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Australia 2023
  • Bill Bates
  • Bill Bates

Australia 2023

20 Pinewood Jr. High students and 3 teachers bead to Australia for an adventure of a lifetime! Internet connection is poor where we will be traveling. I’ll post when I can. 🙂 Leer más
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  • Bill BatesAustralia 2023Bill Bates

    Service Work - The Australia Zoo Day 2

    22 de febrero de 2023, Australia ⋅ 🌧 86 °F

    Our second day at the Australia Zoo had us doing service work first thing in the morning and after lunch. I posted all the photos I had from both sessions here.

    Adrian was there to meet us and get us started. He was called away to an emergency at the animal hospital but his staff took good care of us!

    We broke into two groups again and were not allowed to take pictures everywhere. My group was in some public places, so I could take some shots. I did get a few pictures from the other group.

    It was mostly weeding today. My group worked in the predator birds enclosure (with the birds removed, of course). 😁 There is a picture of a sandy area with a tree on the far side and a black bucket to the left. That sandy area was completely full of grass and weeds! The kids worked hard!

    We also added new mulch to a few areas to keep the weeds at bay. The other group pruned and also weeded in a different bird enclosure. By the afternoon, it rained for a few min, and it was just enough to both cool us off and wash the humidity out of the air.

    The zoo staff was VERY happy we helped them out. It was great to see our work having such a positive impact for the zoo! 😊    Leer más

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  • Bill BatesAustralia 2023Bill Bates

    There Be Roos here!

    22 de febrero de 2023, Australia ⋅ ⛅ 86 °F

    Between service projects and just before lunch, we got to feed the kangaroos!!! Once we got into the kangaroo enclosure, everyone dispersed to find kangaroos and wallabies! I wasn’t able to get a picture of everyone but the kids had their cameras, so you should see some good shots when your child returns.

    The roos are so soft! It was an awesome experience!!!    Leer más

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  • Bill BatesAustralia 2023Bill Bates

    Goodbye Australia Zoo

    22 de febrero de 2023, Australia ⋅ ⛅ 86 °F

    Our time at the Australia Zoo came to a close. It was a wonderful two days filled with sweat, friendship, and fun. Alistair and Davina presented us with our koala pictures and thanked us for doing such hard work.

    We were pretty tired by the end of the day, although, no to tired to visit the gift shop! 😉    Leer más

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  • Bill BatesAustralia 2023Bill Bates

    Wednesday Comes to an End

    22 de febrero de 2023, Australia ⋅ 🌧 73 °F

    We ended the night with the kids making us some incredible fried rice, with chicken skewers, veggies, and eggs. Charlie grilled up some kangaroo steaks so we could try good kangaroo. He did a wonderful job of grilling up the steaks, especially since he is vegan!

    After dinner Alycia, made us a snack, cookies & cream. It was delicious!

    We ended the night with Alycia running a game of mafia. She did an excellent job and the kids had heaps of fun! 😁    Leer más

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  • Bill BatesAustralia 2023Bill Bates

    Service Work - The Shack

    23 de febrero de 2023, Australia ⋅ ☁️ 73 °F

    After brekky we made our way to The Shack Community Centre. It is a non-profit founded in 2002 and provides food, counseling services, outreach, and more for the local vulnerable population, including the homeless and those suffering from drug and domestic violence issues. We were greeted by the husband and wife founders, their daughter, and staff. Today our job was to prepare meal kits.

    We split into two groups. One group peeled and cut the veggies as well as cooked the chicken, while the other group learned about the homeless and took part in some Australian cultural traditions. The groups then swapped and the meal kits were put together.

    The cultural traditions were two. One, the Tim Tam Slam! Tim Tams are a wafer cookie covered in chocolate. You bite off the ends and use it as a straw. We all took part in this earlier in the week with a hot cocoa drink (Milo). Today it was with cold chocolate milk. If you are nit fast enough, the Tim Tam breaks down (especially with a warm drink).

    The other wad to eat two SOA crackers (hard dry biscuits) and then try to whistle! You can imagine how well that went. 🤣

    When were were finished, our team of hard working Pinewood students out together over 100 meals for the community. We left feeling very good about the work.    Leer más

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  • Bill BatesAustralia 2023Bill Bates

    Buderim Falls

    23 de febrero de 2023, Australia ⋅ ⛅ 84 °F

    After lunch Alycia and Charlie took us to Buderim Forest Park, which hosts a beautiful waterfall after a short nature hike. Many of the kids chose to swim. We thought the water would be fairly cold, but the swimmers said it wasn’t bad at all.

