A Full Circle

To all our friends both near and far:

Its hard to believe that this will be our final blog entry!!!!

The team met up on Sunday 16 September to reminise and catch up. The photo is from the same location (my backyard) and its feels like full circle as our first meeting was in the same place and almost the same weekend..... one year ago.

It was fantastic to find out what everyone has done since they have been home. Jeffrey came home straight to family. Clare and Robert went onto Hong Hong after the exchange and are now settled back into life here in Perth. Jill and Andrew went hiking and camping through California and Canada. For me I got to see old friends and even one of my host mums which was just fantastic. Suzanne arrived home only 2 weeks ago having been through Central America and even survived Cyclone Dean in Jamaica. See Suzanne's blog for her journey on http://www.suzannespitz.blogspot.com/ . Jeffrey and Jill have also both started their new jobs and are loving it.

I know I speak for the team when I say the trip was one of life's most amazing journeys and we can't thank people enough for everything they did for us. Looking back through our blog (thank goodness Jill suggested it) just shows how much we have done and the people that we met.

We have even had our first visitors from District 5330 with PDG Helene and Len visiting for 10 days. It was fantastic to see them and catch up. We also got to spend their 42nd wedding anniversary with them.

We have done a little video message which can be seen below and a copy will be winging its way over to you all soon with some photos of our time with each of the clubs and out host families.

If you need an excuse to come and stay just ask Helene about all the reasons you can use from the beaches, sailing, scenery, food (don't ask len about spicy though), wine, and most of all our hospitality.

So from all of us here in WA, its bye for now, we hope to see you soon, stay in touch and thank you for making our time in the Inland Empire something none of us will ever forget.

Hola De Nicaragua

Well I have been very bad not posting a blog sooner, but believe it or not I have been very busy! I am pictured here taking a little study break enjoying a local drink.

Firstly I would like thanking Rotary for the amazing opportunity GSE has provided me. I had an amazing time in California, and feel extremely privilaged. Rotary is full of amazing people doing amazing things! Words can not express the depth of my gratitude to my host families, rotary clubs, their friends and families.

At the conclusion of the GSE exchange I had the opportunity to do a little more travelling in California, including a trip to San Fransisco and Yosemite National Park. It was then off to Central America for two months.

I am now half way through my journey, and have completed 4 weeks of spanish school in Granada, Nicaragua. Next, I am heading up to Guatemala (slight change of plans) via Hondoras and El Salvador. You can check out my adventures at www.suzannespitz.blogspot.com.

Once again a huge THANK YOU for my GSE journey. To my team, missing you guys heaps!

Back to reality!

Well after 10 spectacular weeks of leave, I've now come back to reality and back to work! I had an absolutely awesome time in the States and it was sad to say goodbye to all our fabulous new friends, but after a couple of days at home in Perth, resting, relaxing and catching up with friends and loved ones, Rob and I headed off to Hong Kong.

Highlights of Hong Kong:

1. Dolphin Encounter at Ocean Park.

2. Visiting trendy Lan Kwai Fong for dinner and drinks.

3. The Symphony of Lights show - a multimedia display including 43 buildings on both sides of Victoria Harbour.

4. Visiting the Buddha on Lantau Island - the world's tallest, outdoor, seated bronze Buddha.

5. Shopping on Nathan Road and Ladies Markets (I think this may have only been a highlight for me...)

6. Taking a ride up the peak to enjoy the famous view of Hong Kong.


7. Heritage Tour of the New Territories.

8. Gambling in Macau - the Asian 'Las Vegas' and while not as spectacular as the real thing, actually rakes in more money!

9. Hong Kong Island tour including a visit to historic temples.

10. Cruise of Victoria Harbour (well it was a highlight for Rob, I dozed off if you can believe it!)

11. And last but certainly not least... catching up with family and eating lots of yum-cha!

Natural Wonders of BC

We've had a great time here in beautiful British Coumbia, Canada. There are seemingly endless opportunities for outdoor adventures in and around Squamish to keep us occupied for a couple of more weeks...but it's back to reality with less that 24 hours until we depart for Perth via LA and Melbourne.

Over the last week we have visited Whistler (still quite a lot of snow around - minus 5C at the top, but too much rain for skiing!), caught the ferry to Vancouver Island (the hiking in the Pacific Rim National Park was amazing and sad we only had a few hours there), viewed amazing Titanic and First Nations Exhibitions at the Royal BC Museum, had a few beers at the Stickey Wicket (a cricket pub in Victoria!) and completed numerous hikes in around Squamish.

The Garibaldi Provincial Park, only a few kilometres from Squamish was very beautiful. Yesterday we set out on a day hike, hoping to complete the 28kms to Black Tusk. After 6km we encountered a lot of snow and at 9.5km we hit Lake Garibaldi which was still frozen in some parts. At that point although we tried to proceed we had to turn around as there was so much snow around that it was very difficult to follow the track.

It will be sad to leave North America but looking forward to catching up with our family, friends and news from the last few months.

Beautiful Paris

Having managed to negotiate la metro and the Roissybus I got from the airport to where I met Charles, Dina's husband who grew up in France and was to be guide for the next day or so

I had just over 48 hours in Paris and using the brilliant Frommers Guide (the map in the back is fabulous) to Paris managed to see all the important points. The first day we walked about 8.5km from the Eiffel Tower, across Alexandrie Bridge down the Champs-Elysées to Place de la Concorde. Being the 21 June Paris has this huge party with bands playing on every corner. It was awesome.

On Friday I walked over 25 kms making sure I got to see everything, from the Arc de Triomphe, Tuileres Gardens, the Louvre, Pont Neuf, Sacre Coeur in Montmarte, Notre Dame, the left and right bank and the moulin rouge. Basically if you can walk to it I covered it and even managed to take my french guide to some places he hadn't been like the Royal Palais Jardins.

I walked back streets and side streets and have many many photos of doors and architecture!!!!!

Dina and I had promised each other 4 years ago that we would go to Paris so it was fantastic to make it happen. On Sat having been left to my own devices I navigated the Metro and my Frommers map ( I was a wizz by now) I even managed to order breakfast in French in a gorgeous little french cafe and then with my luggage get two metro trains and a bus to the airport.

Then came more than 30 hours to get home with my luggage by alas no time for duty free in Singapore. It was great to get home and sleep horizontal, although the weather change has certainly been different..... It is good to be home but harder to be at work.

Marine Officers, Amish and Civil War

My time catching up with friends in Maryland included visits to Harper's Ferry West Virginia where the Potomac meets the Shenandoah River, site of civil war conflict and civil rights actions. Being a hot day I just wanted to be the one that was floating down the river in an inner tube. We even hiked some of the AppalachianTrail and the town was a great combination of old buildings and history. The scenery and trees were just beautiful and quite different to anything else I had seen in my travels so far.

Its hard to believe its been 8 years since we caught up. Falling back into old rhythms it seems like it was just few months ago we last saw each other. Good old Riley who is now 11 is still going strong.

Vera and I went to Annapolis for the day and had a tour of the Naval Academy which was amazing with a lot of french architecture and an amazing chapel. Although unfortunately classes were out and therefore all of the officers training weren't in situ. They only take the top of the top into the school and there is a huge focus on sport and fitness. It was very inspiring.

Its a cery cute town and I even managed to ensure that I had crab cakes, something Maryland is famous for.

On the last day Dave, Vera, Bethany and I went to Pennsylvania which meant crossing the mason dixon line and unlike at home I was able to visit 5 states in 4 days including DC which I flew out of.

In Pennsylvania we visited Intercourse which is the site of a major amish community and was amazing to see the carts on the roads and the houses that form the community. It was certainly an eye opener and just amazing to see hay balers pulled by 5 horses and a calf being carted around in the back of a cart.

It was wonderful to catch up and I left them organising princess birthday parties etc. After 2 hours to check in I started to make my way to Paris......

From California to Canada

We arrived in Canada a few days ago late on Wednesday night after a bit of a flight delay.

We had a fairly relaxing day in Vancouver on Wednesday, shopping, followed by a long walk from Coal Bay along the seawall to English Bay through Stanley Park. This was followed by We had a great night out at Elixir, a restaurant in Yaletown. The food was excellent!

Yesterday morning we picked up another hire car and headed up to Squamish, a small town about an hour north of Vancouver. The house we are staying in is amazing - snow capped peaks are visible from the front porch and there is a forest and river at the back - it is absolutely beautiful.

Today we hiked up the colossal Stawamus Chief, the world's second largest granite monolith. The "Chief" is famous for rock climbing, but as Andrew wasn't able to climb it due to inclement weather we decided to hike it instead. It was fairly steep - up about 550 metres in 1.5 hours, and a little slippery on the way down, but seemed like a stroll after some of our previous hikes.

Tomorrow we plan to visit Whistler, and then spend some time in Victoria before flying home next weekend.

Before we arrived in Canada we spent two wonderful days /nights in San Francisco - it was a great city and we could have spent more time there. Highlights included:

Two walking tours of San Francisco - about 15kms each day - taking in the Golden Gate Bridge and Park, Fisherman's Wharf, Lombard Street “the most crooked street in the world” (which isn't really), Alamo Square (the old buildings were amazing!).

The Ferry Building - too many amazing restaurants and deli-style gourmet food shops to mention.

A great dinner at Fino, an Italian restaurant downtown (and pretty much across the road from our hotel) which we found by accident.

Great shopping - if only there was more time!

More pictures from the Californian Coast / Yosemite

Coastal Delights, Great Nights, Frightening Heights

Well, we've seen and done some amazing things since Andrew picked me up last Saturday from Cheryl and John's house in Redlands.

We headed to Laguna Beach for two nights which was great - we spent the days exploring the many beaches in the area, having a couple of picnics, wine and cheese, romantic dinners, and spending time recovering - me from the GSE , and Andrew from his week of rock climbing.

On Monday we had lunch with Tim and Julie (my GSE hosts from Temecula) as we will be staying at their house in Canada later this week. It was great to catch up with them again and fill them in on the various adventures.

We then headed up the coast - stopping at San Luis Opisbo where we found a great wine bar / restaurant - completely by accident! Next it was Highway 1 and the Big Sur and I have to say this is the most spectacular piece of coastline I have ever seen!! We stayed a night in Monterey, dining at Montrio, which had come very highly recommended from my Riverside hosts - the food was really great, except for the large piece of plastic I found in my meal - a little embarrassing for the high class establishment. We also went whale watching while we were there - spotting some beautiful humpbacks.

Then it was time to head to Yosemite National Park - which despite the masses of people (think thousands of people camped in one valley) was absolutely amazing. On the Thursday we did the gruelling 18 mile hike up Half Dome (about 9000 feet) in 100F (38C). The last few hundred metres required us to go straight up on cables which was a little frightening - especially since we read in the paper this morning that someone slipped on the cables and fell to their death two days after we were there. On Friday we were a little sore and hiked (well limped really) around the valley. Yosemite is a beautiful place and I hope we make it back some day.

We then headed to Lake Tahoe for the weekend where we had beautiful views of the Lake from our campsite. There we did more hiking and some kayaking and had a icy cold swim in the waters of the Lake.

On Sunday afternoon we visited Sacramento and then toured the Napa Valley - lunching and wine tasting, before buying some supplies from Dean and Deluca - we definitely need this store in Perth, and having a very gourmet camping dinner.

We are now in the wonderful city of San Francisco and plan to spend the day exploring the city over the next few days before flying out to Canada tomorrow night.

I hope everyone reading this is well and I'll post again from Canada - sorry for only a few photos - I'll post some more when we find a faster internet connection.

Mobsters, Handbags and Mexican

A great day as 4 girls ventured down into the middle of Chicago to a place called 1154 Lill where we designed our own handbags, a choice of 25 designs and 150 fabrics, the colours were fantastic and the designs awesome.

We had lunch downtown in Lincoln Park but to beat the Friday traffic we had to bypass Michigan Ave. Laura (Vicki's sister, Vicki, Stacy and I admiring the range of handbags.

