police here deal with people under the supposition they are not armed. In Phoenix, I was trained very specifically that anytime I'm approaching a car or contacting someone, they could be carrying a concealed gun. So I should approach vehicles tactically and where needed conduct what is called a Terry pat down of people who I think could possibly have guns to hurt me. Not here in Australia. Michael was as tactical as the next officer with 11 years on. That was not at issue. He just didn't have to worry about people having guns so he could approach a car "straight away" and go to work. It was a type of freedom I was a bit envious of. Michael clarified that with motorcycle gangs and certain other types, he always acts as if they are armed but for the general public it's just not the same issue. Immediately the thoughts flew through my mind about how our Arizona laws are pertaining to guns and obtaining guns and how they starkly contrast to here in Australia and the end result.

And for those of you interested in the lingo there were differences there as well. The trunk of a car is called a boot. I go on radio calls as a police officer, they go on jobs. What we call a prison, they call a jail and what we call a jail, they call a watch house. Our police officers are called constables here in Australia. I work the streets they go "on the beat". I could go on.

In the end, I have only been on a few vocational exchanges here yet I have learned a tremendous amount. I learned not only about police work from another country's perspective but also about the country in and of itself. We're not even half way through and I'm so excited about the potential of what else I can learn. I cannot thank Rotary and the Foundation enough for this opportunity.

A quick post from Kristen as we're taking a rest day for ourselves this afternoon - what an amazing journey we're on! Since the moment we arrived, Rotarians around the district have shown us incredible hospitality time and time again.

Australians have a reputation for being warm-hearted, funny. a bit off-color with their jokes, generous, with hearty livers to handle the beer. Everything I've seen so far confirms this reputation. The Rotarians, especially, have striven to make this experience quite memorable for us! We've all heard the stories of the wonders of the Rotary network, and we've witnessed it in action here: one local Rotary member owns a private plane. Another runs a number of theme parks. Still others work for the police department, with local schools, with the city council, providing avenues for fulfilling vocational visits.

We owe a huge debt of gratitude to the Rotary network for this trip - although the Rotary Foundation covers the major costs of our trip, it's the day-to-day experiences that are provided by our host clubs and families. We've been welcomed with joy and open arms everywhere we've gone, and that - perhaps - is one of the biggest lessons of this trip: how to graciously accept hospitality. All of the team members have compared notes on the difficulty of getting our host families to let us load the dishwasher or clear the table, but on a larger scale, it's a new experience to let ourselves be treated with such wonder and courtesy.

This evening, we gather to bid farewell to our second set of host families and hosting Rotary club, and move on to a whole new set of experiences - and it's only been a week!! Stay tuned...

This is Larry. Just a quick post because it's close to 1:30 AM here and I need to get up in the morning but I'm too excited. I just got the opportunity to ride along with a constable from the Queensland Police and patrol Surfer's Paradise. Micheal (or Froggy as he goes by) was an amazing guide through coastal night life. Froggy, thanks so much for the laughs and the fun. I learned so much tonight. Take care and be safe.

WE HAVE ARRIVED!!!

First Stop...Murwillumbah Central

G'Day Mates

It is amazing how quickly time passes when you are learning and having fun...and when your schedule is booked solid!  We haven't had a free moment since touching down in this land of wonder just days ago (and we apologize for not posting sooner).


The journey began on March 5th.  We arrived at the airport excited and ready to begin.  Our sendoff was brief, as the time had come to begin this adventure.  Some of us packed lighter than others!





Airport Travels

 

Dan making a Rotary Donation at the Airport
Larry & Jenn Playing

Our arrival came after 30 hours of travel when we were greeted at the airport with a huge G'Day!!  Australians sure know how to treat people!  We have felt nothing but welcomed and at home since we landed.  We enjoyed a fantastic lunch and hotel stay our first day/night.  We were treated quite well!







Flags from GSE Welcome Dinner
First Australian Money
View from our Hotel



 

Once we had a short settling in, we started running.  We began with an eventful tour of the Wildlife Sanctuary, where birds got close and Kristen got an inside look of the animal hospital.  Our Rotary guides were great!!  We continued our first day with a visit to Kingscliff TAFE, allowing us to learn more about education here in Australia.  We finally got to meet our first host families and we loved them from the beginning!  After our initial meeting, we made a quick change to prepare for our evening.  The GSE Welcome Dinner was well-attended with over 100 guests.  We each had the opportunity to meet new people and to present for the first time.  Things went well and we shared many laughs and lots of information.

The next day (Wednesday, 3/9) allowed us our first vocational visits.  We each learned more about our individual areas and have much to share with those back home!  After our visits, we had a yummy lunch at the Tweed River Art Gallery as well as a quick tour.  We could have spent a great deal of time there.





Water Treatment Process
Cone Factory...abiding by health codes

  Water Treatment is quite an intensive process as we learned in the afternoon.  Most of us were quite surprised by what exactly goes into the clean water that blesses our lives.  In a separate visit to Scandanavian Cone Factory, we learned about the process of making ice cream cones.  The process is also intense, but led to some delicious cones that we enjoyed at our Farewell BBQ.

In the evening, we each returned to our host families for some "family" time.  We each experienced different things, including a walk on the beach or a koala in a nearby tree.  The surprises of the Australian beauty just keep comin.





Welcome Dinner Sign, A Trip to the Beach, Home Sweet Home

 

Today we had two interesting visits which again allowed us to learn more, while also having just a really great time!  We first went to the Madura Tea Estate where we learned the process of making tea.  Tropical Fruit World was second, and included quite the tour around the grounds.  We experienced many means of transportation, and finished by tasting tropical fruits that we had never even seen before!  We then enjoyed another great meal before heading off for the afternoon.




Tropical Fruit World

 

Our time in the Murwillumbah area passed entirely too quickly and we will dearly miss our new "families" that we will leave behind.  Tonight was truly a blessing as we participated in our Farewell BBQ.  While the food was wonderful, the company is what really made the night!  We enjoyed good conversation, ice cream, and a little singing.  It was a night that we will never forget!! 

Farewell BBQ complete with singing, ice cream, and lots of laughs
Thank you, Hallworths!

The adventure is off to a most amazing start and we continue to pinch ourselves to make sure that this whole experience really is happening.  We are so very thankful to all of those that made this week possible and to those that put up with us everyday!  Listening to some of us practice our accents or ask a million questions can be a lot to handle, and we truly thank each of you that made us feel so very, very welcome!  You are all now mates!!!

Richard & Jenn, The Beach