Day 19 and 20 Homeward Bound and Last word from Mr Croft

They are on the way home!!

En route Paris to Doha

Depart                    Paris QR040                          1600

Arrive                     Doha                                      2320

We are on our first plane home...on a big double decker plane with quite a bit more room...

Miss Wellington

Airbus A380-800 (quad-jet)

Click here for flight tracking details

We are on our final leg, awaiting our departure from Qatar International Airport. This tour has been a wonderful success. I am immensely proud of all of our students, who have acted at all times as wonderful ambassadors of our school, town and Australia.

I have had many comments from strangers of many different nationalities at how polite, helpful and mature our students have been, throughout the tour and in every country. We have made new friends with the students in Atheneum Pottelberg, Belgium and Beranger College in Perone, France and been hosted by the mayor of Perone.

Everybody has learnt a tremendous amount about the First World War, at times perhaps, more than we felt comfortable with for it was such an awful struggle on a scale that can really only be appreciated by walking the battlefields and seeing the countless graves that are tended so lovingly by the countries in which they lie.

The students have also had a fantastic immersion in different cultures. One that is sure to spark an appreciation for other peoples and perhaps the desire to travel further. It has also given them an insight into just how extremely fortunate they are to come from a country like Australia and what it means to be Australian.

We have found the graves of relatives and the men of Collie in all battlefields and located their names on the walls of memorials. Sadly, so many. We held our own services at these places where we read poems and played the Last Post and reflected silently on the meaning of the Ode and all we had lost. Sometimes it was too much for some of us and therein lies the real value of this tour to our students; there is hope for all of us if our youth can feel and be moved so deeply and learn the lessons from history.

Perhaps peace, tolerance and understanding of other cultures and religions may be something they fiercely uphold. Those Australian traits of egalitarianism. fairness and openness based on a secular democratic tradition are the ideals that stemmed from those men who left our shores during the Great War. They may not have been able to identify or articulate them that way but it was what they would achieve for us. This tour aims to revisit these values and reaffirm them to our youth.

James Moulden deserves a special mention for his bugle playing which he did extremely well (if not with the most alacrity at times much to his tour leaders frustration- warming up was always problematic and I guess you can’t rush an artist) and it added a depth of solemnity and reverence that we all appreciated. James is usually funny - usually, but not when in the town hall of Perone and addressing La Mayor! Oh and there was that day in the hotel...

Jarrod Vickers was a credit to the school as its Captain. Always polite, well-mannered and helpful, he served his school well and his reading of the Ode at the Menin Gate Ceremony was a first for Collie Senior High School and a great honour. A highlight of the tour for me and he did his parents proud.

Georgie-Rose likewise represented the school as Captain and her smile and good nature was appreciated by many. I may be pretty colour blind but I have never seen anyone blush as hard as Georgie when she was asked to thank the firemen in Paris! She is also the heavyweight shopper of the tour weighing in at 29.7kg on the return leg and still going strong in the airports.

Liam was a gentleman all tour and quietly went about being fascinated and moved by what he saw. Mature and seamlessly polite and friendly. He really enjoyed himself and cared for others the whole way through. A very special young man!

Georgia was wonderful all tour and we all were affected by the raw emotion of visiting her great, great grandfather’s grave. She was a trooper through her sickness and only mildly suffered from foot in mouth disease.

Rowdy (Emma) was a troublemaker all tour. Whenever any shenanigans were on, Rowdy was at the centre of it., and if she wasn’t, we blamed her anyway. Emma is such a lovely young lady she will believe anything her tour leader will tell her, even that the man standing randomly by the exit to the airport needed to see her passport!

Mason also was a gentleman and wonderful ambassador for our school. His efforts at the Dawn Service at Villers Bretonneux were outstanding and he always showed good humour, even when he had to have dinner with me. His attempts to include me in the conversation were appreciated, even if I didn't have a clue what it was all about.

James Abbott has grown a great deal over the course of this tour and not only in height! Quite willing to have a crack and put his hand up for everything. Even telling our Turkish bus driver how pretty he was and that he'd like to marry him. James also needs to learn not to play tricks on the tour leader! He was an outstanding contributor and it was nice to see him look after his mother from time to time.