Dinner was with another school friend who made me remember all these things I had completely forgotten. Patti had been my summer mate and we had gone out with the boys etc. It was so awesome to spend time reminising and catching up with her and the other guys.

Tomorrow its farewell to Chicago and onwards to Maryland and the next part of the adventure........

Back after 10 years to Ilinois

I was standing outside the terminal when this family wagon pulled up with a woman waving madly. At that point I knew it was my girlfriend Vicki, with her two gorgeous girls. Amazing how much changes and then again it feels like we only caught up a few months ago not 10 years.

I have also been lucky to catch up with Stacy another school friend and also mother of 2. She also has the most amazing memory and could tell me what happenned to all those I went to Richmond Burton with. Looking at the year book, it was all big hair and perms. Very scary.

We went back to Richmond and whilst a lot has changed, Andersons, the Depot, International House of Wine and Cheese and the Cubby house were all still there. We also drove by Phyllis and Evan's house which still had the dekalb sign out the front.

Ripper Rollercoasters

I have arrived in Illinois to my good friend (mother of 2) deciding that we should do more rollercoasters - these made some of those at Disneyland look tame, with your feet dangling and standing up. We played at 6 Flags - Great America.

The one with the green track is their feet in the air not their heads.....
However, we decided to end our time slightly more sedately on a 2 storey carousel. For all of my friends with kids I had to have a picture with Wags the dog and Dorothy as the wiggles were there performing........

Arizona and Memories

As we all went our separate ways, it felt very strange only being responsible for myself and not having to keep checking that I had everyone ( yes -it was mother hen at work).

But arriving in Arizona I got to see my fairy godmother, my host mum from 18 years ago when I was an exchange student in Illinois.

Phyllis will be 80 next month and it was so special to spend time with her reminising etc. I even managed to shout her lunch, she made me her world famous chili and I also cleaned her silver. No one should have dirty silver on their 80th. Although she did manage to hide some from me.

It was a great experience and we even managed to go down to scottsdale, with me driving, concentrating on being on the right side of the road.

After 5 weeks its farewell

Its hard to believe thats it is over and that its farewell. Not having access to a computer means I am updating these now.


The team and I had the most fantastic time and it was thanks to all the people we met and especially those that hosted us and made the time to get to know us. I was especially lucky as all but one of my host families were able to make it and I just needed more time to talk to Al and Patsy, Joy and Lloyd, Camille and Tom, Anne and Jack, Marcia and Jim and Mike and Dellita.

Our thanks to foundation and also to Helene, Rickey and everyone who made the trip so enjoyable.

I know that I have made lifelong friends and that I will see many of the people again either in Australia or back here in the USA. It is very hard to leave after meeting such wonderful people and I'll let you in on a little secret (as the plane pulled away from the terminal I had tears streaming down my face).

Thanks to our hosts for the evening the Evans and also to the guys who I had just the most fantastic experience and trip with, Jill, Jeffrey, Clare and Suzanne - no leader could have asked for a better team or more importantly friends. I look forward to our catch ups back home.

So with tears from all of us its adieu not farwell and we look forward to seeing you all soon.

Thanks for everything.

Dana Point

To update everyone whilst they were at baseball I got the opportunity to go to Dana Point with Mike and Dellita. The view from their apartment was fantastic and over my left shoulder you can see the yacht club where we had dinner and watched the end of the twlight racing. It was a lovely night. The next day we walked, sea kayaked and then walked along the beach so I could put my feet in the pacific.

A Beautiful part of the world and a great time was had by all. We then headed back to make sure we were in time for the farewell party. I also got to play paddle tennis with Mike. An awesome time.

Home Again

Jeffrey and Claire arrived safely home today. Amazingly both legs of the flight (LA to Sydney and Sydney to Perth) were on schedule and in the last leg, arrived early, catching out the meeters and greeters.

Rebecca, Jill and Suzanne are off enjoying the next stage of there adventures.

California Dreamin' or Memories

Well, its now 9 PM and we are sitting in the American Airlines/Qantas Club Lounge sipping a drink (which is not free) and not eating any food (coz there is none).

Clare cried on cue (what a great team member) when we tried to ask for an upgrade but we were told the flight is oversold and we were lucky we got here early as our seat is now guaranteed. Last night's flight was cancelled and they have another 200 passengers to place. Looks like its going to be a cozy old flight back to Sydney tonight.


45 minutes till we board. We will use that time to reflect on a fantastic five weeks with a great team and a great bunch of Rotarians from District 5330.

Thanks everyone
Jeffrey & Clare

Thanks and Farewell

Well, what an amazing 5 weeks this has been!

On Thursday I was very privileged to tour the Huntington Library in Pasadena with Marion and Chuck Wilson (my hosts from Riverside). The Huntington was founded in 1919 by railroad and real estate developer Henry Edwards Huntington and opened to the public in 1928. It is a private, nonprofit institution and an esteemed research and educational centre which includes 3 art galleries and a library showcasing amazing collections of paintings, sculptures, rare books, manuscripts, and decorative arts.

I had the behind the scenes tour of the preservation, storage facilities and new reader areas, as well as time to see tour the amazing botanical collection featuring over 14,000 different species of plants (including many Australian natives.

It was a chance of a lifetime and something I will never forget - thanks Marion, Chuck and Sue - it was wonderful.



Last night we were farwelled in style at a great party with over 60 attendees at Cheryl and John Evans' home. It was a great opportunity to catch up with friends we had made a long the way and also to reflect on our time here. Thanks to everyone who attended, set up, brought food and cleaned up - especially John and Cheryl.

Thanks to the Rotary Foundation, DG Helene, all of the coordinators, host families, vocational hosts, tour guides, chauffers, and everyone involved in the GSE Programme for District 5330 - you have truly made it a fantastic experience. It has been the opportunity of a lifetime and something I will never forget. I know I will see many of you again.

Finally, a special thank you and farewell to my other team members - Bec, Clare, Jeffrey and Suz - you are all amazing people and this experience would not have been the same without you.

The Final Count Down

One more sleep before the end of GSE, and we are making the most of every single minute. This morning Clare, Jill and I headed out for one last hike into the San Bernadino National Park with Max Copenhagen. It was a glorious morning, perfect for a little activity as we weaved our way up the steep inclines.














In the afternoon Jeff, Clare, Jill and I (together with our hosts Steve, Susan and Sue), headed for the last minute shop at Ontario Mills. I was in shopping paradise... So much for trying to lighten the luggage load..

Tonight is our farewell party which we are all very excited about. It will be fantastic to see our host families, rotarians and friends we have met along the way.

Swing, Batter, Batter, Batter, Swing

Last night Jeffery, Clare and I, together with Cheryl, John, Sharron, Steve, Sue and Susan, had the chance to partake in America's favourite pastime - watching baseball. We went along to 'root' for the home team the Inland Empire 66ers, who were playing the Modesto Nuts. The teams play in the California Minor League (who are feeders for the LA Dodgers in the Majors).

Highlights of game included:

• Sitting right behind the dugout
• Eating our first Funnel Cake (see picture of Clare above)
• The 66ers cheer squad doing the YMCA
• Hanging out with Bernie - the club mascot
• Singing the songs during the game breaks ("take me out to the ball park..")
• Hotdogs, beer ($1 until the 5th innings), candy corn and peanuts
• Having a message to the GSE team played on the loud speaker.
• The home team winning!

We even learned some new chants - "We want a catcher not a belly scratcher, we want a pitcher not a belly itcher...... ". Wonder how this would translate to AFL?

Thank you so much Cheryl for organising a great night.

Wild Hogs

This afternoon Suzanne and I had the chance to rev-up our afternoon and go riding with Jesse, Cathy and Reverend Leon. After making one small adjustment to the bikes (adding the Aussie flag of course) we cruised up through the mountains to Oak Glen.

Oak Glen is one of California's scenic spots where you can visit orchards, taste mountain-fresh apples and cider, enjoy hot apple pie at one of the several family restaurants, feed the animals in the animal parks, or browse through some of the many specialty shops. We headed straight for the fudge shop where pumpkin pie fudge is a specialty... mmmm yummm!

Next stop was the PGA club bar for a quick drink, before heading back home to Redlands. The scenic drive was beautiful and the ride very liberating... but don't worry Mum, I was riding with Rev Leon, so it was all very safe as we had God on our side!

Big thanks to Jesse, Cathy and Leon for an awesome afternoon. Wild Hogs, eat your heart out!

Redlands Noon Rotary

Today the team (sans Jill as she had an extra vocational day) presented to the Redlands Noon Rotary Club for what was officially the last time in the United States.

Each time the club has guest speakers, they donate a book to the AK Smiley Library in their honour. The book donated in our names was Curious George Feeds the Animals which quite appropriately had a kangaroo on the front.

Thank you President Don and the Redlands Rotary Club... and 'Go the Mighty Ducks'!! ...or is it just the 'Ducks' now?

Vocational and Paddle Tennis Rallies

Yesterday I had a great opportunity to visit two fantastic vocational places. The first was Redlands Chamber of Commerce where they run a really interesting program about creating and fostering community leaders. It runs across 8 months and includes learning about education, culture, the city and its government and history. Participants are encouraged to become involved on boards and community associations to foster and grow the City of Redlands.

I also visit the AK Smiley Library which opened in 1898 and is like being transported back a century in time. Its a beautiful old building and has been renovated to ensure that it continues to look the same way. They have these beautiful reading gardens and reading rooms which provides a lovely ambience.

They are also responsible for the Lincoln Shrine and are developing a new special collection to be housed in the future as the Redlands History Museum. They have a strong acquisitions program and utilise the Friends group significantly to foster and develop the libraries.

As I am off to Dana Point today instead of baseball and shopping with the team, I managed to fit it some shopping time of my own. Thanks Mike for your patience. In the evening Mike and I played 3 sets of paddle tennis which is played on a court 1/2 the size of a tennis court. Even though I lost in straight sets we had some great rallies. Then it was dinner on the patio and time in the spa to finish off the night....

Redlands PR

Yesterday was my last vocational day and in the morning I spent time with Redlands City Police Public Information Officer (media liasion officer) Carl Baker. Carl took me to a city crime prevention meeting on strategies to address a crime that is growing not only here in Redlands, but around the world - metal theft. I also had the opportunity to visit their local government TV station used to telecast city meetings and pubic service announcements.

Next stop was Red Fusion Media where owners Ron and Molly Burgess discussed their role as a strategic marketing firm focussing primarily on web marketing. After a delicious lunch at Martha Green's Eatery, I headed out to the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department, where I met with Sheriff's Serice Specialist Sylvia Beasley and Public Information Officer Jodi Miller.

Here I had the opportunity to learn about a number of crime prevention programs, including Crime Free Multi-Housing, Kidzwatch, CleanSweep and the Juvenile Intervention Program. I was also able to share some of the crime prevention strategies and policies we have in place in WA, in particular, the Responsible Parenting Initiative.

Big thanks to Carl, Ron, Molly, Steve, Sylvia and Jodi for spending time with me and especially Sue for driving me around all day!

Day 35: Smiley libraries and mountain bikes

Yesterday we had a full day - starting the day at 6.45am at the Redlands Sunrise Rotary Meeting, followed by a vocational day. I spent time at the A.K. Smiley Library which was a wonderful building - perhaps the best Library I've seen in terms of architecture! Special thanks to Don McCue and the staff at the Library for such an interesting morning.

After lunch, we headed to the University of Redlands and I spent some time with Charlotte Burgess, Dean of Student Life discussing the centenary of the University of Redlands, gaining many interesting potential ideas for the University of Western Australia centenary which is being held in 2011. I then headed to Armacost Library at the University to hear about their services and programmes, including their Library blog and use of IM in reference. Thanks for the staff at the University for their time.

In the afternoon Suzanne, Clare and I went on a mountain bike ride. We rode with a group that meets a number of times a week to ride. They were very patient with us and made us feel right at home.

Let me just say that the uphill took a lot longer than the downhill! It was a little scary at times, but lots of fun.

Thanks to Adrien (Redlands Sunrise) and all of the bike riding crew, as well as our hosts for arranging and driving us around, as well as for dinner afterwards at Chipotle and Yogurt Paradise!

