FAyrwells …

Day 35: Friday 27 April (5.30pm, Ayr)

Oh dear. Very few people understand the stress I go through in saying goodbye. I don’t know why I find it so traumatic to even think about. I don’t remember a time in my childhood when I felt abandoned so don’t think it’s a subconscious reaction, but I don’t even take Steve to the airport for one of his frequent interstate trips because if I have to say goodbye there, I’ll inevitably shed a tear – it’s pathetic, but involuntary, so you can imagine how today went.

So first, let me give you some slightly amusing anecdotes that I’ve been saving for such a time. I was temporarily concerned that I might be acclimatising to Ayr or Queensland and the way of life up here …

After all the warm nights we had over Easter where it was too hot to sleep without the air conditioning on, at least intermittently, I’ve started to wake up in the mornings feeling a bit cool and had to pull the sheets in close to warm up. Apart from today, it has still been 30 degrees in the daytime here, so I’m a bit worried about returning to cold old Sydney after this - never thought I'd say that!

I don’t usually buy magazines, but I’ve recently found myself picking up copies of New Idea in the supermarket and sliding it in between the groceries so the person behind can’t see the trash I’m occupying my mind with. I justify to myself that I’m buying it for the puzzle section, but I have a suspicion that my subconscious is after the latest Brad and Ange goss. Pathetic!

Blurry action shot of Lynette and two
'hardheads' walking with us this morning :)

It’s just a little weird, but I love it when I hear Lynette calls her kids ‘hardheads’. It’s a funny little phrase that’s uniquely hers or maybe it isn’t but she’s the only one I hear use it anyway. I don’t really know why I laugh at it so much, but it’s just the way she says it with frustration and affection all at once, “the little hardheads” that makes me smile.

Another funny word – ‘true’. Despite all the warnings, I’ve hardly heard anyone here add an ‘eh’ on to the end of a conversation, but I’ve heard a lot of ‘true’. It’s tacked on as an acknowledgement, as a question, an exclamation, a surprise, a confirmation, a sigh – just about anything and all the time. Now I’ve started noticing when I say it too! True!!

And finally, I’m getting very used to my easy start to the day of getting up at 6am and heading out for a walk. Then getting home by 5pm so I can stop at the shops to pick up groceries or have a cuppa with the ‘neighbours’, so when I got caught up chatting beyond 5.30pm one night last week in the office, I could feel myself starting to get some of that old stress back, looking at the clock, then at other people’s watches to check the time! Oh, next week is going to be really tough getting back into the routine!

So back to today and my last day with my Gudjuda peeps –

Jean (ABV), Michaela, me, Eddie, Lynette, AnneMarie (ICC)

Started off well enough with Jean from ABV and the ladies from ICC (Townsville’s Indigenous Coordination Centre) joining us for a review of the program. All good as you can imagine. Even though I’m not about to talk out of school on a blog post, I think you can tell what a fab time I’ve had here and if you can believe me, the feeling has been mutual. Jean expressed surprise and relief that it had all gone so well and while everyone was feeling good about what we’d achieved (still not quite finished work on the plans though!) we went out to the Munda to take some photos of all of us together.

Next was Eddie and my visit to the local state member, Rosemary Menkens, to talk about the RAP and see if she would be interested in adding her support to the final document via a few paragraphs in the colour copy. She was interested, curious, accommodating and such a pleasure to deal with. Of course she agreed and we left her with a draft and a promise to send her the final version in a few weeks. We’d brought Jean along with us and it was a great opportunity to promote ABV and the success of our relationship. More interest and conversation and we headed back to the office.

We walked back into a discussion at Gudjuda with an Indigenous Skills Development Officer with the Queensland Government and that was yet another opportunity to promote the great relationship and achievements of the past five weeks, so Jean jumped in and it might just turn out to be another link we’ve made for the future for ABV and the Indigenous people of FNQ!

Aunties - Ranita, Glen and Alva
with one of their 'grannies' (grandkids)

Finally, it was just us usual Gudjuda people left, so Eddie decided to tell me that he was going to give me one of the didgeridoo’s I’ve been covertly admiring. Of course, you can guess the reaction that brought out in me, so I spent the afternoon trying not to cry and it’s extremely difficult to concentrate on a business plan when you are also trying very hard to control uncontrollable emotions! Anyway, we made it through the afternoon and packed up in a big rush and on the way home we drove past Curves - you can see from the photo that Lynette's sister and another couple of Aunties were enjoying the passing crowd. I love their smiles! I warned them when I met them a few weeks ago that next time I drove past them with their big smiles I would take a photo, so I did and isn't it the best?! They brought me farewell gifts today too - so unexpected. Just beautiful people here.

Dinner tonight is at the Ayr Anzac Memorial Club – a very fitting finish to my time here! No doubt, a few more tears to come, but I have fallen in love with these people after five very close weeks, so I think I can be forgiven a little!