Meeting the Mayor

Another transfer day – this time to the city of Bendigo, about an hour and a half south of Echuca-Moama. Hopefully by this point you can visualize what these transfer days are like – usually a couple of large four-wheel drive vehicles jammed to the roof with suitcases, duffle bags and carry-on bags for five people.

 

Our transfer actually took place in the tiny town of Elmore, about half way between the two cities. We had a late breakfast/early lunch with a couple of our newest Rotary friends, Collin, Ian and Rosalie.

 

We were on a bit of a tight schedule as we discovered we had a reception with the Mayor of Bendigo. So we all cleaned up with our nicest Rotary digs and met up downtown with some more Rotarians and some of Bendigo’s council members. The Mayor was a gracious host and was quite generous with his time.

 

The majority of our host families were there to pick us up after the reception, so we were carted off to our new homes. As usual, we have great families and terrific accommodations. However, Jen has the most interesting arrangement of the trip, as she is staying on a 400-acre farm, complete with wild kangaroos and wallabies roaming the land.

 

The Bendigo Rotary Club is hosting their annual art show over the Easter Weekend, so we had the opportunity to head down to Town Hall and catch the opening night. The showing was quite impressive and must have included a few hundred pieces of art. We of course enjoyed some free appetizers and wine during the opening and headed home for the night.