Loma Linda University/Medical Centre & San Bernadino Crossroads Rotary Club

Today I completed a vocational day at Loma Linda University & Medical Centre. I had the opportunity to discuss issues and strategies relating to nursing recruitment, specifically pre-entry and graduate programs, with Joy Riddle (Nurse Recruiter). I also visited the School Allied Health Professions to discuss clinical placement issues with Carol Appleton (Academic Coordinator Clinical Education) and assistant training with Sharon Pavolovich (Field Work Coordinator, OTA). Thank you to Anne and Jan for your assistance in coordinating my visit.

At lunch, I attended the San Bernadino Crossroads Rotary Club meeting, which provided me the opportunity to give the club a small presentation of GSE and Western Australia. I also listened to a great presentation by Jim Borokbout on stolen identity. Thank you to President Chris Hammatt. I am pictured below with my host family Susan Keen, President Chris Hammatt and President Elect Kim Walline.

Lil Latitude - The Real OC

Tuesday 5th June we joined Captain Mike and Dellita Kobold for an amazing day sailing at Newport Beach. We set out from the Newport Marina in a 40+ foot yatch called Lil Latitude.

The day started out with a few glasses of vino and a leisurely lunch as we sailed out the marina. Once out in the ocean, it was smooth sailing to the tunes of Jimmy Buffet's Maragaritaville. We all had the opportunity to sail, with Jeffery demonstrating his 'Napoleon' like skills (including a well deserved break).

We enjoyed a delicious dinner at the Cannery, a local seafood restaurant. This included pre-dinner drinks, making the most of the 'happy hour' cocktails, Thanks so much Mike and Dellita for a wonderful day of sun and sailing - now this is the real OC!

Day 33: Redlands - a trolley good time!

We started the morning with a fantastic breakfast at Sharon and Steve Guggisberg's home. We then finalised all the details for the remainder of our trip and headed out on a tour of Redlands on the Braswells Trolley.


Curtiss Allen was an excellent tour guide who knew everything there is to know about historic Redlands.

We visited a number of historic places including a number of churches, the University of Redlands, an orange grove (one of the few left in Redlands), the A.K. Smiley Library, and the Lincoln Memorial Shrine.


We then headed to the Environmental Systems Research Institute (ESRI) for lunch and a tour and information session about the company which produces Geographic Information Systems (GIS).

Finally we toured Kimberly Crest - a picturesque French chateau style home built in 1897 and owned by by J. Alfred Kimberly (a co-founder of the Kimberly-Clark Corporation) and Helen Cheney Kimberly in 1905. Their widowed daughter, Mary Kimberly Shirk, lived in the home from 1920 until her death in 1979 and she donated the home and grounds to the people of Redlands.

We then relaxed with some fantastic wine and cheese (thanks Mike!) before heading home with our host families.

Thanks to everyone who came on the tour today, Curtiss (our great tour guide), Steve (our great driver), Sharon, Susan, and Cheryl.

Goodbye Palm Springs - Hello Redlands

It was sad to say goodbye this morning to Barbara Roberts, my host for the last few days in Palm Springs. Barbara is Director of the Palm Springs Public Library and she organised a couple of great vocational visits for me - to College of the Desert and California State University - San Bernardino - Palm Desert Campus. It was interesting to see these smaller, and in the case of CSU Palm Desert, mainly virtual libraries. Thanks Barbara for sharing your home with me and for looking after me so well.

After brunch at the District Conference and saying goodbye to a number of firends we have made during our time on the trip, I met my new hosts, John and Cheryl. This afternoon we went on a hike in the San Bernardino National Forest with their two very friendly dogs - Cha Cha (Rottweiler) and Max (Great Dane/Mastiff ). John refers to Max as the "chick magnet" :-).

The scenery was absolutely beautiful and I saw my second snake for the tour. The first one was while walking in Palm Springs a few days ago (I wasn't sure if it was dead or alive but I didn't wait around to find out).

After our walk we visited the Moving Wall - a half-size replica of the Washington, DC Vietnam Veterans Memorial that has been touring the country for more than twenty years. It was a very sombre experience to reflect on the War and the lives lost in Vietnam.

In the evening I cooled off in the pool - and enjoyed some time in the jacuzzi with my hosts.

Cheryl looks to have organised a great programme and I'm sure the team will make the most of our last week here in Redlands.

Three Sues and a Clare

After saying a sad farewell to our friends of Palm Springs as well as many others we had caught up with at the District Conference, the team headed off to the final city on our GSE adventure, Redlands.

In the afternoon, Suzanne and I headed out with our hosts Susan and Sue to visit the The Moving Wall, the half-size replica of the Washington, DC Vietnam Veterans Memorial which has been touring the country for more than twenty years. The wall honours men and women of the Armed Services of the United States who served in the Vietnam War and is inscribed with more than 58,200 names of those who gave their lives or remain missing.

Later in the evening we had a beautiful dinner with a spectacular and almost 'English garden' view - thanks Susan!

Belated News Flash!!

Last minute update for Palm Springs... after partying at the conference hospitality suites a small earthquake measuring 4.2 on the richter scale occurred in Thousand Palms. We were all staying in Palm Springs which was 30km from the epicentre.

The San Andreas fault finishes in the Palm Springs Valley, but apparently this one wasn't on the famous fault. Click here for more info...

ps. It was definitely an earthquake... not our wobbly (drinking) boots!

Conference - Day 2

Saturday was the day of our presentation. Jill and Jeffrey had done an amazing job pulling it together under some trying technological conditions and even though we never had a chance to see it or practice it once, the team pulled it off like the professionals that they are.

They pulled a fast one on me, adding a slide I knew nothing about and almost had me crying on stage. I have the m0st fantastic team, and for all those that read this, they are all truly amazing. I thank them for that. Although having the DVD and then singing Waltzing Matilda, meant that I wasn't the only one that was feeling extremely proud and patriotic. We even caused tears in the audience!!!!

My thanks go to all those that travelled down to see us especially and as we got pulled out of the room at one stage we missed talking to many of them. But for those that I saw including, Stew and Pat, Jon, Cynthia and David, Liz, Joy and Lloyd and any one I haven't mentioned, thank you from the bottom of our hearts. It meant so much to see you guys there and to have that support in the audience.

For us this exchange is all about the people and this is just an example of that.

OK back to conference. We got to see all of the team that came to WA and especially pleasing has been the time we have been able to spend with Eric and Anne. That's been just wonderful.

Sat night was fiesta night and armed with sombrero's we caught up with lots of different people, awed at the dancing of people like Brisia and even tried a bit ourselves. A great night, although we missed the Brazillians who just came along too late even for us.....

This photo is one of us with Jim Dowler, coordinator in Palm Springs, so thanks Jim for a great time and tour.

Rotary Conference - Hospitality

Friday night we went to the Hospitality Suites at the Rotary Conference, where different clubs have rooms with drinks and foods and everyone room hops. What a great idea!!!! Margaritas and Mojitos, what a great way to go!!!!

It was wonderful to catch up with people we had met along the way like Alan and Patsy and Daaaave Thompson from Temecula, friends and host families from Riverside, Rick, Cathy, Anne and Rick from Big Bear and so many others.

Its definately an idea I'm taking back to WA!!!!

The team visted the Living Desert Zoo in Plam Springs today. The Living Desert was established in March 1970 as a 360 acre wilderness preserve. Currently at 1200 acres, its focus as a zoo is on interpreting and conserving the deserts of the world and is the only zoological and botanical park specializing in just one entire ecosystem.

Animals such as Big Horn Sheep, Mountain Lions, Coyote as well as other exotoc animals from outside of North America, but desert dwellers are profiled. Thanks to "Scotty" Dunlop, the Zoo Sales Manager for his personal tour.
In the afternoon, the team were hosted by Mario Suarez and Bill Morse on a tour of the Indian Canyons outside of Palm Springs.

These canyons were home to the Agua Caliente Cahuilla (pronounced Kaw-we-ah) Indians settled in the Palm Springs area and were part of extensive and complex communities in Palm, Murray, Andreas, Tahquitz and Chino Canyons. The Indians used these as there summer home due to the abundant water and hundreds of plants and animals found throughout the area which ensured stable living conditions.

The Canyons consist of several trails ranging from 1.5 miles to 15 mile hikes. The team hiked through the bottom of the canyon which is like an Oasis up to a hill where they could see Palm Springs. The temperature had hit the 100 mark so we hiked back to the Trading Post where we rested with cool water and wet towels supplied by Bill.

Tommorrow its District Conference. The team have worked hard on putting together a great presentation which highlights their work so far on what has been a fantastic Group Study Exchange.

Bombay, Dates & Salton Sea

This morning the team visited some of the sights in and around the Palm Springs Valley. Our first stop was at the Salton Sea, where we met our informative and humorous guide Ranger Steve Bier. He certain gave his Australian namesake a run for his money. The Salton Sea is an inland saline lake in the Salton Basin (and is the biggest lake in California) which was formed when the Colorado River broke its banks over 100 years ago. Next stop was Dos Palmos, a natural oasis with prehistoric size palms.

Lunch was at Bombay Beach, an isolated community with a slight surreal feel. Many parts were like a ghost town - caused by the raising and falling water levels of the Salton Sea (with parts of the town still buried in mud). Even the boats got caught out!



In the afternoon we visited Prime Time in the Coachella Valley - who grow and sell a range of fruit and vegetable products. We visited the pepper packing plant (where they can pack over 25,000 boxes of peppers a day). The watermelon packing provided us with the chance to do some quality control testing of the products (as you can see this basically means tasting). After learning the art of watermelon whispering (tapping) we also selected a melon to take home.

The day was capped off with the much recommended Date Shake... Mmmmmm... Thanks Jim for a great day.

In the evening Clare and I headed into the Palm Springs Villagefest with our host mums Linda and Jan. After an all American meal at Ruby's Diner, we wandered down the main street of down town Palm Springs viewing all the local arts, crafts and food. We even had the chance to sing a duet (or triplet) with Sonny Bono.

Day 28 - Palm Springs Aerial Tram

After starting the day with conference preparations, the team attended the Rotary Club of Palm Springs for lunch and a presentation. We felt particularly at home as there was lots of fun and comaraderie (mateship) and we were flattered by all the 'happy dollars' donated in welcoming us. Thank you once again to President Judy Bronstein and all members for such a warm welcome.


After lunch we headed up the Mt San Jacinto moutain in the world's largest rotating tramcar at the Palm Springs Aerial Tramway. Once at the top, which sits 8,516ft above sea level, we did some 'ballroom' hiking and found a number of perfect lookouts over the Coachella Valley and Santa Rosa Mountains.



Joining us on the tram ride were visiting Rotarians from Uganda. John Kirkwood, Peter Kalbbala and Jack Ocholla are over in the US for six weeks promoting the Tofta Educational Trust which provides quality education for disadvantaged children. While here, John, Peter and Jack will be attending District Conference and the Rotary International Convention in Salt Lake City in Utah.

Special mention to Eric Broomfield, outbound GSE team member, for managing to ditch work and join us for lunch and the moutain tram ride. Given the number of GSE events we crashed back in Perth, was good to see the favour returned... like your style Eric!

Last but certainly not least, special thanks to our informative tour guide Frank Peabody. We wouldn't have made it back out of the wilderness without you!

Palm Springs Wildlife

Whilst out for an early morning walk with my host Linda yesterday morning, I saw some wildlife that I have never seen before. The first was a raccoon, hiding in the eaves of a house. He had made a little mess down the street going through the rubbish bins. The second was a coyote looking a little hungry and thirsty. Of course I didn't have my camera with me so I grabbed a couple of pics off the web instead.

Straight Talk

Today (May 29th) I had the opportunity to visit a not-for-profit organisation called Straight Talk, based in Cypress, Orange County. The organisation aims to develop and make available a variety of mental health, substance abuse, and rehabilitative services for the benefit of individuals and families in need, for whom access or utilization of such services are generally limited, restricted or otherwise unavailable. I visited Straight Talk with my host Jan Moss, who was instrumental in establishment of the organisations in the early 1970s. On the visit I developed an appreciation of the not-for-profit and 'free & sliding scale clinic' systems within the USA. I was very impressed by the range & quality of services offered, and the dedication of the staff. Special thanks to Bruce Robbins and Shelly Lummins.

