Kiitokset matkassa mukana olleille/Thanks

Group came back one month ago and spread to dfferent places. Heli moved and started a new job. Elina moved to her new house. And I suppose Martti, me and Katja just continued our "normal" life. A lot of work was waiting for us and it was nice to see our family again.

We (Katja, me and Martti) have seen the Australian group and it was nice to hear that they have felt warmly wellcomed.Like we felt.We will remember Australia and its people as a wonderfull country full of warm, friendly and wonderfull people. Thank you so much for you hospitality. I hope we see you again someday

Volcano eruption in Island

GSE-team from Finland D1400 to D9600 (Australia & Solomon Islands) returned safely home April 6th.
The Australian team to Finland has not been that lucky. They had to return back From HongKong, because of the volcanic ashes from Island, causing all air traffic in Europe to stop.
Some of them have managed to get on a truck, and are on their way to Ivalo (see Picture). I'd advice them to get more clothes on, before coming to cooler latitudes.


2nd picture shows the two happy team leaders (Angela and Martti) in Maleny Lookout, at that time unaware of the future natural disaster.

Pääsiäinen (Easter), the last day of our tour in Australia

Pääsiäiseen kuuluvaa Kristuksen kärsimyshistoriaa ja Vapahtajamme ylösnousemuksen ilosanomaa julistettiin myös Brisbanen room. kat. katedraalissa arkkipiispan johdolla. Temppeli oli ääriään myöten täynnä nuoria ja vanhoja, lapsiperheitä ja ulkomaalaisiakin. Viereeni sattui kaksi eteläkorealaista soreaa tyttölasta, jotka kertoivat olevansa tulossa lähiaikoina Suomeen kieltä oppimaan. Melkoinen yhteensattuma, vai mitä?



Viimeisenä vierailupäivänä päästiin katselemaan Brisbanea ilmasta käsin. 6-paikkaisessa 2-moottorisessa lentokoneessa oli kapteenin lisäksi 5 naista, tiimimme lisäksi Aspleyn RK:n contact person ja AG Tracey. Huonommalla 1-moottorisella C 182:lla oli sitten kyydissä vanhan kipparin lisäksi Traceyn boyfriend Paul ja allekirjoittanut. Kuvasta päätellen tyttärillä on ollut hyvä reissu.

Huomen aamulla lähdetään sitten lopultakin lentokentälle kotimatkaa varten. Tiistai-iltana puoli kymmenen maissa ollaan Oulussa, jos kaikki menee kohdilleen suunnitellusti.

Last day in Brisbane. Easter Mess in Cathedral first, together with Michael Daubney, my host. In the afternoon a memorable flying from Redcliffe via Bribie Island and Moreton Island through Brisbane center made girls smile with delight, as you cas see.
Thank you, Tracey and Paul, and others, for your generous help and patience through the time we enjoyed Aspley club's hospitality. Thanks Barbi and Michael for your warm friendliness. And wellcome to Finland to enjoy Aurora Borealis next January!
Farewell, Australia !!
Farewell, Rotary District D9600 !
Farewell Friends !

Toowong and Aspley

Viimeiset kaksi klubia ja niiden kokouksissa esiintymiset ovat nyt takana, kotiinlähtöön lasketaan jo tunteja. Isäntäperheeni Miachael Daubney'n kanssa kävimme room.kat. pitkänperjantain (aus; Good Friday) kirkossa. Illalla oli sitten Aspleyn RK:n kokous, jossa mm. DG Walter'ille annoimme Raahen RK:n viirin (Virpiltä) ja saimme kovasti terveisiä vietäväksi Honkalan perheeseen. Aivan mahdottomasti meitä kehuttiin. Meidän puputytöt jakoivat lopuksi pääsiäis-suklaamunia ja lauloivat kauniisti sinisiä punaisia ruusunkukkia. Ja taas kehuttiin tyttöjä, aiheesta.
Tänään lauantaina meni viihteen puolelle, matkasimme Tracey'n ja Paul'in viemänä Kultarannikolle (Gold Coast) jossa ensin pilvenpiirtäjästä ihailtiin ja kuvattiin rannikkoa, käytiin Tyynessä valtameressä uimassa (ei ollut tyyni) ja lopun aikaa vietimme huvipuistossa kuka vesileikeissä räpien (H+Me) kuka härveleissä (vuoristorata, koskenlasku, hirveä pudotus tornista jne.) hermojen kestävyyttä koetellen. Ansaittu lepopäivä viisiviikkoisen aherruksen lopulla.
Kuvassa Elina ja Katja iloisina 116 m korkean tornin huipulta pudotuksen jälkeen, hengissä selvittiin! Etenkin Elina ylitti itsensä. Olen hänen urheudestaan hyvin ylpeä. Hurraaa!!
Terveiset koko tiimiltä sinne koto-Suomeen. Tiistaina palataan!

