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YOUTH OF THE YEAR International Tour to UK by 2007-2008 National winner Joshua Anderson

My trip to the UK as part of the Lions Youth of the Year Program was the furthest distance and the longest time I have been overseas. Unsure quite what to expect, I boarded the plane excited and slightly apprehensive. However, any concerns I might have had were proven to be completely unnecessary. The hospitality I received by the Littlehampton Lions Club, by my host family and again at the youth camp made the trip truly remarkable. It was also nice to be able to travel together with Shane Robertson, the previous year’s national winner.

The first part of my time in the UK was a home stay with a Lions couple, Keith and Sue Mates, who lived in Littlehampton on the south coast of England. They had kindly offered to billet me for this time. One of their three sons had immigrated to Australia and so they were both very knowledgeable about the country. This was reassuring considering some of the ludicrous questions I was asked over there such as whether we drank tea or if there were zucchinis in Australia! Littlehampton is a lovely town, well outside the bustle of suburban London, with lovely beaches if you don’t mind the stones. I arrived just in time for the peak of the British summer and a heatwave that peaked at 34 degrees. Despite the rather amusing English complaints about the heat, it was a welcome change from the cold winter days back home. The time spent with your host family is intended to give you an insight into daily life as well as a chance to explore the local area. As a result, I became an honorary member of the local Ions club for these two week, pitching in with community activities. I helped clean up an elderly lady’s garden, overgrown with weeds and brambles which had grown to truly gigantic proportions. The club had also organised a BBQ stall at the local fair and I was recruited to help set up and sell sausages. None of this was a chore since the people in the club were so friendly and welcoming and the tasks themselves so rewarding. It provided an interesting chance to see how Lions operates in another country.

In addition, my host family together with various couples from the Littlehampton Lions Club each took turns to take me out for the day to various attractions on the south coast. These included trips to Chichester with its truly impressive cathedral and Roman walls and to Arundel Castle, home of the only Catholic members of the Royal Family, the Duke and Duchess of Norfolk. We also visited Brighton with its well known Pavilion where generations of English monarchs went for holidays so that news of their dalliances wouldn’t reach the court in London. However, perhaps the most memorable was my time spent in Battle, just inland from Hastings where the famous battle of 1066 took place. Standing on the fields where the Normans conquered the Anglo-Saxons almost one thousand years ago, marking a radical shift in English history, was an amazingly eerie feeling. On this site stands Battle Abbey, commissioned to be built by William the Conqueror, to commemorate the fallen. The history of the UK is quite overwhelming and it was a remarkable feeling to be able to stand on the locations I had learnt about in history classes back at school.

After these two weeks, it was time for a sad farewell to my host family and local Lions. From there, I went to the New Forest, located west of London, for the youth camp. The New Forest is an odd little place in the local farmers can simply turn their livestock free onto the forest. As you drove down the roads, you would see donkeys, pigs and cows roaming around the plains. Attending the camp were 40 young people affiliated with Lions International from a diverse range of backgrounds. Thus, the camp provided a unique chance to get an insight into the different life experiences and cultures of other places around the world. The group dynamic was truly special and we all became very close friends remarkably quickly. The schedule comprised of some days where we were split into groups for activities on the camp site including rock climbing, raft building (and then raft capsizing), high ropes course, orienteering and the flying fox.  On alternate days, we were taken from the camp site to various landmarks including to Stonehenge and Salisbury, Portsmouth, the Isle of Wight and to London. There we toured through the Houses of Parliament, past Big Ben, and took a ride on the London Eye (a giant Ferris wheel offering spectacular views). Saying goodbye to all the friends that I had made was by far the hardest part of the journey.  Despite complications with time zones, I am still in contact with many of them and hope one day to see them again.

My time in the UK was my final experience as Lions Youth of the Year. It has been wonderful and provided me with so many opportunities for which I am extremely grateful. It has been a privilege to represent Lions and I look forward to continuing my involvement in the future.