Dropping 6000ft via the High Desert

Leaving Big Bear saw a significant change in both temperature, altitude and also the scenery. Our last look at Big Bear as we rounded the corner was of water, and the last vestiges of snow on the top of the snowboarding run. We said adieu to Rick at Landers (for 3 more sleeps) and began our next adventure with Jim and Stu from the Palm Springs Rotary.

Our first stop was lunch with the clubs of 29 Palms, Yucca and Yucca Sunset and Joshua Tree. There was about 40 people at a BBQ in our honour at the emu farm owned by the President Lib and with AG Sandy also in attendance.

Then it was onwards to the Joshua Tree National Park, a climbers paradise. It was amazing as we travelled through 3 very different landscapes of Joshua Trees, boulders and then the Ocotillo cactus as we descended through to sea level and Palm Springs.

The landscape was truely awe-inspiring and beautiful and completely different to what we have seen before. There was the climber, the rock namer, the sleeper, chief photographer and me!

Another great day in Southern California with a whole range of new experiences.

Joshua Tree National Park

Joshua Tree National Park is located in south-eastern California. Declared a U.S. National Park in 1994, it had previously been a U.S. National Monument since 1936. It includes 1,234 mi² (3,196 km²) of land.
Straddling the San Bernardino County/Riverside County border, the park includes parts of two deserts, (Mohave and Colorado Desrts) each an ecosystem whose characteristics are determined primarily by elevation. Below 3,000 feet (900 m), the Colorado Desert encompasses the eastern part of the park and features natural gardens of creosote bush, ocotillo, and cholla cactus. The Little San Bernardino Mountains run through the southwest edge of the park.
The team had the opportunity of taking the 56 mile drive through the park on there way from Big Bear to the Palm Springs area. The beautiful scenery was enhanced by the Joshua Tree itself.

Hey Mambo, Mambo Italiano...

Big bear has been a blast. Just wanted to add a quick post to say thanks to my great hosts Simeon and Dana. Apparently I now have part shares in a Restaurant in Big Bear - Cafe Mambo (just kidding!). One of the things that I loved best about Big Bear (aside from the awesome people) was the chance to do some outdoor activities. I not only did a little mountain biking around the lake (taking it easy drafting behind Simeon), but also two hikes up to Cougar Crest. It was fantastic to join the hiking crew (Ron, Kim, Mark, Simeon and Dana) up the hills (not sure if my huffing and puffing was altitude or fitness?).

Day 24 - On the lake

Today started with a tour of Big Bear Lake on a pontoon boat. The tour was fantastic but the fishing not so great... our excuse...? Too many boats on the lake this weekend!!

This weekend is a long weekend in the USA as Monday 28 May is Memorial Day, a day to honour fallen defence personnel who have died in the line of duty (very similar to our Anzac Day).

Memorial Day began in the United States on 30 May 1868, after the Civil War had ended. Flowers were put on the graves of both sides, in order to help heal the nation. It was later expanded to include all men and women who had died in America's wars. It is now celebrated on the last Monday of May.

Big Bear is a popular place for Southern Californians to spend the long-weekend and the valley can often expand to over 100,000 people. Just to give you an idea of what a 'holiday' town Big Bear Lake is, around 70 per cent of the homes here are holiday homes - only 30 per cent are occupied by full-time residents!

This afternoon we went 'rafting' with Big Bear Rotarians - this a great concept where everyone goes out on individual boats and then gets together on the lake and ties up to create a big floating raft. Every boat brings different drinks and nibblies and it really becomes a big party raft. As a team, we all managed to visit most of the nine or 10 boats that made up the raft... including a special visit to a truly unique vessel... the SS Relief!

Thank you Big Bear for looking after us Aussies so well. While we are a little sad to say goodbye, we are looking forward to our Palm Springs adventure.

Greetings from Big Bear Lake

It is a beautiful day at 7000' in our beautiful valley. The weather is clear and it will be about 75 degrees today. It is a perfect day to go boating which the team will do this afternoon.

It has been such a pleasure to have Jill in my home! All the of GSE team members are wonderful people. I know you are very proud of them all.

Schautzie, Mr. Circles and I have had a grand time with Jill. We all go for walks, enjoy the fresh air outside, have good conversations and of course eat! Jill is a wonderful bright woman. She is a great representative of your country and Western Australian. I will be sad to see her move on to her next destination.

My very best to each of you,
Liz Harris

Day 23: The Great Outdoors

The day started with an early morning hike for some of us, before a trip up Snow Summit on the Scenic Sky Chair.






The Scenic Sky Chair takes about 15 minutes to go from 7,000 feet to a summit elevation of 8,200 feet.

There was some time for hiking at the top which included time to smell the vanilla in the Jeffrey Pine. Jeffrey Pine (Pinus jeffreyi), named in honor of its discoverer John Jeffrey, is a North American pine related to Ponderosa Pine. It occurs from southwest Oregon south through much of California, to northern Baja California in Mexico. It is a high altitude species; in the north of its range, it grows at 1000-2000 m altitude, and at 1800-3000 m in the south of its range. The pine nuts are used in cooking - eg. salads.

In the afternoon we headed to the Discovery Centre, followed by an off-road trip to Butler Peak in the San Bernardino Mountains.

Butler Peak Fire Lookout (at 8535 feet) is accessible via an alpine, fireroad route through the mountains surrounding Big Bear Lake. The views from the lookout of Big Bear Lake and the surrounding valleys are spectacular.

The lookout was built in 1936 and is bascially a one room (12' x 12') perched directly on a rock. We all marvelled at how they managed to get it up there.

During the evening, Mayor Bill and his wife, Mary Jo hosted a BBQ for the team at their beautiful new home.






We were treated to an excellent dinner and a lovely "Welcome GSE Team" cake. And, of course Fosters was flowing which is apparently "Australian for beer" or is it?.

Thanks to everyone, especially Rick and Kathy, Bill and Mary Jo and our respective host families for a fantastic day and night.

Cougar Crest Trail Hike

It was an early start this morning to hike up the Cougar Crest Trail, a popular 4 mile hike, located on the North Shore of Big Bear Lake. We went up about 1500 feet to 7900 feet.

There were spectacular views of the San Bernardino mountains and Big Bear Lake along the way.

The Cougar Crest Trail ends at the junction of the Pacific Crest Trail, an infamous 2,650-mile national scenic trail that runs from Mexico to Canada through California, Oregon and Washington.

Thanks to everyone who organised and came on the hike, and for the yummy breakfast afterwards.

Today we head up the mountain to Snow Summit and to Butler Peak which will be fantastic and provide many more opporutnities for spectacular views.

Clare Bear in Big Bear

After meeting my new hosts Carol and Darrell Mulvihill and settling into their cosy moutain abode which sits 7,100ft above sea level, Carol took me for a quick visit to the Big Bear Discovery Centre. The centre is designed as an educational facility as well as a visitor and residential information portal to the San Bernardino National Forest. It opened in May of 1998 and is the result of a unique partnership between the US Forest Service and the non-profit San Bernardino National Forest Association.



Friday started with a surprise news bulletin on radio station KBHR 93.3 that welcomed the Australian GSE team to town and outlined our itinerary for the weekend. How special do we feel!!

After visiting the local bank (got to hold US$10,000 for just a minute), the library, hospital and city hall, the Mulvihills and their friends Ted and Paula Fashenpour took me out for dinner and sailing on Big Bear Lake. The scenery was absolutely breathtaking... and the air a little chilly... as the sun went down I applied another couple of layers of clothing.

We ended the night with a drink at the Mandalin Bar listening to the groovy sounds of The Catz in The Hatz, a jazz band which has actually managed to break into Australian radio airtime.

Earthquakes and Big Bear Arrival

We have felt our first earthquake at about 11pm on Wednesday night. It measured 3.6 on the scale. Clare thought Jill was playing a trick on her, I thought the bathroom door was connected to the bed and Jeffrey saw the lights move. So we survived!!!!

Thursday morning RickHarrick met us at the hotel and whilst the luggage only just fitted, Rickey who came to say hi decided to help us move up the mountain. The scenery was amazing as we climbed the mountain and its really picturesque.

Big Bear Lake is a town on about 6000 permanent residents which swells to about 100,000 on long weekends, summer weekends and snow season. It feels wierd to see slopes without snow. We went to Hacienda Grill for lunch and then spent time with host families etc.

We attended the Big BearClub meeting which has about 90 members and Anne Zimmerman (my host sister, she looks to young to be a host mum, even though she has five boys between 25 and 13), is the first female president.

It was a great night and Kit Davis, one of the US team that came to WA was also there. I even got to see a beautiful little 4 month dacchie named Ruby.

We are really looking forward to the weekend and going hiking and boating and spending time in this beautiful town.

Big Bear

Big Bear City and Big Bear Lake are two cities in the mountain region of San Bernardino County, California immediately east of Big Bear Lake. The population of both cities is around 25 000 but it can swell to over 100 000 during holiday season. The makeup of Big Bear is mostly residential. At 6000 feet above sea level, it is a popular holiday destination for residents of the inland empire, especially during the snow and ski season.

Big Bear Lake is a reservoir in the San Bernardino Mountains in San Bernardino County, California, USA. It has an east-west length of approximately 7 miles (11.2 km) and is approximately 2.5 miles (4 km) at its widest measurement though most the Lake's width averages a little more than 1 mile (1.6 km). It is a popular recreational lake. It is a completely snow-fed lake having no other means of tributary or mechanical replenishment.
Following a hearty breakfast at Grisly Manor Café, the team spent their first day in Big Bear visiting some local business and community services.

A tour of KBHR 93.3, the local radio station was our first stop. The team got an opportunity to listen to the local news which profiled the GSE’s vist to Big Bear. GSE Coordinator for Big Bear, Rick Herrick is the owner of the local radio station

Big Bear Lake Community Library was the next stop. The library is part of the San Bernardino County Library system and has a circulation of around 6000 items per month. The Library has 15 000 registered users.

Big Bear Valley Community Hospital is the local community hospital. The hospital is 30 beds with 21 nursing home beds and 9 acute care. The hospital is very seasonal with around 10 000 ED presentations per year. The majority, around 100 per day, are during the snow season. The team had a tour of the hospital and had lunch with the Director of Patient Services, Ines Tedford.

The final stop of the day was a tour of the Big Bear Lake City Council. This was very informative with overviews of the Councils role in building, engineering and other local services.

Tommorrow the team is going for a tour of the mountain regions and lake.

Viva Las Vegas

As part of GSE we are scheduled two rest days.. Not ones to waste the opportunity - the girls decided to head to Vegas (also giving Jeffery a little respite from all the girl talk!). We booked a flight (24 hour turn around) and headed off to the city that never sleeps. Vegas was all that we imagined and more. We stayed at the MGM Grand - a gorgeous hotel at the start of the strip (thanks Stu and Joe) . Our top 10 for Vegas...

(1) Walk the strip - the casino's and hotels are amazing. In the 5 km you could find yourself in Paris, Venice (Venetian), Rome (Caesars), Cairo (Luxor), New York and Monte Carlo

(2) Watch the Fountains of Bellagio

(3) Ride the roller coasters (we tested out New York New York, by far our favorite, and Speed).

(4) Try your luck on the pokies (we were so sure we would win the jackpot $24m)

(5) Learn a new game and play the tables (Clare and I happily won then lost all our money on craps).

(6) Check out the shops (Tiffanies, Chanel... it was all there)

(7) Visit a Vegas wedding chapel (don't worry, no one got married)

(8) See the Lion Habitat at MGM and White Siberian Tigers at the Mirage

(9) See a show (there are 3 Cirque du Soleil showing here every night!)

(10) Soak up the city at night (views, lights and clubs - although don't forget to bring your ID).

