Melbourne Happenings - Part 2

We have been staying at some friends’ place in a different area of Melbourne for the last while. It is a beautiful old house

in a fantastic area of Melbourne called Hampton. It is very close to the Port Phillip Bay,

and we enjoy walks along the beach in the warm sunshine – when there is warmth and no rain in Melbourne. The drive is considerably shorter to school from this place – just 20 minutes as compared to 45 minutes. The house is bright and cheery with a beautiful back yard, and Rick has really liked spending time in it! We are lucky enough to even have a complimentary gardener and cleaning lady. The owners, Judy and Ian Bissland, are friends of a friend of ours from Winnipeg and are themselves off on a trip to Canada. It has been a godsend to receive their offer to housesit their home, as the other place has had to undergo general maintenance and extensive repairs due to hail damage from the huge March storm. Rick has served as the liaison person for all the tradesmen, so he is still over there a lot. We will return to the other house in the early part of September. A little perk that we have really enjoyed is taking care of their dog Lochie. In increments I have taught him to shake a paw

and to lie down on command.

Rick and Lochie have enjoyed daily walks together along the beach.

We have also tried to do some entertaining as of late in our fancy digs to reciprocate all of the kind invitations we have been privy to since our arrival in Australia. We have met some really good friends out here, mostly people who have been on exchange to Canada at some point themselves. Some, like Chris and Anne, are fellow members of the International Teachers Association. We have enjoyed seeing the international movies with them. One couple, Ray and Cath Kenny, has been exceptionally kind to us, and we really enjoy spending time together with them. Ray works as a volunteer for the city of Melbourne, welcoming tourists to the city.

One Saturday he took us on a guided walkabout throughout the central business district of Melbourne. What fantastic sights we saw! We walked through all sorts of little lanes that are the home to nightclubs or famous restaurants. We stopped for a glass of wine at a unique little rooftop restaurant called Madame Brussels, with a fancy outdoor terrace overlooking the east end of Melbourne! The establishment was named after the Melbourne brothel owner and entrepreneur from the 1830's. The waiters were all wearing tennis outfits. It was like walking down a garden path into a world of whimsy! Inside, the main Parlour Room was actually grassed for comfortable walking. We walked through shopping arcades and Chinatown, and even found street entertainers as well as Hosier Lane, which is a sanctioned graffiti lane! Then we had them over for dinner and continued with our revelry.

On July 17 we were invited over to David and Jacinta McClean’s home for dinner. David had been the exchange person to Dalhousie School in 1999. This had been the catalyst to get me to apply initially for an Australian exchange, and now 10 years later we were back to see them in their own home! This had been the same home that our friend Maureen Martin had stayed in when she was there on exchange with David. By now they had two delightful young sons. We had a most enjoyable evening together.

One Sunday in August we played in the Collins Street Baptist Church in the morning. Collins Street is an old church of 167 years, with beautiful Corinthian columns on the outside

and a gorgeous organ on the inside.

We have attended there whenever we are in Melbourne for the weekend, and the congregation has been most friendly to us. The pipe organ is amazing – it is 125 years old, and as a celebration, they invited us to play. The morning went well and it was a special privilege to serve in a church in a different country. Rick has since played again with another clarinet player. The church has a vibrant inner-city mission to drug addicts right outside its back door.

One evening we took in a fantastic Organ recital at Collins Street church, played by one of the organists from Westminster Abbey in England. We hope to serve at the church also for the Christmas season. Incidentally, a side benefit of playing in church was that, after nine months, we have been offered our first actual paying gig as a result of being heard in church - we will be playing Verdi's Requiem in mid-October. The Lord works in mysterious ways!