more birds...

Loput linnut joudutte katselemaan lintukirjoista, tässä vain näytteitä otoksista ja otuksista.
Most of the birds were unknown to us. Only crows seemed familiar. Their beautiful song woke me up every morning. Crows back home are bigger and do not come to my window.

District Conference D9600

Avajaisissa M+K+E+H muiden muassa loistivat lipunkantajina.

In addition to Rotary exchange students our team members from D1400 Finland were proudly carrying flags of different countries. Heli got the honour to present ours.

Kiitos ja terveiset Suomeen

Heissan ystavat ja tuttavat. Lyhkaisesti viela isot kiitoksey blogin seuraajille! Kommentit on kivoja! Vaikka aika meneekin vauhdilla, niin on sita toki jo kotiinkin ehditty kaipaamaan. Toivottavasti siella nautitaan kevatauringosta! Alkureissun ajan meille aina pahoiteltiin saata -tuntui, etta myrskyt ja sateet oli ottanut meidat kaveriksi. Mutta nyt on nahty aurinkoakin siina maarin, etta aurinkorasva on tarpeen. Queensland on 'the Sunshine state', mutta ihmiset kutsuvat tata 25 asteen lampoa syksyksi. Matkalla olemme myos oppineet, etta ihosyopa on taalla varsinainen kansantauti- turhaan ei siis aurinkosuojista puhuta meillakaan.
No worries -terveiset!

Blue-faced Honeyeater

Murgon Blue-faced is more beautiful than Chaloundra Black-Wigged, don't you agree?

Lovely Lisa from Honiara S I

We were extremely pleased to meet Lisa and Cameron (Waterson) again.
Great thanks, once more!

District Conference Dinner

Conference Dinner: Back-to 60'ies. The monster Hippi (=DG Walter) was the first we met at the lobby. I lost again my Angels to that terrible man.
(Later, he asked me to remove the picture, which I did not. Revenge!)










Then came this black-wigged Honey-eater (=Will the Conqueror) and took away Mervi.














I then tried the same. I think now I have better success without the black wig.
Do'nt you?

So far so good

Greetings from Toowong, Brisbane area. After last week in the hinterland: Gympie and Murgon, we spent the weekend in Caloundra, in the District Conference. It was great to see and catch up with the people we have met on the way. Moreover, we succeeded in giving our presentation that ended up with a Finnish folk song as a thank for all of the ones that have contributed to our trip so far. And during the song Heli, Elina and Martti went into the audience and handed out flowers - so for those that were not there, please find our thank you flower below.



Weeks and days fly past (we normally need a programme to check what day is it and where are we :)). Below you see some photos on the way. We have been to Rainbow beach, Noosa, Murgon, Gympie, Sherbourg, Caloundra and many other places. Our suitcases start to be super heavy, not only with the stuff we have bought, but with all the new experiences gained. From tomorrow on, we have a very interesting week in Brisbane ahead of us. Full programme, with some Koala hugging (Lone Pine Sanctuary) and very interesting career days for all of us. Personally I am really looking forward to visiting the University of Queensland and Queensland University of Technology, whereas the others have Coal mines, Westpac Bank, Chamber of Commerce etc. in the programme just to name a few. With sunshine greetings.