Pictures:
New York New York (Can you spot the roller coaster?)
Relaxing at the MGM Grand

Day 19

The team visted Garner Holt Productions in San Bernardino. Garner Holt make a wide rnage of Animatronics for Disneyland and other companies and theme parks around the world.

The team was given a tour by Company President Garner Holt.

The company's skilled designers and craft persons are recognized leaders in the design and fabrication of unique animatronic, theme and show elements.

For proprietary reasons we were unable to photograph but on the tour we got to see some of the characters destined for the new ride at Disneyland called Finding Nemo Undersea Voyage and also exhibits scheduled for the Monsters Inc ride. The company alos manufacturers Chuck E. Cheese which is a Pizza Place in the US.

The team have now finished in san Bernardino. Thanks to Shab El Awar for coordinating the GSE to the host families for their hsopitality. Thanks to all the Rotary Clubs in San Bernardino and Riverside for hosting the team.

The team are now having a 2 day R & R period.

Where is Suzanne?

For all that are watching the blog - please note my first entry (actually it is my second).. I have had numerous emails asking where is a blog entry from me..... so here it is.

In Riverside I am staying with Harry and Valerie. Yesterday was a rest and relax day (R&R) with our host families. For me, this was a Tropical/Fiesta Party with Harry and Valerie, as they celebrated their 25th wedding anniversary with friends and family. The day involved lots of food, margaritas, games (I am totally hopeless at both hoola hoops and limbo) and a renewing of their vows. It was a great day and a fun party. I also had the chance to get in an 18 hole golf game with Harry and Tyler (which was my first 18 holes ever!). Thank goodness it was 18 holes - because my score card for the first 9 holes was terrible!! I even managed to hit one par by the 2nd 9 holes.

I am going to have to back track a little to my previous host family activities... In Corona I had lots of fun with David and Cynthia. Mother's Day was a lovely day with their daughter and family - enjoying the beautiful back yard (my poppa would love this garden!). Cynthia and David also took me to my first Tapan restaurant. It was an amazing Japanese restaurant food show - with flying food, utensils, sounds and lighting. The food was pretty good too! We topped this off with cold rock icecream (with me spending ages just trying to decide what flavour I wanted)!

My very first family was Kim and John (and boys) in Temecula. I am going to have to start this with the tale about Yoghurt (sorry John - I promised to keep it a secret, but it is just too funny). When I was collected by John, after a little chat on the way home he told me that "Yoghurt" had gone missing... Who is yoghurt you ask? Yoghurt is one of the boy's pet corn snake. He had managed to get out of his aquarium and was loose in the house. With a little apprehension I asked the boys if they could search my room first (not once but twice), but luckily he was found having a nice rest on the dishwasher. It was great staying with Kim and John, enjoying a little insight into family life in the US.

Weekend in California

On Saturday, the team traveled to Los Angeles by train from San Bernardino. The day started with a walk down historic Olivera St.

I headed up with my host Ladd Seekens to have a look at the new Roman Catholic Cathedral, Our Lady of the Angels. The Cathedral is a beautiful piece of modern architecture. It was completed in 2002. It has some beautiful pieces of Spanish and modern art. The walls are lined with huge tapestries depicting Saints and people who contributed to the development of California.

The Cathedral has a Mausoleum in the lower floor. Cardinals and Bishops along with Cathedral Benefactors are interred here. Hollywood great, Gregory Peck is also interred in the Cathedral.

The team then traveled to Hollywood Boulevard and took in the sights such as the Kodak Theatre, Hollywood’s Walk of Fame and the Chinese Theatre.

On Sunday, I headed across to Irwindale where the Renaissance Pleasure Fair is held. This is a festival with profiles the Elizabethan/Renaissance era. It is a mixture of fun, theatrics and food and commercial vendors who pedal their wares.

Jousting, plays, sword fights and duels are undertaken by actors. Elizabeth the First holds court. There are also lots of other multicultural events that take place.

Primavera in the Gardens

Today we spent the day with our respective host families and I was lucky enough to attend the annual Primavera in the Gardens which is a fundraising event presented by the Friends of the University of California Riverside Botanical Gardens.

There was a great selection of wines from the area, including wineries we visited in Temecula such as Faulkner and Thornton. In addition delicious food was provided by good local restaurants.

As well as the fantastic food and wine (and beer) the gardens were very beautiful with more than 3,500 plant species from around the world.

See below a photo of my host Marion enjoying the fabulous food!

My time in Riverside

As I have been busy I am combining my last 4 days into 1 entry.

As we waved goodbye to Frank and Lilliana and Cindy last Thursday, we waved hello to our next host families. It is amazing how quickly you get to know the people that you are interacting with and how hard it is to then say goodbye.

So for us we would rather say adios as we know that we are going to see everyone again soon, whether its in Australia or back here is the US.

As a hint there are always plenty of beds in Perth!!!!

We met with 4 clubs at Cal Baptist College which was a lot of fun and was (we hope) well received again.

Following lunch we were off to our host families and for me I went with Tom Powell to see how Tango caravans were manufactured. They make 10 a day and the average length is 28ft. It was really interesting and fascinating to see how they develop.
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That evening we saw the beautiful mission inn, had drinks with Dom Betro who is seeking reelection at the local Council and then gatecrashed a dinner for the Arts Alliance AGM Dinner at the beautiful Art Museum. The dinner was on the roof which was an old badminton court.


One of their great fundraisers is to have artists decorate large oranges and then sell them off. This one sits in Tom's office.

On Friday I went to the Family Service Association where Dom Betro is CEO. It was a non profit organisation that serves in excess of 3000 meals to seniors every day and also runs child care centres. Its a great organisation and really fascinating. They have more than 500 volunteers and 450 staff.


Friday night was a hoot and a great idea. Blacktie Bowling, all dressed up and wearing bowling shoes to go ten pin bowling. It was a fundraiser for Olive Crest Homes. I have also decided that Tom makes the best Martini's ever.......

Saturday was a trip to LA and Hollywood as described by others. Going down on the train was really interesting and I learnt a whole group of new card games thanks to Suzanne and Tyler.

Saturday night was spent with Jill and her host parents as Tom and Camille attended a dinner.

Sunday, after a lazy breakfast and my attempt to walk Bennie and Cartucho, which was entertaining to say the least we headed off to Laguna Beach. It feels like it sits in a time warp of the 1950's and is very quaint, although the number of Porsches tells a different story



We had fish tacos for lunch at Wahoo's and then wandered along the beach and around the streets. Camille's daughter Emily, husband Yirka and friends dropped into say hi and then we had dinner at the Beach house. The steak was awesome.
I had to put this picture in for the contrast.....

The cottage was so cute and we fell into bed at an early hour (for us anyway!!!! or so it seems).

Monday was as reported by Suzanne although in the afternoon Camille and I went shopping at Victoria Gardens, an outdoor mall which was really lovely.. I also finally got to Williams and Sonoma and the Pottery Barn. Thank goodness we don't live here as I would be so poor. But I did buy some cushions to go on my new couches (you should be able to guess the colour!)

Tonight we are staying home and having salmon and vegetables, yippee.... Emily and her husband Yirka are also coming over.

Riverside PR

Downtown Riverside was my (Clare’s) first outing for Day 14 after settling down with my new host family Karen and Clint Bradford. Downtown is quite picturesque as the streets are lined with towering palm trees and magnificent old buildings. We stopped in at the Riverside Art Centre and Museum before heading to the Mission Inn for dinner where we ran into Larry Berenato, a communications specialist with the County of Riverside – perfect opportunity to talk shop!

Today (day 15) was vocational day and was jam-packed with local PR and marketing professionals willing to share their expertise with me. We started early with breakfast at Riverside Sunrise Rotary followed by a tour and coffee with Barbara Gallert, Customer Communications Coordinator at the Riverside Public Utilities and Austin Carter, Public Information Officer for the City of Riverside.


Barbara shared some of the marketing strategies and collateral used to communicate with their customers/stakeholders as well as a range of their environmental programs currently on the go.

Next stop was lunch with Sid Robinson, Assistant Vice President of Public Affairs with the California State University and Chris Perez who has his own PR consultancy. Sid and Chris talked about their current roles as well as projects they have worked on in the past – which include the LA County Fair and a uniform launch for the Anaheim Angels.

We visited the University of California Riverside after lunch and caught up with Kris Lovekin, Director of Media Relations and Todd Ransom, Senior Public Information Officer. Kris and Todd shared the role of their media relations unit as well as the marketing strategies used to attract potential students.

Last stop of the day – Coffee Depot… where Karen had kindly invited some more of her PR and marketing friends to join us. We had a great time swapping stories, exchanging ideas and chatting about everything from anti-smoking campaigns to pop culture. From all my PR encounters today (both structured and casual), it is interesting to note that PR and marketing in the US, particularly in the public sector, are very similar back home.

Day 14 & 15 – Vocational Days in Riverside and San Bernardino County

Ladd Seekins took Jeffrey on a tour of downtown Riverside. They had a look at the historic Mission Inn which was established in the 19th century whn Riverside was founded. It has major Spanish theme with Moorish architecture. It has the chapel of St Francis inside it. The building still operates as a hotel with a grand lobby.

Jeffrey Williams spent the afternoon with the Trauma Nurse Coordinator, Michael May and Clinical Nurse Educator Terri Reynolds at the Loma Linda Medical Centre in the City of Loma Linda.

With 900 beds are available for patient care, including at Loma Linda University Medical Center East Campus and Loma Linda University Behavioral Medicine Center. LLUMC operates some of the largest clinical programs in the United States in areas such as neonatal care and outpatient surgery and is recognized as the international leader in infant heart transplantation and proton treatments for cancer. Each year, the institution admits more than 33,000 inpatients and serves roughly half a million outpatients. As the only tertiary-care hospital in the area, LLUMC is the only level one regional trauma center for Inyo, Mono, Riverside, and San Bernardino counties.

The actual Loma Linda University Medical Center (LLUMC) and Children's Hospital (LLUCH) is a 797-bed tertiary care facility, and the only Level I trauma center serving an area roughly equal to 25 percent of the State of California. The emergency department evaluates more than 58,000 high acuity patients a year. Of the patients evaluated, forty percent are children.

Admissions by helicopter are very frequent with around 6 per day. The hospital has an 80 bed neonatal unit and therefore is s referral center. Most neonatal retrievals are done by helicopter.

The hospital is a base station for paramedics and provides Mobile Intensive Care Nurses to provide consultations, advice and direction for paramedics on patient destination. All the hospitals are linked up via a system called Readinet which provides details on the hospital status such as ED capacity and bed availability.

Thanks to Treva Webster for organizing the visit.

Arrowhead Regional Medical Center is a state-of-the-art 373-bed facility featuring the newest technology in the field of patient care. The Medical Center is the host to a 24-hour Emergency Department, Level II Trauma Center, three Family Health Centers and the only Burn Center serving San Bernardino, Riverside, Inyo and Mono counties.

The Emergency Department at Arrowhead Regional Medical Center sees approximately 111 000 patients in its 48 bed department. The ED has a three bay locked prison unit to serve County prison and the Sheriff. 1500 major traumas are seen through the hospital each year.

Jeffrey spent the morning with Emergency Preparedness Coordinator, Scott Smith. The Medical centre is reasonably new and as a result design of clinical areas is suited to the management of hazardous materials incidents. The ED has a large decontamination area. The Arrowhead Regional Medical Center maintains a large stock of disaster supplies for the county.

Jeffrey then met with the Associate Hospital Administrator, Judith McCurdy who gave an overview of the nursing related issues. Commonalities with the nursing issues in Australia exist. Arrowhead Regional Medical Center has undertaken some unique initiatives with the nursing shortages. With a vacancy rate of 10%, the hospital has looked at programs where they rehire student nurses as Certified Nursing Assistants with a view to attracting them to work once they graduate. They have also undertaken intensive training programs to try and address critical skills shortages in ICU, ED, Neonates, Labour & Delivery and the Operating Room

Thanks to Lynda Van Hoof from Marketing at Arrowhead Regional Medical Center who gave a tour of the hospital.

