—3— By Marge Terdal, Past President My husband, Leif Terdal, and I traveled with 14 other members of the Columbia Cascade Friendship Force to stay with Australian host families in late August. Friendship Force International is a worldwide people-to-people organization that promotes international good will through meeting and living with people from other places and cultural groups. Leif and I had previously hosted “ambassadors” (the name given to those participating in exchanges) from New Zealand, Brazil, and Australia, but this was our first outward-bound exchange. We began with a 14-hour flight from Los Angeles to Sydney, and then traveled on to Canberra, the capital of Australia. In Canberra our homestay was with a man who is a wildlife veterinarian with the federal government, and his wife, who is program manager for the Old Parliament House Museum. Our second week was in Perth on the west coast of Australia, where we stayed with a woman who keeps busy with many volunteer activities, including tutoring ESL students. On our first day in Canberra we enjoyed lunch at the Botanical Gardens and a scenic view of the entire area from a tower on Black Mountain. The second day included a guided tour of a museum focusing on the founding of Canberra, a planned city; a picnic lunch in the rain (welcome in drought-ridden Australia), and a boat tour on the lakes around which Canberra was built. Other days included tours of the Australian Museum, the Parliament House, the War Museum, and the Canberra Deep Communications Center. We even had a guided tour of the gardens around the U.S. Embassy. Our host made sure we spotted kangaroos and birds close in to the city. There were several potluck dinners at various members’ homes and a High Tea before we flew on to Perth, our second exchange. On our first day we had a chance to ring bells in the Swan Bells Tower by the riverfront, visit the Perth Mint, and have tea with the very gracious mayor of Perth. On our second day a new member of the Perth club, who owned a private charter bus service, contributed his bus and time to give us a several-hour tour of Perth and its surrounding areas. The next day we took a ferry down river to Fremantle, located on the Indian Ocean. Another day our hostess drove us north of the city to the “bush” for a barbecue at another member’s home. Our final day was a visit to a Wildlife Park, where we enjoyed feeding kangaroos, petting a wombat, and gently touching a koala. Again there were dinners at other members’ homes, with an opportunity to discuss world concerns. Leif was particularly interested in talking about the treatment of Aborigines. Visiting ambassadors on Friendship Force exchanges always take their hosts out to dinner one evening, as a small way to repay the great hospitality. Many of us stayed on in Australia for a third week. Leif and I flew to Ayers Rock in the center of the country, and then closed out the Australian trip by visiting the ambassadors from Sunshine Coast, north of Brisbane, whom we had hosted last year at this same time. If you are interested in joining Friendship Force and/or participating in our next outgoing exchange to Bangkok, Thailand, in January, please talk with me or check the Web site thefriendshipforce.org. Making friends in Australia, from Canberra to Perth to Brisbane The Terdals (center back) and friends in front of the U.S. Embassy in Canberra.
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