Sydney Harbour Bridge Climb

2004 Youth of the Year National Finalists group on their Sydney Harbour Bridgeclimb.

District N5, have donated the cost of the Bridgeclimb to the State Winners for the past several years

Incidentaly it costs $160 per person mid week and dearer on evenings and weekends, a total of $960 which is a very generous gesture from N5.

YOUTH OF THE YEAR STATE WINNERS NATIONAL TOUR IN WA

The annual Youth of the Year National Tour, WA leg has once again come and gone. These great young people are with us for such a short time each year and although the organisation of their trip takes a lot of time and planning the end results are worth the effort.

This years National and State winners were an exceptional group of young people and I was really priviledged to spend this time with them. This year we had five boys and one girl on the tour .Our girl, Daisy Correa, from South Australia was absolutely delightful and well able to handle the five lads.

Our own Robert Marshall and his national co winner Steve Mylonis of Queensland got to know one another a lot better, in preparation for their trip to the International Youth Conference later in the year. Joshua Casan of Victoria kept us all laughing and Matthew Doyle of Tasmania and James Tyson, from New South Wales were full of fun too.

The pace of the tour was hectic as we worked hard to fit in as much as possible. From the airport, on day one, we went straight to the National Australia Bank to have morning tea with our National Sponsor.  We also took the time to present Norrelle Jurrs with a certificate of appreciation, to thank her for all of her hard work for the quest over the last three years. We enjoyed a picnic lunch in Kings Park before leaving on a cruise to Fremantle. Captain Cook Cruises sponsored the trip and we were well looked after by the crew. They gave us copies of the photos they took on the boat and a book about the river for the YOTY’s to look at. Our first port of call in Fremantle was the Maritime Museum before exploring the shops and buying a few mementos. We had dinner at the Oyster Bar Cafe on Port Beach and watched the sun go down over the sea, something the ‘easterner’s’ don’t get to see.    (We were all ready for bed after that.)

Day two took us to Mandurah, to the wonderful home of Lion John Walker and his wife Kay. We were the guests of the Mandurah Leos and the Mandurah Lions Club and I must thank Lion Peter Lamb and the Leos for organising such a great day.  We spent the morning cruising on the waterways on Jon Walker’s boat and a great time was had by all.

Late in the afternoon we travelled across country to Pingelly and the home of State and National winner Robert Marshall. Les and Cindy Marshall had prepared a wonderful time for us at the farm and the YOTY’s were billeted in the shearers shed along with the odd bat or two who came to see what all the noise was about

Following a night spotlight tour through the local reserve to see some of the local native fauna everybody was ready for a big sleep The next morning , after a real farm breakfast, we did all the farm things, feeding live stock, catching Marron and checking the water. Les and Cindy also took us to look at some old historical buildings on their property. After a late lunch and an energetic game of water polo in the pool we headed back to Perth for a free night with host families.

Next day it was onto the bikes sponsored by the Lion Club of Canning City and onto the Rottnest Ferry for a day on the island with lots of swimming, cycling, eating , sight seeing and relaxing. On our return to Hillarys in the afternoon there was time for some more shopping before the farewell Sunset Barbecue at Whitford Nodes which was hosted by the Lions Club of Scarborough. It was great to see so many Lions there representing their clubs and meeting our young people .It was great to see both of the District Governors in attendance too, we really appreciated their support.

However, all good things must come to an end and the next day Peter and I joined the host families at the airport to see the YOTY’s off to Darwin for the next leg of their tour. While we were all very tired we were really sorry to see them go, they had certainly found their way into our hearts.

My thanks to the Lions Club of Scarborough and all of those who helped us to ensure that they had a great stay and took away so many happy memories.

PDG Lorraine Strickland

WA State Coordinator for MD Youth of The Year.