Riverside Library Visits

I have had a number of very interesting and useful library visits since arriving in Riverside.

Yesterday I visited Riverside Public Library and heard about a number of online initiatives. Riverside use Smart Access Manager (SAM) from Comprise Technologies which interfaces well with the Innovative Interfaces product, Millennium, for PC bookings. Patrons will soon be able to use SAM to view and pay Library fines. Other highlights included hearing about Librarian's Own Grove (Riverside Public Library blog) and What's in your space? (blog for teens) and some nifty newsletter software which is used to contact a large number of Library users via email.

The second visit yesterday was to the Digital Library / Learning Resource Centre at Riverside Community College which opened in 2003. There I heard about their digital streaming initiatives and capture of learning objects. The information commons was quite impressive with a total of 416 PCs available in the Library. Other highlights included a Star Board for use in information "competency" training and learning about TILT.

Today I visited University of California, Riverside and toured both the Science and Tomás Rivera libraries. I heard about the use of RSS feeds for Library news and events, laptop loans, the chat service Ask a Librarian Live and the use of blogs for subject guides. I also toured the Map and Special collections, including the Eaton Collection of Science Fiction and the Rupert Costo Library of the American Indian.

In the afternoon I heard about issues relating to mentoring, recruitment and performance development and management of professional librarian which was very interesting.

Thanks to all of the staff in the respective libraries for their time, as well as those who organised my visits and couriered me to the various destinations.

Day 14 and a big thank you to Corona

My first day of shopping........ Yah

Actually we started off with a great presentation and meeting with Corona and Norco Clubs. There was about 40 people there and it was lots of fun.

Following the meeting Jeffrey and Suzanne went and saw Kaiser Hospital and I went to the Corona Library as previously reported by Jill who also spent time there. It was great to share ideas with another Library system and how they do things.

From there we had lunch at Panera Bread with great soup and sandwiches. Cindy and Jay Murphy and Joy Dunn joined us for lunch.

The shopping was fun in the afternoon as we got designer clothes at great prices and also shoes (just ask Jill how many pairs she bought!)

We also got to speaker to the designer and visionary behind the Dos Lagos Community concept. Ali Sahabi showed us how he took an abandoned silica mine and has turned it into an upmarket shopping centre and also community. It is centered around a lake shaped like a butterfly with an amazing waterfall and architectural bridge.

The Mayor also provided us with a beautiful proclamation to make us honorary citizens of Corona.

Dinner was at Ra Sushi and was awesome. It was fantastic to have host families and rotarians there as well and the photo shows how much fun we had.

Tomorrow we are off to San Bernadino. So thanks Corona for showing us a great time and we hope to see you all down under soon.

Speed Demons

4 Days into Corona and I know that I am a speed demon as is only some of the team.

My host family have their own harley (Electroglide Ultraclassic) and I have been for a 80 mile ride on the back listening to Country and Western to Temecula and back. I now even have my own Harley t-shirt from Corona. A lot of people have Harley's here. A number of host families have bikes.

We also got to go Go-Kart racing at Pole Position on an internal track which was just awesome. Not that I am competitive at all.... The karts go up to 30 miles per hour. In fact some of the racing names were "Jaffa", Ace, "Speedy Spitzy", "Mac" and "Rebel Racer".

Day 13 - Corona City Council, Quality West Wing, Uncle Buds and Fender Guitars

The team started their day off with breakfast with the Mayor of Corona, Eugene Montanez and some of his fellow city councilors. A tour of the Cities infrastructure such as the council chambers and offices followed. The team then visited the Corona Police Station where they had a tour of the police facility.


Thank goodness we were Aussies or they might have kept us locked up longer.

We then travelled over to the City Councils Emergency Operations Centre where we met Fire Chief Mike Warren who gave us an overview of Emergency Management arrangements in Corona. Mike is pre-eminent in this are having headed up the California Fire Chiefs Association as well as sitting on Governor Swarzenegger's Emergency Management Committee for the State of California.

The team visited the Quality West Wing (which is a replica of the Oval Office). A very informative tour which outlined the US system of Government. The team got a surprise when they had their photo taken with a well known leader of the free world. When we get a chance we will scan the photo and post it on the blog.

We then toured Uncle Buds Car Museum which gave us a walk down the memory lane of the automobile in US history. Model T and Model A Fords along with Packards and Mustangs. A great bit of motoring history

Fender Guitar Factory followed. We were able to see how the famous Stradercaster guitar was made. Thanks to Vice President Steve Grom for his time and a real enthusiastic presentation. The team toured the main factory and also got to see where the custom made guitars for people like Eric Clapton get made. We then headed off to the fender Museum and Music school.

A great day.

Day 12 - Vocationals

Jeffrey & Suzanne spent the day with Linda Pearson, Jeff Tupper & May Walsh at the Corona Regional Medical Centre.

Linda and Jeff provided us with an overview of the US and California Health Care System and how Corona Regional Medical Centre (and its parent organisation, Universal Health Care) fits into the picture.

Key issues that were discussed (and where there is common US/Australia theme) included attracting nurses, allied health and doctors as well as marketing the hospital to the community to encourage people seek their health care locally.

Corona Regional Medical Centre is a two campus facility and is the only hospital in Corona City. The main campus which is 144 beds has a focus on acute care and obstetric services and the second campus which is located a few miles away is an 84 bed sub acute, rehab and mental health facility.

The hospital was built in 1965 and has undergone redevelopment. At present two new areas (a new 12 bed ICU and an additional 6 beds in ED) is waiting approval by the government before they can occupy.

May Walsh (who originally hailed from Sydney - and her claim to West Aussiedom is that her husband proposed to her in Kings Park) is the Administrative Director of Nursing. May outlined the nursing recruitment and retention issues. Key issues such as benefits, rates of pay, educational support all impact on nurse’s decisions about where they will work. Corona Regional is developing strategies to assist in recruiting and retaining nurses. Jona Aguirre, Director Nurse Education outlined the grad program and other programs such as return to work for RN's.

Some interesting clinical comparisons - length of stay in the Corona Regional Medical Centre averages around 4 days across all specialties. Post natal areas have LOS of around 48 hours for vaginal deliveries and 4 days for C-Sections. Laparoscopic surgery such as cholecystectomies and hernia repairs are done as day cases.

Corona Regional Medical Centre has a fantastic Service Philosophy which every staff member has to under take. It's called WOW and its been running for 2 years. Its aim is to improve there patient satisfaction

On Tuesday, the whole group had a formal tour of the hospital and then had lunch with Linda and Ken Rivers (CEO). Ken shared his philosophy which is based around courtesy, recognition and respect to ensure Corona Regional Medical Centre provides a high level of care to the community. It was a fantastic vocational day.

Vocation visit to Corona Public Library

Today was an individual vocational day and I visited the Corona Public Library.

Julie Fredericksen, Library Director (pictured with me below), organised a very interesting and insightful day.

The Library has some amazing murals that reflect different landscapes and areas of California.

They have some wonderful programs and services including an Adult and Family Literacy Program and a Computer Literacy Centre which provides a range of classes and one on one tutoring. Interestingly, they hold a "scrabble night" once a month to encourage the development of literacy. "Homework help" is offered to students by other student volunteers from 3-5 each day.

There is also a great Heritage Room which includes photographs, oral histories and a range of databases for researching family history. One particularly interesting initiative is the use of prints of ephemeral material (see below) relating to relevant Corona history that are displayed around the Library.

Teens@650 caters for grades 7 through 12 and has a number of resources for that age group. I was lucky enough to visit this area after school had ended to see it during a busy time. I also visited "Teen zone" which is a City initiative which enables children to visit an activity centre after school.

Corona Public Library also has a coffee shop and processes US passports.

I also found out about some interesting professional development programs for Library staff. These included Leadership Academy which is a program run by the City which includes topics such as effective leadership, conflict resolution, and team building which is similiar to a leadership program I am participating in at UWA.

I was also told about Web Junction which looks interesting from a professional development perspective.

Thanks to Julie and all of the Corona Public Library staff for taking the time to share their Library with me.

Day 11 - Happy Mother's Day

Today being Mother's Day was our first official day off from the schedule and I was lucky enough to celebrate this special day with my host family and three of their four kids and their four grandchildren.

I started the day with eggs benedict as Jim, my host dad, is a bit of a whizz in the kitchen (he's even publishing his own cookbook!). He also whipped up a couple of 'key lime pies' for dessert... this was absolute torture as I wasn't allowed to touch them until after dinner!

My host 'grandpa' is Jack and funnily enough he was born in Perth in 1919. His family had a farm in Kirrup but they moved to the States when he was two years old.

A big Happy Mother's Day to all our Mums back home in WA (we miss you all) and also to our Temeculan host 'Moms'.

Day 10 - See-ya Temecula and Hello Corona

Today started on a slightly somber note as we said 'see you later' to Temecula (goodbye is too final) and our host families who have all been absolutely wonderful since we arrived on Sunday. But a new adventure was beginning and we were all looking forward to Corona and meeting our new host families.

After meeting our host families at Tom's Farm and settlling into what will be our new homes for the next five nights, we met many Circle City and Corona Club Rotarians at a welcoming party hosted by Lilliana Castro. Big thanks to Lilliana as the Mexican food was just as spectacular as the view was breathtaking!



While we all can't wait to see what Corona has install for us, I'd like to mention a few highlights of our Temecula stay.

The Perris Sky Dive simulation was awesome fun (thanks to Steve and Vicki Wallace) and we all enjoyed the private tour of the Budweiser Clydesdale breeding farm (thanks Reagan Whiteman).

I know us girls really enjoyed the visit to the Temecula Fire Station and the State Fire and Sheriff's air units in Hemet, and the tour of Temecula's beautiful wine region was spectacular (thanks to Kim Kelliher). We all had a great time chatting to the students at McSweeny Junior High and San Diego was definitely a highlight with a private tour of the harbour (thanks Jon and Linda Atwell) and lunch at Hotel Del Coronado.

Everyone enjoyed their vocational days, however on a personal note I had great fun with Judy Zulfiqar of RKR Media at her office and also at two local radio stations and the local TV station KZSWTV.

In the afternoon I spent time with Melanie and Betty from the Community Education team at Eastern Municipal Water District, and it was interesting to note that they have similar water issues to us in WA.

They also have desalination plants here in California, however instead of seawater, they convert salty non-consumable groundwater into potable water which will help reduce future demand for imported water but more importantly, protects the higher quality groundwater nearby by keeping the brackish water from intruding.

I know I can speak for all team members when I say that we had a fantastic time with our host families. The warm welcome and generousity of our families, and in fact all Rotarians involved with our stay, has been overwhelming.

And last but certainly not least a BIG thank you to area coordinator Allan Orr. The organisation of the last six days has been brilliant and we really enjoyed spending time with both Allan and Patsy.

Day 9 – San Diego

The team traveled to San Diego today and spent two hour cruising the harbour on John and Linda Atwood’s boat. This was a fantastic way to see the harbour and experience some beautiful California weather.

The team then traveled up to Pt Loma where they viewed the Pacific Ocean. Australia is somewhere out there.

Lunch followed at the Hotel Del Coronado. This Victorian style hotel on Coronado Island is part of San Diego folklore. Several movies like Some Like it Hot” were filmed in the hotel and grounds. Following this the team traveled to the US-Mexico border to see the border crossing. The team then traveled home to Temecula to spend there last night in the region with there host families.

Tomorrow the team moves onto Corona. The first week of GSE is now over. What a week it has been!

Day 8 – Hemet & San Josinto

Today the team had a very informative day visiting a variety of services and organizations in the Hemet and San Josinto areas. Thanks to Reagan White (Hemet) who spent the day ferrying the team around.

The first port of call was to visit students at the McSweeny Junior High who are part of the PRYDE program. There was an opportunity for the team to introduce themselves and then to take some Q & A from the year 8 students who participated in the program. The students asked some really great questions about Australia and the team was able to dispel some myths as well.

The next stop was a visit to Larry Minor Racing where they make off rode buggies which can be raced in a sport called Sand Drag Racing. We were informed that buggies that compete in this sport can do 100 yards in approximately 3 seconds.

