Carly Daff

Well, what can I say?? Myself, Claire and Jacqui all arrived back yesterday after the very long flight home, it seemed never ending as all I wanted to do was get back and see Ed at the bus station waiting for me, I was not disappointed! Kathryn is now enjoying some final relaxing time in Melbourne with old friends and Steve should have recovered from his jet lag by now! I am happy to be home but we had such an amazing time during this once in a lifetime experience, it was very sad to leave.

Many thanks to each and every host family and the 8 fantastic rotary clubs that we had the pleasure in meeting and spending time with, it will never be forgotten and the offer for repayment is always there! I am especially proud to have been a GSE team member in district 9500 and could not have asked for a better Team Leader in Mr Best AKA Bill AKA A.O.M and my new good friends Claire, Kathryn and Jacqui.

Time in Sydney and Uluru finished things off very nicely although the rain in Sydney was like we were at home early! 37 degrees at Ayers rock though more than made up fot this!
I have one day to recover from all this before heading back to work tomorrow, looking forward to going back and sharing all these new experiences! Watch out everyone, you know how much I like to talk!

Wales is not as cold as I was expecting it to be so far! Thanks to all for the support, it has been fantastic, back to reality now!!! xxx

LeekSpeak,

Its Saturday 24th and time to leave South Australia. A sizeable delegation (see pic) is at Adelaide airport to wave us off- the overwhelming support and generosity apparent to the end. Lots of sad farewells, hugs and kisses and promises of future meetings. Then a last wave goodbye. For me the even more heartwrenching moment is at Sydney airport where I go one way to the international flight and the girls head out for their extended stay. They have been great and I know I am going to miss them all immensely. A last huddle

and pic and then it's away.....

LeekSpeak,
Friday 23rd is, sadly, our last day in South Australia. A lot is planned but in the event we are sidetracked by two things--sending 4 parcels of mainly paperwork back to the UK (60 kg total!), which takes a long time, and also modifying the presentation for the final dinner to include lots of comments about experiences with vocational visits, host families, clubs etc. We take over the language school of Angus and Helen Tuck, Claire's hosts, for the entire morning for these tasks which means we miss a museum visit and shopping opportunity. Then we have a final wind-up meeting with Barbara Wheatcroft and her GSE Committee (see pic) and we are mutually very happy with the way the tour has gone in every respect. The final dinner is a combination of the Adelaide Light club and what was originally expected to be a small number of people we had met on the tour. In the event the numbers swelled out to 83, filling the large venue, and including people who travelled several hours to attend and are returning immediately after the dinner. Our updated presentation turns out to be exceptionally well received and we get a long standing ovation (pics to follow). Lots of people stay on until late and their is considerable merriment, emotion and Albert. I join Jacqui and her hosts Ron and Erica for a trip to the pub and eventually get back to the storage shed at 2 30am!!

LeekSpeak,

Thursday 22nd is our last cultural tour day. In perfect weather (27 deg) we go up to the Adelaide Hils to the tourist village of Hahndorf, quite spectacular and a haven for gift shopping, sweets, cakes and chocs. Then a tour round the house of Hans Heysen, a famous artist, followed by the Hahndorf Hills winery, which is very appealing as you can see. Then another visit to the Mount Lofty centre, this time in good weather, to see the fantastic views over Adelaide. The evening is with hosts. I have a 10km walk with Colin and Liz up the hills behind the storage homestead and he insists on a 18kg backpack!! We come down in the dark only to find we have left the dog on the hill. Torches required to find Spot!!

LeekSpeak,

Wednesday 21st is another successful vocational day-our last so some arrangements have been changed to accommodate missing items. Then in the evening we have a BBQ at the splendid home of Terry and Angela Rodoni. The spirit is once again sparkling--like the wine the girls drink--and is thoroughly entertyaining.

LeekSpeak,

Tuesday 20th was another handover day so it was an emotional farewell to ur wonderful hosts from Elisabeth, and hullo to our last hosts (can't believe it!) from Adelaide Light. We get a conducted walk round some of the landmarks in the very centre of Adelaide, including Col Flanders statue, the guy credited with the pioneering planning of Adelaide and wider South Australia. Also a look in the Adelaide Oval cricket ground enabling another whooppee for the Ashes win!! Other wonderful sites and museum visited and then on to host families. I end up in this storage building creating an initial cultural shock, but on discovering I dont have to sleep in a cardboard box and hosts Colin and Liz are an interesting couple settle down to an unusual but entertaining 4 days. In the evening Jacqui gets her much awaited evening with a practising brass band.

LeekSpeak

Monday 19th was another successful vocational day all round. Jacqui managed to offload the helmet that had been bogging down the luggage to the South Australian Police HQ. Hope it fits him!! Then we had a mayoral reception at Playford Civic Centre with Mayor Martin Lindsell in his full regalia and very welcoming. This was followed by another presentation at the Elisabeth club meeting with a couple of other clubs also present. A packed house and another sparkling performance by the team. A fine Welshman Dennis who, standing next to Claire, was originally from Cwmbran and really took to our visit, so we presented him with his own Cwmbran banner, much to his pleasure. Also a lady, Janet, from the Club said she originated from Cardiff and had attended Whitchurch Grammar School, my old school and where Claire teaches now. She came along with the school photo from 1963 and there were she and I about 20 pupils apart--amazing coincidence. I must consult my list of old flames when I get back just in case...!!

Daffs' Laffs

Steve fame had reached Elizabeth before him and with no prompting from any of the Daffs our hosts demanded to hear his now famous rendition (or should that be infamous!) of 'Albert and the Lion.' All was going well until Steve clouted poor little Tigger the Dog with his stick with the 'orses 'ead 'andle!!
This is Rolly's grandson Dylan trying to comfort poor Tigger!