    It was a great break from the hustle snd bustle of our service work. 🙂    Leer más

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  • Bill BatesAustralia 2023Bill Bates

    Special Olympics of Australia

    23 de febrero de 2023, Australia ⋅ ☁️ 82 °F

    After the falls, we had a very impactful experience. We spent time with the basketball athletes of the Special Olympics of Australia. We arrived to loud applause from the group after we were introduced. The kids ran through some warmup drills and games and then broke into 10 teams that played round robin games.

    As the adults watched, it warmed our hearts to see Pinewood mixed in the groups, playing unselfishly, and cheering, giving high fives, and laughing with the olympians.

    Many special moments were created today. Hopefully, and experience the kids will never forget. On the bus home, we agreed that sometimes service is just spending time with others. I thought it was a powerful experience and I believe the kids thought so too. 💕    Leer más

  • Bill BatesAustralia 2023Bill Bates

    Insightful Conversation

    23 de febrero de 2023, Australia ⋅ 🌧 70 °F

    After the emotional high of spending time with the special olympians, we had a night of eating out! The kids have been helping make the meals mist of the week, but tonight, earned a well deserved break. 🙂

    We had dinner at the Alex Surf Club. It was a beautiful location a stones throw from the beach. The food was great!

    The night wrapped up with Alycia and Charlie leading us in a group discussion and reflection about the trip so far. The conversation turned into a deep discussion about service, what it means to us, and how we saw the service we have done since coming to Australia. It was an incredibly insightful discussion. We are so proud of these kids! ❤️

    Tonight we pack and head to Brisbane in the morning.    Leer más

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  • Bill BatesAustralia 2023Bill Bates

    Saying Goodbye to Alex Heads

    24 de febrero de 2023, Australia ⋅ ☀️ 75 °F

    Sadly, it was finally time to pack up and leave Alex Beach Cabins. The kids made toasties for brekky (toasted sandwiches) along with cereal, fruit, and yogurt. We also had a special treat, Fairy Bread. When you see the pictures, it is exactly what it looks like. Buttered toast with sugar sprinkles. A traditional snack at Australian children’s parties.

    I also promised you an interior shot of a cabin after it was clean. The pics are a shot of where Mrs. Bates and I stayed. It was slightly larger than the the kids. Most of the kids cabins had single bunk beds for them. I meant to get a shot of theirs as well, but in the midst of helping them clean up, pack, and sweep for lost items, it slipped my mind.

    We are now on a 90-min to 2-hour journey back to Brisbane. Our bus and trailer had electronic problems, the trailer break lights and turn signals were not working. Not good when driving in the city. So, we had to stop by the rental company and swap the bus and trailer.

    The kids were great! No complaints. Everyone pitched in to move our gear and we were off straight away! Every day this group impresses me. 🙂    Leer más

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  • Bill BatesAustralia 2023Bill Bates

    Made it to Brisbane

    24 de febrero de 2023, Australia

    We made it to Brisbane (Brissie for short - pronounced Brizzy). We dumped our gear off at the youth hostel and went for a walk around the city stopping for lunch at GYG Mexican Kitchen. I got the Cali Burrito, which was a regular burrito with french fries added inside. #Mmmm 😋

    After lunch, we are going to bike around the city. 😁    Leer más

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  • Bill BatesAustralia 2023Bill Bates

    Biking Around Brissie

    24 de febrero de 2023, Australia ⋅ ⛅ 79 °F

    We thought rain might spoil the day, since it did spit a little. However, the rain held off and we were able to get time on bicycles! It has been a few years since some of the kids biked, but everyone did great!

    We cycled around the Brisbane River for a little over an hour. At the end, Charlie was waiting for us in the bus but there was one wrinkle. We had to climb The Stairs of Death!!!!!! A bit dramatic, I know. It was 100 or so steps ip a pretty steep incline. As Alycia and Charlie taught us to say, we smashed it!!!! After making our way to the summit, we boarded the bus and headed back to the youth hostel to officially check in and have dinner.

    I won’t lie. My legs are tired!!!! 🙂    Leer más

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  • Bill BatesAustralia 2023Bill Bates

    An Evening of Reflection

    24 de febrero de 2023, Australia ⋅ 🌙 73 °F

    The day came to a close with a fun game Alycia played with the kids and then pizza! It is sad to think we only have one more night in Australia, but we do have a full day left!

    Charlie led us through Fruit Salad. Everyone shared an apple, banana, and a lemon. The apple is something you really liked about the trip. The banana is something you learned that you were not expecting. Something new, surprising, or truly connected with you. The lemon is something that you would leave out of your fruit salad. Something you didn’t care for or would do differently. The kids came up with really good reflections!

    The evening ended with Alycia encouraging the kids to give someone a shout out. Meaning, recognize someone publicly for something they did this week that was inspiring or wonderful.