For lunch, the team traveled to a combined meeting of the Rotary Clubs of Hemet Sunrise, Hemet and San Josinto. The team did their club presentation and was treated to a rousing rendition of Waltzing Matilda from a combined choir of the members of the clubs.

Thanks to the Clubs for hosting a fantastic lunch meeting.

In the afternoon, the team traveled to Hemet Airport where they met with members of the California Department of Fire Air Unit. At this unit, they use fixed wing and rotary wing helicopters to support firefighting response in southern Californi

a. They use a variety of aircraft including the Grumman fixed wing water bomber and the Bell Heuy Helicopter. The team got a tour of the base and they met the firefighters and pilots. Whilst present at the base, the team saw two aircraft mobilize for a fire response to a fire burning on Catalina Island which is off the coast of California.

The team then headed over to the next hangar to meet with Sergeant Steven Bertling who heads up the Riverside County Sheriffs Air Wing. The team got a tour of the site and saw the base in action. The Unit uses Jet Rangers and AStar AS350 Helicopters. The unit has 5 helicopters in use.

The team then traveled to the Western Centre for Archeology and Paleontology where they had a tour of the facility. The Centre has fossils found in the Hemet region and the fossils date back to the ice age and includes Mammoths and Giant Sloths.

Day 7 Vocationals and Presentations

Today was our first day of vocationals and each person had a great time. In fact one of the comments was that if all the vocationals was as good as this, then they are going to be estatic.

Today I went with Jill and Suzanne to meet with Dr Billie Blair, CEO Leading and Learning Inc. She is a change management consultant and also and Org Psych. She was really interesting and we spoke about a number of different change issues and actions and options for various issues. We also got to have coffee at Starbucks. Yah for coffee....

After a beautiful lunch with Dave Johnson, Al and Patsy and Billie the three of us split up and went our separate ways, Jill to the Library, Suzanne to the hospital and myself to the City of Temecula. I met a fantastic bunch of people and was looked after really really well.

I spoke to the Community Services team about what they did which included waste management, culture, parks and recreation including the maintenance as well as libraries and also comm services. Herman Parker (an ex pro gridiron player) is the Director Community Services then took me to see the Childrens Museum, Community Theatre and then a range of the fantastic parks where they multi-use them. Predominantly baseball is overlaid with turf for soccer and gridion, a great use of resources..... It was nice to see that many of the issues were the same as what we have at home.

The evening was our first presentation with 7 clubs represented and about 180 people at dinner. It was an unbelieveable way to start. The crowd were magnificient and it meant that we changed what we were doing a bit. We included the real thing video and then we sang Waltzing Matilda at the end of the presentation. We got host families etc up the front to help us sing as well.

If all the presentations are as fun as that we are going to have a great time. Its going to be hard to keep us under time though, which might be a challenge.

They even served tim tams for dessert to make us feel at home......

A great night was had by all......

Day 6 - Syrah versus Shiraz

Day 5 started off with a tour of Calavo Avocado Processing Plant. They were a cooperative and have become a private growers company but with a very cold winter means that the fruit is smaller and there is less of it.

Its mostly an automated process now of grading and sizing with about 35 staff at the plant. The Avocados are kept at about 42F to stop the ripening process. The chillers were freezing.

Next it was off to Suz's favourite place so far, the fire station. Here in the USA firefighters are predominantly multiskilled and they respond to paramedic calls as well as fire. In fact emergency response calls are their highest number. We even had to have our photo taken with them as you can see. We did try to invite the Admin Captain and Battalion Chief to join us on the wine tour to no avail.

Jeffrey was very interested in the setup in comparison to what happens in Australia.

Then it was off to wine taste with Wes our driver courtesy of Kim and John Kelliher(Suzanne's host family) and owners of Grapeline Wine Tours. Grapeline offer a fantastic experience and service to anyone who visits the Temecula and soon to be Santa Barbara wine region. We went to 3 wineries Leonesse, Ponte and Faulkner.

Here in the USA Syrah is actually Shiraz, which I was pleased to find out, as I was missing my Shiraz.....

Lunch was divine and we were lucky to be joined by some fabulous Rotarians along the way. Steve and Julie Wallace and the fabulous Al came with us and Kim joined us for lunch.

The roses were spectcular at Ponte's, huge white standards in full bloom. Veronica at Leonesse was also excellent as she gave us a tour and we all learnt something. They now keep all their wines outside in stainless steel refrigerated tanks.

The people at Temecula have been so generous and kind and its been a real honour to spend time with some fantastic people. Last night was spent with host families doing a variety of activities.

Day 5 - A Skydiving Adventure (well almost)

The team met at coordinator Al's store - Napa Auto Parts and then had a brief tour of Temecula, followed by a visit to the Temecula Public Library.




The Library was only 2 years old and was impressive -with videoconferencing facilities and an automated RFID returns system which checked in and sorted the books by category into bins.

After some lunch it was time for the simulation skydive at Perris Valley Skydiving. We had some training and then it time for the real thing. It was much harder than we thought but our instructor was very patient with us and once we got the hang of it we managed to fly.



The skydiving was followed by a visit to the world famous Budweiser Clydesdales. The horses are used in TV commercials and parades at theme parks in the US. We were very lucky as the trucks that transport the horses were staying overnight at the farm.



What a great way to start the official GSE experience!!

A Jazzy Californian Welcome

After the great welcome at Allan and Patsy's, my first outing was with my hosts Tim and Julie. I was very fortunate to go to a fantastic jazz concert at Thornton winery.





The artists were Keiko Matsui and Steve Oliver and Tim and Julie have season tickets so we had a great view.

I was lucky enough to meet and have a photo with Steve Oliver after his set.

The winery was similiar to wineries in the south west of Western Australia so I felt very much at home.

What a great start to the tour!

Sunday Day 4 - Start of the Adventure

We all got up early today so we could go the mecca of all shopping places "TARGET". It has Mossimo and Champion really cheap and everyone had to get those last minute things.

Breakfast was at another American institution "denny's" and yet again we are surprised by the quantities and combinations that are there.

We then finalised the packing and got downstairs in time to meet our Temecula hosts.

Alan Orr and Dave Thomson from Temecula met us at 12 and they were just fantastic. A great way to start the exchange. Rickey also came and met us and lucky that we had 2 4 wheel drives for all the luggage, as what we had originally packed certainly didn't fit so well this time round.

We had a welcome function at Alan and Patsy's house and it was really lovely. Some of the coordinators from Redlands were there as was a number of Rotarians from the Temecula (pronounced tem ecc u la) club. Red Peryea, the team leader who recently came back from WA was also there to see us.


The team members all went home with their various host families and then Alan, Patsy and I went out for dinner for my first Mexican food in the USA. The food and company was superb and I can't wait for more of the same tomorrow. Although I am told that the Blue Coyote in Palm Springs and a great gallery of South Western art near there is worth a visit.

Wednesday is our first presentation and 180 people are expected to attend. We should have some fun with it though.....

Day 3 - Universal Studios

Another great day. caught up with Eric & Anne Broomfield. Eric was on the GSE from California to WA in March. Eric and Anne accompanied us on a day to Universal Studios.

We travelled by bus to Hollywood, where we spent 5 hours partaking of the rides and attractions. We went on the Jurassic park ride (and got a bit wet), saw the Waterworld show (and got wet - there's a them developing here), went on the Mummy's Revenge ride and Back to the Future Ride.

We also took in the Studio Tour which saw us tour the attractions such as the backlot where we saw the Plane Crash site from War of the Worlds, the Bates Motel and House from Psycho, Wisteria Lane, complete with cars in the driveway as well as the dock at Amityville where we got a surprise visit from a shark called "Bruce".

In the eveneing we had dinner at Disneyland Plaza with Eric and Anne. Tommorrow the fun ends and the GSE proper starts. Off to do some work.

Day 2 - Disneyland

What a day. Disneyland is fantastic. We spent the morning visiting California Disneyland which is the new theme park directly opposite the original site. It has all the newer rides like the big roller coast and all the new Hollywood stuff such as the Pixar and other Disney animations.

Our first place was California Soaring, which is like an IMAX adventure except you are strapped into this chairs that move and swing and you feel the breeze and the smells as you fly over California’s best places. It was amazing. A great start to the day. We went on the Grisly River raft and got quite wet, then visited A Bug's Life, followed by the Hollywood Backlot where we met Mr Incredible and saw Mike & Sully’s adventure at the Monsters Inc building.

We visited the Hollywood Tower hotel which is saw us plummet 13 floors into the Twilight Zone. Talk about a frightening theme ride. You cannot imagine the CGI technology that they have used to create some of these rides. Jeffrey took his first ride on a real Rollercoaster called California Screamin'. It was awesome.

We then headed off over the road to the original Disneyland. This was fantastic. So much to do. We started off by taking the Indiana Jones ride which was very scary. Lots of pretend snakes and spiders all around as well as very bumpy underground ride.

We then did the many other theme rides such as Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, the Haunted House, Star Wars, Space Mountain, Honey I shrunk the Audience, Matterhorn and the Pirates of the Caribbean,


The Team stayed until late and saw the Street Parade of all the Disney Characters and then saw the closing fireworks at 9.30 pm. This was fantastic. Just like the opening credits of the Wonderful World of Disney complete with Tinkerbelle being suspended above Fantasy Castle and waving her wand to start off the fireworks. Amazing stuff

Team arrives in California

The team had an early start, meeting at 4.30am at the Perth airport.


It was a relatively stress free flight, although one piece of luggage decided not to leave Sydney but thankfully it will be delivered tomorrow.


We arrived in LA at about 10am and after a brief wait on the tarmac we progressed through immigration etc. without any problems.

We made it to the hotel just after 12noon and have had a long walk around Anaheim and a swim in the hotel pool.

Tonight we dine in downtown Disney and tomorrow it's Disneyland and California Adventure all day.

GSE Farewell

We said goodbye at a farewell hosted by Hillarys Rotary Club with some 60 friends, family and Rotarians in attendance.

The team were presented with their Foundation badges by DG Ian Murray and also in attendance were DGN Eli Quatermaine and DGE Sue Rowell as well as AG Denise Murray and AG Kay Mason.

The team can be seen in their official uniforms with DG Ian and President Joan Varian.

It was great for the families to see us all in full flight and makes it all seem much more real.

2 sleeps to go before we depart at the very early hour of 5.45am with us meeting at the airport at 4.30am.......

7 sleeps to go

With only 7 sleeps to go, the final arrangements are all in place.

The GSE Farewell is being hosted by Hillarys Rotary Club on Monday 30 April. At that time the team will be issued with their Foundation pins by the DG.

It will also be the first time for family to see our uniforms etc in full flight and we will make our presentation for the last time before departure.

We leave at the very early time of 5.45am on Thursday so I expect that by the time we leave Sydney, snoozing will not be an issue.

I am very proud of the team, their commitment, effort and time they have contributed throughout the last 8 months. The team has visited Rotary Clubs, attended part of conference and other Rotary functions (including hearing the RIPE speak) to ensure that they are aware how Rotary operates, know about Rotary projects and are well prepared to be ambassadors not only for Rotary but also Australia.

I feel honoured to be leading such a fantastic team and know that they will do everyone proud as well as having a wonderful time taking advantage of every opportunity that presents.

Bring on the 7 sleeps......

Nedlands Lunch Presentation

The GSE team visited the Rotary Club of Nedlands for their weekly lunch meeting. This was the teams last official club visit before leaving

The team made their club presentation and Jeffrey Williams recieved the Club banners from acting President Rick Forlarno.

Its now only 13 days till the team leaves Perth for Los Angleles via Sydney. This time in a fortnight, the team will be winging their way accross the Pacific.

The next club visit will be on the 30th April at Hillarys for a farewell dinner for the team.

Western Endeavour Breakfast Presentation

On Tuesday 18th April, the GSE team presented a club meeting (breakfast) of the Western Endeavour Rotary Club. Western Endeavour sponsored my nomination for GSE, and is also the club of our Team Leader. We had the opportunity to practice our presentations for the USA, as well as hear more about the work of Western Endeavour.


