Our first week in District 6400 is spent with our Commonwealth ‘cousins’, the clubs in Canada.  They have a full week planned for us and we are looking forward to seeing this part of North America. They have a full agenda arranged for us – more of that later.

Most of the team are wandering the corridors at 4:00 am (bodies take a little time to adjust and that’s our excuse!) but we’ll update the posts late this afternoon!

The team gathered to gether at Townsville airport at 5:00 am on Wednesday 6 April; a quick farewell to families, the rush to get a mountain of gear onto the plane and then the adventure had began,

Tyler used her quick wit to change her seat to a window (so she could lean against it and promptly go to sleep).  A short 105 minutes later we emerged in Brisbane and a quick transit bus journey saw the team at the Brisbane nternational Terminal.  Through the generosity of QANTAS, Qantas Club privileges were granted to the departing team and so the next two and half hours were a combined breakfasting and duty free shopping tag event (John remained the watchdog and kept the bags and chairs safe…).  Boxes of TimTams were the favourite purchase.

With the load onto the old model 747 to Los Angeles, it became apparent that some were more favoured than others.  All members of the team had spare seats beside them with the exception of John and Shirley who shared their three seat area with a body builder from Manchester who works in Australia and goes to LA three to four times a year for social reasons!!! (Just way too much information …).  No one got too much sleep; Bruce tried to conduct a wine tasting and drinking activity on all the varieites of red wine carried on the flight; Shirley enjoyed a few white rums; the rest of us were paragons of virture.

It is interesting to see the pervading security as you enter the US.  Given their country has been attacked, their loss of life and the continued threat, it is understandable there is a desire to feel protected.  This seems to be the factors behind an entry system that is stretched to the limit.  We were off the plane in line by 7:30 am and only to the immigration counters some 90 minutes later.  Each person is required to be finger scanned (all digits on both hands) and also photographed after a computer search.  It is  not a quick process.  Everyone is very courteous.  Passed through Customs even though Narelle declared her TimTams to be greeted by the response from the officer, “Yeah and I suppose you have Vegemite as well.”  No one interested in our wooden artifacts…”You can’t eat wood so we’re not interested in that” as one screening officer told Bruce and John.

A short wait for the shuttle bus and we were at the hotel.

Some quick impressions:

• Shopping centres/malls not busy; crowds just are not there.
• Everyone we have meet has been courteous and start the conversation with “And you are from where…”

Tonight due to the fact that we will have close to 32 hours without sleep, is an individual catch-up with no activities planned.  Some will call upon room service others use the very nice kitchens in our rooms.  Tomorrow – well it is off to see the town of LA followed by a team meeting to finalise the presentations and discuss workshops.