March 30th

Inniu Dé hAoine 30ú Márta

This is the last day of the blog, apart from some photos and videos that have still to be loaded. We will have photos for all the school visits, loaded eventually. I have a new series of videos featuring Gerry and the Kangaroo and other animals, still to come. So bear with us.

Up at the crack of dawn to get packing and decide what papers to bring home. We have gathered and been given so much, that we would be twice over the luggage limit, if we brought it all. Even at that, we ended up posting it all home at a cost of about 300 euro, between the two of us. I shudder to think what the bill would be if we arrived at the airport with it all.

Good news for Cóilin: the pollifiller is still holding.
Bad news for Gerry: he now needs pollifiller also! Big lump of tooth broke off today.
Pity the blog is finished, I could see a daily "Pollifiller Report" taking over from "Share The Luv".

Last day at the VPA but we finished at 3.00 as we had an unusual "invitation". (Does it count as an invitation when you invite yourself to visit someone's home in the bush?) The Principal of Monash Specialised School, Helen Mc Coy, had invited us to visit her Wildlife Sanctuary, nearly two hours from Melbourne. It was a magnificent setting in the forest among the rolling hills, where Helen cared for every conceivable animal from dogs and cats to Wallabies, Wombats, Kuala Bears, Possoms and Kangaroos. Many are nursed back to full health and then released back to the wild. Many stay to become family pets. We were able to get up close to animals that we could never have expected, as in the wild they would not allow it or stay around for us to do it. It was a real "wow" moment and we have some fantastic photos and video to bring back to our schools. Helen explained and demonstrated wonderfully and it was obvious how central the sanctuary was to her life.

Gerry says:

I have finally got my hands on the keyboard.

Coilin has been the technologist on this trip and those who know me will be aware that the operation of the video, digital camera or computer would not be my forte. But as we have gone along I have learnt on the job and hopefully some of the photos and other material we are assembling will be informing and entertaining.

It would be unfair to categorise Coilin as a complete slavedriver; the word “complete” being debatable. “In fairness”, as he would say himself, I have been permitted an occasional glass of beer while he attempts to explain to yet another waitress the composition of a “rock shandy”. A pint of Guinness was permitted another night, for research purposes only, of course.

Coilin and I didn’t know each other very well before coming on this trip together. We had met years ago at the National Minisport Festival in Drumcondra, he being Mr. Mini-Rounders and I being one of the Mr. Mini-Basketballers. Fortunately, we got on famously in spite of being very different. A process of osmosis has occurred probably attributable to” cabin fever”and we have each affected the other. Coilin used to be an optimist; now in spite of himself he shares my belief in Murphy’s Law and expresses no surprise when something goes wrong. I have lessened my abhorrence of technology, have attempted to assist with every camera and even answered some e-mails! Coilin now joins me in the gym and I am almost teetotal (well, not quite).

However, I am sure we will both make a full recovery when we return to our normal lives in “winterland”.

We have been united in a determination to make the best of this once in a lifetime opportunity to look at another Primary School System and to meet some wonderful educators and people. Coilin will mention some of them in the final blog.

This has been a privilege for both of us. I hope we will be able to convey some of the highlights of these visits in our visual report. I will almost be sad to hear no more “Top o’ the morning to ye all” as Coilin bursts into yet another school, bringing a smile from even the most formal of school receptionists. Some even indulged his wish to accumulate hugs! Our Laurel and Hardy double-act brightened the day for ourselves and the schools we visited. We exchanged pennants, souvenirs and ideas and hopefully represented IPPN and Irish Primary Education well. We have been promised many return visitors to Ireland. Fantastic people who have certainly got us thinking. Get the spare beds ready, the Aussies are coming!