One of the highlights of the breakfast was meeting a young boy from East Timor who is in Perth as part of the ROMAC program. ROMAC is a rotary program of the districts of Australia and New Zealand which aims to provide medical treatment for children from developing countries in the form of life saving and/or dignity restoring surgery.

Team Leader Rebecca
presenting to the club

Suzanne receiving the Western Endeavour

club banners from president, Alma Dender

Attending a range of club breakfasts have provided us with the opportunity to build a better understanding of rotary, and also develop many friendships to foster on our return.

Thank your to the Rotary Club of Western Endeavour for inviting us to your club meetings. To find out more about the club, please visit their website.

19 days to go!!!

Its 19 days till we depart and I don't think any of us can believe its coming round so fast. Its gone from being so far away to almost on our doorstep.

Its almost down to the brass tacks as they say as the final checklists are worked on and completed.

This week we will be delivering 2 presentations to the clubs that had team members selected and the printing of business cards, post cards, flyer and profiles will be completed.

All of the gifts have been purchased and the final preparations are underway.

Hillarys Rotary Club are hosting the final farewell function where the team will be farewelled and presented with their foundation pins on MOnday 30 April 2007. Family and friends are also expected to attend with the DG and DGN in attendance as well.

We fly out at sparrows at 5.45am on Thursday 3 May which will make it a long day. We plan to stay in Anaheim and spend some time together as a team before we get underway on what will be a wonderful exchange.

East Perth Breakfast Presentation

It’s only three weeks ‘til our departure and yesterday morning was the team’s second practice run of the presentation we will be making in Southern California.

Team with President Roger Acacio

A big thank you to the Rotary Club of East Perth for inviting us to present at their breakfast meeting, it was a great opportunity for the team to meet the club that sponsored my application and I can’t wait to tell them all about our trip when we return.

President Roger presents East Perth banners
for exchange in California

Visit to Matilda Bay

The team attended the breakfast meeting at the Rotary Club of Matilda Bay on the beautiful Swan River this morning.

It was the first time the team had a chance to practice the presentation they will make to Rotary clubs in District 5330. The presentation was very well received.

The team pictured with president, Bob Dunn:

The Rotary Club of Matilda Bay sponsored my application so it was great I could meet many of them before the trip. I look forward to telling them all about our travels when we return.

9450 District Conference

Jeffrey, Suzanne, Jill and Rebecca attended the District 9450 Conference at Hotel Rendezvous Observation City in Scarborough to see the GSE Team from 5330 present at the conference.

It was the first time the team had an opportunity to wear the uniform polo shirts which were very well received.

A brief meeting was held to finalise flight details and club presentation in preparation for our visit to Matilda Bay on Wednesday.

Team Presentation Practice

The team got together for its first full run practice of the presentation. We were lucky to have a former committee member and past State Public Speaking judge provide us with some feedback as to our presentation style.

We also tried to have some group shots taken that can be used on the postcards etc. We will select from all those taken so far and pick the best one.

The teams presentation will focus on themselves, their family and interests and their vocations.

Team Bonding

An important aspect of catching up with the inbound team is the ability for team members to swap information and ask the all important questions like, " what to expect from host families", shopping options, presentations and what are some of the places like that are in our itinerary.

The two teams went to a local hotel "The Subi" and had a quiet ale catching up and swapping information.

Bowling Blind

We thought we would be whipped by the State Blind Bowlers Association and we were but it was a lot of fun.

You can see Eric getting the good advice, monica having fun and some of the team doing their bit.

Together with the US Team

It has been a frenetic 4 days as the US team has been staying with my club Western Endeavour and the outbound team have has many opportunities to get involved over the last 4 days.

We have had morning tea with the Governor of Western Australia, lunch at Parliament house, a cocktail party with the US Consul Robyn McClellan, wining our way through the swan valley and bowling with the state blind bowlers team.

We also had a couple of hours for just the two teams to get together and chat about what to expect etc etc.

I had two of the team staying with me and it was great because Eric has a dachie back in the US as well......

Inbound team arrives in Australia

Team leader Red Peryea, and team members Monica Trousdale, Eric Broomfield, Gabriel Rodrigues, and Kit Davis arrived from District 5330 on Saturday 3rd March at 3pm.

A number of members from District 9450 were at the Perth airport to welcome the team, including Rebecca and I. It was great to meet the inbound team members.


Pictured above from left, Kit Davis, Jill Benn (outbound team member), Rebecca Moore (outbound team leader), Monica Trousdale, Gabriel Rodrigues, Red Peryea (team leader) and Eric Broomfield.

The two teams will have a number of opportunities to catch up and talk about life and work in their respective districts.

Trip to Dunsborough

The team spent a relaxing, yet productive weekend in Dunsborough, approximately 260kms south of Perth.
Much of the work on the conference and club presentations, as well as the finalising many trip details was achieved.

On the way back to Perth, the team stopped in Busselton Jetty and had their photo taken. Busselton Jetty is the longest wooden jetty (pier) in the southern hemisphere, stretching almost 2 km out to sea from the town of Busselton, Western Australia.

Team Featured in District 5330 Newsletter

It all seems very real now that we have been featured in the February District 533o Newsletter!
We're all looking forward to our weekend away together in beautiful Dunsborough.

The weather forecast looks perfect...

More about the weekend when we return...

Upcoming Activities

Its 30 days till the US team arrives and it is going so fast.....

Whilst the US team is here there will be interaction between ourselves and the US team on a number of occasions including:

• Afternoon tea with City of Perth
• Morning Tea with the Governor
• A function with the US Consul
• Lawn Bowls with the Rotary Clubs of Western Endeavour and East Perth
• Afternoon activity with just the 2 teams
• Conference dinner
• Farewell BBQ

We look forward to meeting with them and finding out more about the US before we arrive.

The team still plans on going over early to see Disneyland and LA and make sure we are rearing to go for the 6th May. So its only 91 days till we depart.

Team Meeting - 29/01/07

On Monday 29th January, the team met for coffeee at Cino's for our second meeting for 2006, followed by dinner at Han's cafe in Subiaco.

Preparations are well underway with gifts almost finalised and team business cards and postcards being designed. Team memebers have started research in order to become experts in everything West Australian.

Everyone is looking forward to our trip down south to Dunsborough on the weekend of the 9-11th February. We will be busy preparing our presentation, as well as spending time getting to know each other better.

The next meeting (after the weekend down south) is on Sunday 25th February at 9am.

Team Meeting

The team got together on Sunday 14th September for breakfast and our first meeting of the new Year. With only 109 days till we depart there is a need to move things on.

The team is already very cohesive and want to ensure that the image portrayed is one of professionalism. All of the ideas are great and everyone is pulling their weight, which makes it very easy for a team leader.....

Uniforms have been decided with a meeting to decide on the blazers design to be held on Monday 29th Jan.

Gifts are being ordered and will be a great mix of Western Australian made products.

The team looked at last years presentation and came up with some ideas for how ours might look. On the weekend away in February we will be starting the development etc of the presentation.

March and april are going to be very busy with work, the US team and also our presentations to clubs prior to departure.

Next meeting is to be Monday 29th.

Gift Shopping

Suzanne and I (taking my mum along for the ride and my dog) went and invesitgated Kalamunda markets for their potential for good quality handmade gifts to take to the US with us.

The range of stalls was great and well worth a visit. I can see an outing in early February for more investigations to take place.

Seeing the types of things really brought home the need for a database kept by the District committee on the types of gifts with suppliers and which countries they were taken to and what the response was.

So part of what we do will be to do up templates and hints for organising the outbound side of the tour and who can be the suppliers etc.

Uniform Shopping & Upcoming meetings - January-February 2007

The team had an initial look at uniforms on Saturday, 25 November 2006. The team has decided to go for a modern look that will consist of a formal / business uniform as well as a more casual one. Dresses will be made for the girls.

Upcoming meetings for January and February include:
14 January 2007 - Meeting at Bec's house
28 January 2007 - tbc
9-11 February 2007 - Weekend away for bonding at Dunsborough
28 February 2007 - Location tba

Club Presentations

As part of our development and planning the team will visit each of the sponsoring clubs to present our presentation prior to departure.

The presentations will be approximately 20mins in total and feature information about each of the participants, their home and worklife as well as broad info about WA.

These will occur on:

4 April – Matilda Bay presentation (7am)
11 April – East Perth presentation (7am)
17 April – Western Endeavour presentation (7am)
19 April – Nedlands presentation (12 noon)

We plan on developing fact sheets and have books and information with us to showcase more of Western Australia and its uniqueness.

Involvement with USA Team

Our team will have a number of opportunities to spend time with the USA team whilst they are here in March. These include:


Thursday 15 March - Evening function with the US Consul and USA Team
Friday 16 March - Morning team with the Western Australian Governor and USA Team
Sunday 18 March - Both teams will spend time together in the morning and over lunch.


Other opportunities include farewell BBQ, conference and as time permits.

Dr Ken Collins' Address

The GSE Team attended the 9th Annual Dr Ken Collins’ Address on Monday, 27th November 2006 at Burswood-on-Swan. Rotary International President Elect (RIPE) Wilf Wilkinson was the keynote speaker and the Team had a special opportunity to meet with Wilf and his wife Joan (pictured above from left, Suzanne Spitz, Rebecca Moore, Joan and Wilf Wilkinson, Jill Benn, Clare McMurtrie, Jeffrey Williams).

About Us

Rotary District 9450 (Western Australia) will conduct a Group Study Exchange (GSE) with Rotary District 5330 (Southern California) from 5th May - 9th June 2007.

The team from Rotary District 9450 will consist of one team leader and four team members:

Rebecca Moore (Team Leader)

Rebecca is an Assistant Governor in Rotary and past president of Western Endeavour Rotary Club. She has been a member for 5 years, on GSE District Committee for 4 years and was a Rotary Youth Exchange Student to the USA in 1989. She works in local government managing community services and libraries with a staff of 130+ and a budget of $7 million. Rebecca is looking forward to being team leader but also to see how various organisations develop and deliver organisational development programs and performance management systems at the organisational level as well as at the staff management level.

Jill Benn

Jill is the Humanities and Social Sciences Librarian at the University of Western Australia managing library services and staff for the Faculty of Arts. Jill holds a Bachelor of Communications (Media Studies - Honours) and a Graduate Diploma in Library and Information Studies.

Jill is looking forward to experiencing life and work in Southern California. She is particularly interested in how libraries in the United States are utilising new Web 2.0 technologies and managing staff development and performance.

Clare McMurtrie

Clare is the acting Marketing Manager for the Department of Environment and Conservation. Her work involves the development and implementation of integrated marketing and communication strategies, advertisement coordination, event management and sponsorship management. She is also a volunteer wish-granter with the Starlight Children’s Foundation. Clare can’t wait to find out what Southern California has install for her but is particularly interested in marketing and advertising campaigns for community education and safety as well as volunteer wish-granting programs.

Suzanne Spitz

Suzanne is a Senior Project Officer with the WA Country Health Service (WACHS), one of the largest (geographically) health services in the world. Her work portfolio includes the implementation of workforce and clinical initiatives for allied health and nursing professionals in rural and remote Western Australia. Suzanne holds a Bachelor of Speech & Hearing and is currently completing a Masters of Leadership and Management. The GSE exchange will provide Suzanne the opportunity to investigate strategies utilised in the USA to address the global health workforce shortage. Suzanne is particularly looking forward to experiencing life in the States and seeking the fantastic sites of Southern California.

Jeffrey Williams

Jeffrey is a Nursing Coordinator/Assistant Director of Nursing in a 510 bed, not for profit Catholic private hospital. He is responsible for the management of a 300 staff pool of casual nurses and patient care assistants, management of the after hours services at the hospital which includes bed management and staffing, site emergency management as well as a member of the hospital nursing executive. Whilst in the US Jeff would like to better understand the issues around nursing recruitment, retention, magnet hospitals, hospital emergency preparedness issues in similar for profit and not for profit healthcare institutions in the US.