Sunday, March 16, 2014 – 9:15 a.m. Queenscliff time
By Teressa Jackson
It has been another whirlwind of a week, and so I am behind on blogging again. Monday was Labour Day, and we had the hard work (ha!) of visiting the
historic homestead of Mont de Lancey in Wandin, learning about the early
settlers and strolling the garden; tasting wines at Chandon, a division of
Moet; and settling into an extensive late lunch (although they all seem a bit late
here to me) at the amazing home of Mike's hosts Warwick and Paulette. After that, we were all in a food coma
and useless for the rest of the day.
On Tuesday, we were back to the grind. We set off back for
the city first thing in the morning to visit the Royal Children’s Hospital.
They have some amazing facilities! Although their medical services are funded by the
government-run healthcare system, all the “extras” are not. They have a “Good
Friday” appeal each year that raises substantial funds, and in total they raise
around $40 million in charitable support each year.
Royal Children’s has placed a big emphasis on ensuring its
facilities are not institutional in feel or approach. They have a bean bag
movie theater complete with medical hookups if a child needs them while away
from their room, that shows the latest kids’ films twice a day. A meerkat
exhibit (yes, with real meerkats) keeps kids in the outpatient area engaged
and, let’s face it, distracted. There is a two-story saltwater aquarium and
large sculpture (for climbing) in the central main lobby. A craft and
entertainment area is available for activities, and while in that area we saw
two doctors dressed in silly attire headed out to provide some fun. It was an
amazing place.
Next we headed to the banks of the Yarra River where we
enjoyed a barbecue lunch and celebrated Kelsie's 25th birthday, despite a bit of rain. After lunch, we had a few
extra moments, so we strolled through a bit of the botanic gardens for those of
us who hadn’t had a chance to enjoy them. Then we were off again!
Our next stop was at the offices of Eastern Volunteers, where we learned about their
services to help the community and local not-for-profits by engaging volunteers
in a variety of capacities. Much like Metro United Way at home, and Karingal in
Geelong, they provide ways for volunteers to learn about the needs of
not-for-profits and connect with them. Additionally, they have an
infrastructure through which they organize volunteers to provide transportation
for people with disabilities and others in need. The Rotary Club of Ringwood
has provided a van to assist with this service.
View more photos from the day and stay up-to-date with all our latest at our Facebook page:www.facebook.com/gse2014.
No comments:
Post a Comment