    They were both really good exercises and the night ended with everyone feeling inspired. 😁

    Mr Riches, Mrs. Bates, and I checked out the rooftop of our building and got a great view of the Brisbane skyline at night!    Leer más

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  • Bill BatesAustralia 2023Bill Bates

    Dealing With Adversity

    25 de febrero de 2023, Australia ⋅ ⛅ 79 °F

    Today started with a hiccup. Our bus was having engine trouble. We got it sorted out but it took Alycia and Charlie a little bit to smooth over. While we waited for new transportation, Alycia led a fun game that combines word guessing and charades in different rounds. By the time the game was done, our new ride was with us.

    We had to break into two vehicles. One was a large van. The other, well, you can see the pictures. It looked like we could go tearing through the Australian Bush unscathed!!! It was fine to ride in, it was just very intimidating looking! 😂    Leer más

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  • Bill BatesAustralia 2023Bill Bates

    Wildlife Rehabilitation Centre

    25 de febrero de 2023, Australia ⋅ ☀️ 81 °F

    Our big event today was visiting the Wildlife Rescue Rehabilitation & Education (WRRE), a non-profit organisation caring for Australia’s Wildlife as well as educating the public on the need for their help to ensure wildlife’s survival. The person who founded the organization and the sole caretaker is a woman named Trish. Let me tell you, she is soft spoken but a true powerhouse! She does enlist the help of the local community and some volunteers, but the lion’s share of the work falls on her shoulders.

    Trish may have 100 or more animals in her care at any given time. Mostly rescue animals that have been dropped off or have been reported to her so she could go pick them up. She told me she once travelled 400 kilometers (249 miles) to pick up a couple of kangaroos that had been hit by a car.

    We saw roos, skinks, koalas, cockatoos, a Wedge-tailed Eagle, brushtail possums, echidnas, emu, and more. All rehabilitating under Trish’s watchful eye and loving care. Most of the animals we could not handle. Trish wants them to not get too used to human contact, because the goal is to release them back into the wild. However, she did let the adults feed some baby kangaroos and wallabies. She brought us out some possums (which are 1000x cuter than the American Opossum). The kids were able to feed baby echidnas (called puggles).

    They asked a lot of great questions and we learned a lot. It was wonderful meeting Trish and seeing the amazing work she is doing.    Leer más

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  • Bill BatesAustralia 2023Bill Bates

    Our Last Night in Oz

    25 de febrero de 2023, Australia

    Dinner was at an excellent burger place. The Australian Wagyu was spectacular! There was more than just beef and the kids really enjoyed it.

    After dinner, Alycia and Charlie took the kids to Coles, which is one of the local grocery store chains. They were able to buy last minute snacks for the plane or other goodies to bring home.

    When we returned to the Youth Hostel, we circled up one last time. We talked about our time here gave shoutouts to group members that inspired, impressed, or impacted us in some way. We also took part in a Rustic Pathways tradition. We have out bracelets to each other. Alycia started us off by giving one out to a person she chose and explained her reasons to the group. That person chose someone who hadn’t gotten a bracelet yet and explained there reasons and so on until Alycia was the last one to get a bracelet (it had to end with her). My explanation does not do it justice. It was a very powerful and positive experience. A fitting closing activity. 💕😊

    I don’t have many pictures because tonight I lived in the moment. What an incredible trip!    Leer más

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  • Bill BatesAustralia 2023Bill Bates

    Saying Goodbye

    26 de febrero de 2023, Australia ⋅ ☀️ 75 °F

    We checked out of the youth hostel and arrived at the Brisbane airport without issue. After checking in, it was finally time to say goodbye to Alycia and Charlie.

    I have been lucky enough to have gone on many trips like this, both with Pinewood and outside of Pinewood. I have had some hosts/guides that were stinkers and many more that were very good. I cannot say this strongly enough. Alycia and Charlie were the best hosts I have ever had. Not only were they exceptionally good at their jobs, but they complemented each other very well. A wonderful team. Your children’s experience was enhanced just by having them. 😁Leer más

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  • Bill BatesAustralia 2023Bill Bates

    Close to Home

    26 de febrero de 2023, North Pacific Ocean ⋅ 🌬 63 °F

    We are a little over 2 hours away. Estimated time to land is around 5:50am. The flight had been great. Not as much sleeping as there was on the way out, but we have been able to catch some Zzz’s. 🙂

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  • Bill BatesAustralia 2023Bill Bates

    Thank You Mr. Riches!!!

    26 de febrero de 2023, Estados Unidos ⋅ 🌬 50 °F

    Don’t forget to give a HUGE thanks to Mr. Riches. He made this trip happen. There are a hours and hours of work before the trip even leaves.

    On the trip, his cool head and strong leadership skills made it the incredible experience it was. Thanks, Mr. Riches! You really did give us the trip of a lifetime! 😁Leer más

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    Fin del viaje
    26 de febrero de 2023