Friday 12th March: eleven ambassadors arrived by coach at 5pm on the 12th March 2010 and after many hugs and greetings were taken directly to a private home for a light meal. After receiving a greeting bag containing Australiana and Mount Gambier souvenirs, the ambassadors departed for their host family homes.
Saturday 13th March: we all gathered at the Glenelg River in Nelson (Vic) and embarked on a river cruise. Beautiful scenery and a delicious smorgasbord lunch served on board made the time fly and soon we were back at the moorings. Before we left Nelson for Port MacDonnell we viewed the mouth of the river where it enters the Southern Ocean. On to Port MacDonnell where to our disappointment, the crayfish processing factory was closed. However the views of the Southern Ocean were a delight and soon it was time to leave the ocean and head inland to the dairy. The rotary dairy is one of the largest in the southern hemisphere and held the interest of our ambassadors.
Sunday 14th March: was a day free from organized activities and many took the opportunity to go to Millicent to take part in the Geltwood Festival. There were many craft displays and stalls selling homemade produce at the Farmers Market.
Monday 15th March: we started the day with a visit to Trevor Pitts to watch his pottery demonstration. What an artist! His pottery has been sent all over the world and we are fortunate to have him living here amongst us all. His pottery will be sadly missed as he intends to retire soon. The group moved on from there to the Valley Lake picnic area and we all had a light lunch of sandwiches and cakes. Soon it was time to leave for the Civic Centre for the usual Rose planting in our Friendship Force Rose Garden. The two ED's, Glenys and Dan, helped the Acting Mayor Byron Harfield plant the rose. Then we all went inside to the Mayors reception. Now the ambassadors understood why we had a light lunch! Once again the girls in the Civic Centre did us proud as they presented the food with an American theme. The balloon decorations were in the Friendship Force mulitcolours.
Tuesday 16th March: saw us gather in the car park before our departure to Nangwarry to visit the Timber Museum. This was new to most of our members as well as the visitors and it was quite an eye-opener – a fantastic record of forestry in this area. We moved on to Penola and all had the opportunity to walk down Petticoat Lane and spend time in the antique shops and art galleries. Next stop Sue and John Zwars' property – one of the most beautiful gardens in the Lower South East. Here we enjoyed a picnic lunch before a guided stroll through the gardens. Moving on from there was not easy as it was such a beautiful place to relax and enjoy the sunshine we were blessed with – but move on we must! Next stop – Rhymills' winery at Coonawarra. Another place enjoyed by all! We were fortunate to have a guided tour of the property with explanations of the processes involved in the making of the wines. Then the tasting! – here also an explanation of the different types of wines. Finally we headed for home. Some ambassadors then toured the Lady Nelson Interpretive Centre and were very impressed with the displays there.
Wednesday 17th March: up early to a beautiful sunrise viewed as we travelled to the eastern outskirts of the city to the Sale yards. First of all we all ate a substantial delicious breakfast along with the truck drivers, stock agents and farmers. We were then gathered together by Mike, the Manager of the Sale yards. Mike explained the process of the sale and then we all set off along the walkways to view the stock and listen to the auction. We also saw the scales and viewed the weighing of some stock.
Back to the cars and a drive across town to the western outskirts where the limestone quarries are situated. The cutting of the limestone directly from the earth fascinated the visitors. Leaving the quarry we headed back into the centre of town to Engelbrecht Cave. The ambassadors toured the cave but the ghost did not appear! A picnic lunch was then enjoyed under the trees in the park surrounding the cave. The afternoon was free and most hosts set off back to their homes to prepare for the evening. We all gathered in our meeting hall for the St Patrick's' Day celebration. A wonderful meal of authentic Irish food was enjoyed by all. Our local Irish member, Doreen provided the recipes from her Irish Cookbook and these were followed faithfully for the taste to be genuine Irish. We had an Irish visitor present who told many Irish jokes and this enthused the audience who then remembered all the Irish jokes they had ever heard and shared them with us. Great fun!
Thursday 18th March: was a free day and most of the ambassadors took advantage of this to do their washing and repacking ready for departure on Friday. In the evening we gathered at Birch's Restaurant for our farewell dinner. The ambassadors were all given a photo of themselves and their hosts and a souvenir card containing the Grace and Menu for the evening. During the evening a state flag was presented to the Pikes' Peak club and a small banner from the Mount Gambier club as well. Our Life Member, Grace made a small framed embroidery picturing a koala which was presented to the lucky winner Marilyn from Pikes Peak. The Americans entertained us with some songs and then the Mount Gambier group presented their skit on International Travel – what a hoot! Home to get some sleep before departure.
Friday 19th March: we had enjoyed the most beautiful weather for the whole week but this morning as we gathered at the car park we stood in a slight drizzle. Guess that was the mood of hosts and ambassadors as this was farewell.
Thanks to the home hosts, day hosts, dinner hosts and all members of the club that supported the activities and helped to make this a very successful exchange.