The Final Stint

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Geo: -30.4524, 152.898

5 months late, but I didn't think that I would still be continuing with these blogs after three years. This will be the last blog related to my work in NSW, and what a way to finish off than with a few bits and pieces from around the state over the period of three months.
I guess I should start from the beginning, after returning from a 7 month trip to Europe to spend time with Anna, I found myself with one last stint up in NSW.
I didn't go straight back to the schools, but instead my company picked up a subcontracting opportunity with another company to apply a bomb proof film on the external windows of the Australian Federal Parliamentary Building in Canberra. It was exciting and something different to the schools. Our company sent everyone to Canberra for this job and the first delegation of time was 5 weeks during non sitting time. The good thing about this job in Canberra was the company paid for accommodation and food allowance and we were put in some luxurious apartments not too far away. The apartments were amazing, especially after staying in hostels, pubs and caravan parks for the last two years. It felt good to be based somewhere for more than a couple of weeks too.
The training took 3 weeks by a group of Israeli's flown in who are specialists in the application of the film.
The Israeli's were really cool but the language barrier was a huge hurdle, it was either "good" or "not so good".
We worked on the main public areas first and then got into the MP offices which required security to escort us around. We eventually got our security ID's and were able to roam freely within Parliment House. We didn't end up having the opportunity to see or work in the Prime Ministers office unfortunately but we got to see a lot more than most people do who even work there.

After five weeks parliament was back in session which meant we had a two week break followed by another two week session bomb filming. So it meant I was back to doing the schools and this time we were into the high schools as all of the primary schools had been completed as I was in Europe.
There are far less high schools around so it meant that completing an area took no time at all even though the meter-age in the high schools were far more higher figures than the primary schools.
We split into groups, Dan and Anthony went up to the far north and mid north NSW coast while Sean did the areas around Canberra and outer Wollongong and I went west towards Wagga Wagga and Griffith and beyond, the middle of nowhere territory.
I stayed the majority of the time in pubs and occasionally caravan parks, I was doing the auditing of the schools so my direction was flexible.
I ended up at the NSW / Victoria border on one of the weekends and took a night trip to my mate James's parent place in Bendigo before heading back up to audit schools in Hay and Ivanhoe which was a two hour drive from Hay through some barren land, sometimes with no trees throughout the whole landscape. There were more emu's than houses.
Then it was another two hour trip back to Hay and a further two hours to Griffith, it was a crap load of driving!! My brothers reaction when he went to film Ivanhoe was one of disbelief and shock because it was a long way to travel and nothing being there.
Another school I had to audit was a big boarding school which was awkward at the start when I had to check every room in the boys and girls rooms during set times. I had to carry a sign warning the girls I was around, there's nothing worse than having a school girl walk into her room and finding you in it, thankfully that never happened.

I Finished the set amount of schools by the end of the second week, just in time for the next session in Parliament House. This time around we weren't as lucky with being set up in accommodation and having food allowance because we kicked up a fuss with the amount we were making for the time it took, so they upped the wages but we had to pay our own accommodation and food which was a crappy caravan park in Queanbeyan and the one and only expensive hostel in Canberra, the YHA.
We managed to finish the two week schedule which was to be my last time at Parliament as the days were counting down till I went to South East Asia. Anthony was also S.E.A bound so we both had one week of filming schools up the mid north coast of NSW before it was all over.
We drove straight from Canberra to Newcastle then further towards Kempsey and Coffs Harbour area where we filmed some schools.

I am almost forgetting other activities that occurred among this three month period, one of which was a bucks party for my mate Dean. Held in a luxury house in Healesville for two nights included a night of drinking at the house the first night, followed by paintball the following day which was so much fun, and painful at times too. A couple of others arrived the second night and it got pretty hectic. By the end of the night people were vomiting all around and the Buck was walking around the house with a bleeding toe and missing shoe.
One month later and I flew down to Melbourne to attend the wedding of Dean and Renee, held in a great little reception place just out of the suburbs. A great wedding ceremony followed by a gorgeous reception party.

Finally getting to the place mentioned in this blog is Bellingen. The final destination for my work in NSW. We ended up there on the weekend and stayed at the YHA. Bellingen is a great little place, some nice green and hilly areas.
We met some nice people at the hostel, including Tu, a chilled out NZ Maori nurse. I took a trip into the Dorrigo National Park with a German lady on one of the days which was pretty gloomy and rainy, but that's why it's considered a rain forest.
Most of the views were clouded out but the walk through the national park was nice even though it rained pretty heavy and frequently on the rain forest walk.
We went and saw a few waterfalls which were pretty cool, and on the way back stopping to take some pictures of a group of Emu's, It was a great little day trip.

There we have it, the last few months of an amazing job that has taken me to some of the smallest corners of the state, to some of the most random places where schools happen to still be operating. I have seen a lot but there are still many areas that I had not gotten to, and one can only imagine doing the whole state, but after nearly three years on the road, living out of a bag and car, in hostels, pubs and caravan parks eventually took it's toll.
I cannot express how much this job changed my life, it gave me the freedom, flexibility as well as the financial bonus to start and continue my passion with travelling throughout Australia and the world. I have met some of the most amazing people along the way, one of which is my very special girlfriend Anna.
This job and time in my life will not be forgotten easily and I will always look back at it as a once in a life time opportunity that I wouldn't change for the world.

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