Leek Speak

To end a lovely day we were all invited to my hosts house - Rolly for a BBQ produced by Teflon, Cyclone or was it Tyron?! An enjoyable evening had by all and again high spirits all round. Several incidents of fork snapping during the meal caused much amusement and many fines at the Rotary meeting the following evening.

Daffs' Laffs

Carly & Claire Daff: Sunday the 18th - the saintly went to church and then we all swiftly moved on to a brief spot of wine worshipping at the very famous Jacobs Creek! We also managed to squeeze in a visit to Trevor Jones winery before finding a bakery (!!) for lunch.

Leek Speak

What a fabulous evening and great spirit at the Blacksmith Inn in One Tree Hill with the Rotary Club of Elizabeth including DG Alun Hughes and wife Vicky. We seemed to overawe the other guests with the ribald humour and general merriment. Kathryn had a rather satisfying meal, the general appearance of which caused much amusement!!

Daffs' Laffs

Jacq & Kathryn Daff: Lost Claire and Carly on Saturday - our first morning at Elizabeth - we thought they might have gone shopping given their track record, but then we saw them at the top of the big Rocking Horse!!!
Then we all managed to squeeze in a bit of shopping at the Toy Shop before morning tea and homemade cake and biscuits - delicious!
Carly Daff: Following this we spent time at the National Motor Musuem in Birdwood - took heaps of photos for Ed - he would have loved it here!
Claire Daff: Enjoyed a lovely lunch by the Murray River at Mannum, although Jacqui lost part of hers when a large pelican took a fancy to it! Given all the pictures we have taken - why didn't someone have a camera handy at that very moment??!!

Daffs' Laffs

After tremendous pressure, bullying and a case load of wine!!! we did our nation proud(?) and did the unspeakable - we sang our National Anthem - badly. No one could even be polite enough to pass a compliment, but they couldn't say we hadn't warned them in advance. Thanks to all our host families and other Rotarians for a wonderful farewell BBQ from Kidman Park.

Nat: Good Luck - may the singing lessons commence ready for your GSE trip to Brazil representing South Australia - p.s. you'll be right!

Daffs' Laffs

Kathryn Daff: Number of BBQ's increasing as the weather improves! Here we are proudly displaying the emblems of both countries - I think that the Golden Wattle has it over the Leek! Shame we were the only Daffs available p.s. Good Luck Dave and Anne - eating all that leek soup!!!

Daffs' Laffs

Jacq Daff: We all make it to Leconfield winery (take note Claire and Steve!) What a stressful job tasting 7 white and 7 red - not to mention the Port! The regional platters provided for lunch were particularly delicious - even nicer were the wines we purchased to accompany this!

After this we got our own back on Claire and Steve as they had managed to squeeze in an additional vocational visit at Thebarton College (extra brownie points for them!) but extra vino for us at Serafino winery!! Hic We had a behind the scenes tour of the winery led by Charles, the winemaker, ably suppported by our wine expert Ian.

Daffs' Laffs

Carly Daff: Our celebrity standing has increased to the level of radio broadcast as well as newspapers!! Although we were all nervous Malcolm quickly put us at ease and had us laughing and singing along to Tom Jones (good job that bit wasn't on air - and there were no knickers flying around!)

Daffs' Laffs

Claire Daff: O my word! What ever possessed me - had a moment of bravery, but couldn't wait for the thing to be taken from me! Not used to handling pythons!

LeekSpeak,
Sorry about the gap since last posting but internet access has been limited. The girls will gird their loins and put on contributions tomorrow. The main report is that we continue to have a terrific time, vocationally, socially, culturally and any which way you want to describe it. Our "rest day" in a motel last Sunday proved to be anything but that. I blame the girls completely for leading me astray with a long liquid lunch, Chinese meal (Claire looking the part!?), and then an Irish bar and long sojourn at the motel. Next morning (Monday) a bit bleary eyed we met our next hosts from Kidman Park and the amazing carouselle started to swing again! Great hosts. Tuesday was very wet, windy and cold and we went up to Mt Lofty and the Cleland animal park. Jacqui was in absolute heaven holding the koala!! Claire was in hell holding the Python--pic to follow! In the evening we gave a presentation at a crowded Club meeting and it was very well received. In the background, the wind was howling and the waves crashing against the sea wall. Wednesday started with an interview on the local radio station--recorded for some future broadcast. We all had a go and it lasted about 20 minutes and came over OK I think. We met another GSE team (pic) being interviewed, also of 4 girls and a haggard male leader from the USA, for an interesting exchange of experiences. Then we were planned to go on a boat trip but due to the continuing windy weather went instead to a couple of wineries in the McLaren Vale. Thursday the 15th was a very successful vocational day for all of us, including Kathryn and I being invited to Premier's Question Time in the South Australian parliament--see pic of Kathryn looking regal in the speaker's chair!! We then had a terrific evening at one of the Kidman Park member's houses for a BBQ with a huge turnout of guests and a tremendous spirit all round. Singing by Aussies and Welsh equally bad! Albert and the Lion to the rescue!! On Friday the usual sad farewell to excellent hosts and the changeover to our latest Club, Elizabeth. Weather forecast from now on is scorchio. Girls still a social knockout with an increasing cult following!! I'm redundant (all say Ahhh)

Daffs' Carly

Hi all, just thought that I would update you, we are sorry that we have not been keeping this blog as up to date as we would like but we have been kept very busy by all our Host families and Rotary Clubs that we are finding it difficult to get together to do it!

Still having such a fabulous time and learning so much both vocationally and culturally. I can not believe that we are nearing the end of week three. 2 more families and Clubs to visit before next friday. We will be adding more photos as and when we can and keep the comments coming please, we are loving all the support that we have received from back home! C xxx

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