Ayr and Airlie

Saturday 8 December (Ayr)

 

It sure felt good to be back! Up at 6am, just like my old routine, and out for a walk through the streets of Ayr, while all was still and quiet - apart from the magpies in Queen Street who sang delightfully for me as I marched past, on my way down to Plantation Park.

At 8am I jumped in the car and headed down to Airlie Beach to join the board members for a meeting with WWF about turtle tagging and gearing up to train their own rangers and a few other items. We ran through the WWF strategic plan and identified a number of initiatives that Gudjuda was interested in collaborating on. There are so many opportunities ahead for these people - it's a very exciting time!

And for any of you worried about me working on a Saturday, here's some pics of me with the Uncles and Aunties 'working' ...



L to R: Eddie (Chairperson), me, John (Business Manager)

 

With the turquoise of the Whitsundays behind us, you can imagine it was hard to concentrate so we had to have quite a few breaks!

L to R: Renarta (language/culture), me, Dorothy (Board Member)
My original 'deadly Aunties'!

 

 

 

And of course once everyone knoew we were in Airlie for the day, we had extra visitors so I got to meet yet another of Dorrie and Eddie's brothers - Greg. We rounded out the meeting with a drink at the tavern down the road, so we could catch up for a couple more hours. I was simply procrastinating as I didn't want to leave.

So, just as I was settling in to the lifestyle I loved so much and picking up conversations where they were left off only seven months ago, it was time to head back to Ayr. I hugged and kissed everyone at least twice and finally jumped back into the car for the 2-hour drive home. Note to self - don't ever, ever, ever pass up a chance to stay in the Whitsunday's overnight again!!

The drive home was fabulous - the sun was seting a brilliant peachy-red and then the brightest of stars came out to replace him and guide me home. I drove alongside a freight train for a while which was oddly comforting and then I turned off the air con and stuck my arm out the window to feel the warm night air pushing my hand back. I only put the window up about 10 minutes later, when a great, big bug slammed on the front window and I began thinking about what I might have been inadvertently letting in - gulp! I spent the trip changing channels on the radio - from jazz, to interviews with talented people including an indigenous musician who explained the difference between an aborginal and a non-indigenous sense of being in sync with the earth as that white man might write a song called 'sunset dreaming' but he would write a song called 'sunset feeling'. Then I heard a review of a theatre production called 'Beautiful One Day' which turned out to be a documentary style production, with one of three stories based on Auntie Renarta's father and the story of his life and the terrifying events he was subjected to on Palm Island - how amazing was that for a small world?!

OK, so once back in familiar Ayr, I took a quick detour to check out a few more Christmas lights and then drove home to Ray for  warm welcome and a quick cuppa before bed. Aaaah - so nice to have been surrounded by people who just love to be happy because it feels good! I really am one of the luckiest people, ever!