YOUTH OF THE YEAR Tour to NZ by 2007-2008 Public Speaking winner Lucy Radowicz

In February 2007, I began the Lions Youth of the Year Quest, and in January 2009, I finished my official involvement. These two years have been the most rewarding and exciting of my life and have altered the adult I will become in a positive way. I sincerely thank Lions Australia for their tireless work in providing such unforgettable opportunities to young Australians.

 

I began my final journey to the Lions International Youth Camp in Rotorua at the lovely time of 6am on Boxing Day! I was too excited to care though, knowing that in 24 hours I would be enjoying a brilliant camp and meeting other young people from new countries and cultures.

 

After proudly mastering international air travel alone, I stayed for one night with Rotorua East Lion Ellen Lias-Smith, before arriving at camp the next morning, and being enthusiastically greeted by youths already present. It was fantastic to meet each new person as they arrived at the camp and the camp leaders had a hard time quietening us down for the Camp’s Opening Ceremony. This gave youths from each country the opportunity to raise their flag and sing their national anthem, including the Austrian, Indian, Malaysian, Hungarian and Brazilian anthems!

 

In short, we then had 10 wonderful days of making friends and learning about each others’ countries and cultures, punctuated by brilliant and breathtaking activities the likes of which only New Zealand can provide. We jet-boated (in the pouring rain) went kayaking (in the rain) soaked in geothermal hot pools (while it was raining), but fortunately the fickle Rotorua weather did give us a few glorious days of sunshine that let us enjoy swimming at the nearby Lake Okataina and playing sports together. I particularly enjoyed Zorbing (rolling downhill with a couple of friends in a giant beachball filled with water) and the ‘Free Fall Extreme’, which could be described as simulated skydiving where you float in midair on an airstream blasted upwards by a Boeing 747 engine!

 

The fun didn’t stop at night time and we were able to walk through the nearby bushland to see the beautiful glow worms, and at a more adventurous pace, we had a Burma Trail. Late at night we were led into the pitch black forest around the camp without a torch,  shown a rope, and told to follow it blindly while the camp leaders did their best to obstruct us, scare us, and soak us with waterbombs.

 

A highlight of the trip was our journey to the tiny town of Opotiki. Generously organised by the Opotiki Lions Club, we were hosted at a Marae- a Maori community meeting house, where we were able to experience Maori culture. This included a concert (including a very intimidating Haka) flax weaving, poi making and lessons, and cooking a traditional Hungi in which meats are buried and steamed beneath the ground.

 

As a person who enjoys her creature comforts perhaps a bit too much, I was challenged by ‘camping’ out on a beach- camping meaning a sleeping bag, pillow, and a tarp- nothing else! To my surprise though, I survived the insects and the night and have great memories of talking late into the night around the bonfire.

 

With language and culture no real barrier, we all quickly became good friends and saw more similarities than differences between us. As we became aware that our time together was reaching a close, we voluntarily became sleep deprived as we stayed up every night, wanting to make the most of our time together. Eventually though, the very early morning came when we were forced to say our tearful goodbyes, and we were left with vivid memories, countless photos, and promises to stay in touch via every electronic media imaginable- which we already have.

 

Having lived in New Zealand for four months in 2006, I called my Kiwi friends immediately upon winning this trip to let them know that I would finally be returning. I was able to spend a few days with them in Christchurch on my way home, which truly capped off a perfect first solo overseas holiday.

 

While my official involvement in the Quest has now finished, it is the experience that continues to give, as I have lasting friendships I hope to keep for many years. This January I will travel to Sydney for the 06/07 YOTY One Year Reunion, and plans for the following year are already underway.

 

I feel privileged to have been involved with the Youth of the Year Quest and I am touched by the generosity I have been shown by Lions all over Australia, and New Zealand.

 

My thanks, and best wishes,

Lucy Radowicz