Australia tastes like...

...macademia nuts (honey roasted or chocolate covered), ginger, kangaroo meat, good barbeque, excellent wine, cappucino, fresh fruit, Maleny Dairy's choc milk, mud crab, anzac buiscuits...and last but not least, the national food: Vegemite (with a polite yak...)

A pair of Rainbow Lorikeets

Murgon birds

Tipusia, on niitä!

Crocodile Dundee from Finland eikun Martti Suomesta

Happy Birthday to Martti. He just turned 25 years and looking good. Enkelit (Martti's Angels) toivottavat Hyvaa Syntymapaivaa.

Siirryimme taas uuteen paikkaan ja lahemmaksi todellista Australiaa suoraan maaseudulle Murgoniin. Huomenna mennaan sikatilalta viininmaisteluun ja taitaa olla Katjan iloksi snakehandling myos ohjelmassa. Heli ja ehka myos mina olemme lupautuneet kokeilemaan milta kaarmeennahka tuntuu.

Thank You Gympie for your hospitality and nice evening with two Rotary Clubs. We had our biggest show so far. Remember the greeting Paivaa. Robin can teach you :)

Mervi & Eucalyptus

She knows everything worth knowing of Eucalypt.
Here she's trying to prevent the tree from falling upon her.
Smiling, that's easy when you are of steel!
To Murgon next.

Hello from Gympie!

Hei, jalleen uusi paikka ja uudet ihmiset, voisi sanoa, etta tama on juuri sita elamisen rikkautta!
Eilen saimme nauttia vauhdista ja vaarallisista tilanteista, kun kurvasimme 4WD autoilla pitkin Rainbow beachia. Wau, mitka maisemat!

Tanaan meilla kaikilla on vocational-paiva, enempi tai vahempi. Mina olen hetken kuluttua menossa ANZ pankkiin ottamaan selvaa heidan markkinointistrategiasta, ja toivon, etta jotakin oppia jaisi myos kotiinviemisiksi! :)

We all have enjoyed our trip so far! Thank you all!

Martti's roommate

Finally this beauty to share my bed. All eyes, great legs, but oh so hairy!
;-)


(to see the details, tap the picture)
Klikkaa kuvaa, jos uskallat!

Rotary Club Meeting at Maleny

I wish the Rotary club meetings were as great fun in Finland as they are here in Australia: kaikilla hauskaa ja tunnelma katossa! In English: all having great time!






Bannereiden vaihtosuhde jälleen hyvä; kolme annettiin ja viisi saatiin.

Maleny 17.03.2010

A busy day in Maleny. Another presentation in the club meeting of Maleny tonight. Perhaps for the first time we will have the opportunity to sing our own national hymn, "Maamme-laulu", instead of Australia's, which we have completely not learned yet.

Honiara Hospital, dr. Tenet, and Lunga nurse out there

(fig. Heli, Mervi and Tenet)
According to dr. Tenet the most serious diseases taking the patients to Honiara Referral Hospital were Malaria, Diabetes, pneumonia, jus to mention a few. I had the exciting experience and unique opportunity to visit a remote health station of Lunga (suom ääntämisasu lungka)in rainforest area higher up.
The sister there (in picture with her 2 kids) takes care of 5000 villagers scattered in the jungle, all alone! Isn't it unbelievable, in such a small hut.

From Moololaba to Maleny

Time to move on. After some rainy days in Mooloolaba (suom. aantaminen jotensakin: muluulabaa) among just splendid Rotary people, including my host family Bill and Noela Dethlefs, and after hilarious Club meeting including our presentation we were taken to Maleny, away from coast to higher ground (500 m a.s.l) inland, with a magnificent view over the valley all the way to Brisbane and the Pacific Ocean. Intensive programme ahead of us tomorrow, with great expectations in a new environment.
A glimpse of what we have seen comes from Bribie Island in the form of a colourful parrot, with whom I had a chat at John & Daniela Oxenford's doorstep. You will hear more of us later!