Natalia was another trooper. Very ill at the beginning, she was more concerned with how it was affecting the rest of-the group. Always pleasant and polite she gave her best at all times and even tried to scare me in a deep dark tunnel but I knew she was there all the time and I didn’t’ jump one bit. Honest! Karma got her in the end because she had to sit next to me on the plane.

Brianna was the most excitable sponge on the tour. She wanted to take everything in and all at once with double doses. Her enthusiasm was outstanding and her ability to talk to others (that means anybody and everybody) was truly impressive, if not bedazzling for others! She even managed to ask a young waiter for, and got a kiss while asking for bread. Now how did that happen?

Jordan is going to become a great man one day. He shows initiative, drive and insight into a great many things that others don’t. A heavy dose of common sense to boot. He and his Dad’s finding of their ancestors name and togetherness at Mouquet Farm was a highlight. Girls this one’s a keeper as long as he doesn’t  grow a moe like his old man did back, in the day!

Monique's smile was always great to see. Up for anything and I think a very canny shopper, she really enjoyed herself on tour and gave it her all. Completely respectful and polite, intelligent and happy. What more could you ask for!

Sarah, dubbed "Cheeky' by Mrs Curran, as ever had her quiet, but wonderfully nice nature on display everywhere we went. We all have a soft spot for Sarah, and none more than me. She had a great tour and her smile lit up the world.

Dante had an incredibly successful tour in the shopping stakes and there are still a few bruised Turks in the Grand Bazaar wondering what hit them. Dante was only outmatched by Mrs Curran in the photo taking stakes and the family slide show when we get back is going to take a few weeks! Dante’s eclectic view on things sometimes left me scratching my head but it did make for some interesting and funny conversations.

John was incredibly good natured and impeccably polite and willing. He had a great tour and was incredibly good at holding all of Dante s shopping. The finding of his ancestors name on the wall at Tyne Cot was incredibly moving. A great young man!

Rhiannon! If only you could bottle her blood! An outstanding contributor and positive the whole way through, she truly was wonderful. Her efforts at Villers Bretonneux were just perfect and in wet, cold conditions. As she said, “the troops had it worse.”

Joshua was the one person who I most worried about! That he would lose something, like his passport, get lost or sleep through a fire alarm, which he did (though not the only one!) He was also the one who most surprised me. In a private conversation in one of the many cemeteries, he showed such depth of emotion, just quietly to me, that it nearly made me weep. He gave me all the justification I’ve ever needed as to why this tour is so worthwhile. He is also very gullible, just like Rowdy, and would have shown his passport to a random stranger if I let him!

Olivia, though usually pretty quiet, really shone on the tour and had a fantastic time. Her reading of her great Grandfather's diary at Poziers in front of all of us and another school (St Michaels) was really emotional. Hearing those words nearly a hundred years after they were written, in that place, brought home to all of us just how that battle affected our men and why it is ground " more densely sown with Australian saenfice than any other. Thank you Olivia.

Kelsey is a lot like her father: she likes to have fun! Always in the mix and ready to have a quip, she epitomises true Aussie spirit. Wonderfully aglow with life and vitality, determined (an Eagles supporter in a Freo- family with short memories) she took on all challenges on tour and represented our youth as we would all hope.

Alyssia is a steadfast, mature and intelligent young women who always gives her all. I was actually asked by another teacher from the Belgian school if my colleague would like some coffee. She had assumed that Alyssia was a teacher from the conversation that she had had with her! Reliable and dependable and she laughs at my jokes, or maybe that is, at me! A great scout.

I am not going to go into details about every adult on tour as they wouldn’t thank me! I have already spoken to them individually and as a group about how appreciative I have been of their efforts and friendship, humour and resourcefulness. They truly were a great bunch to have along on tour. Thank you guys!

I will mention Macca. Kevan McKenzie, our RSL veteran, whom I shared a hotel room the with during the whole tour. I won’t go into that! Kev was an outstanding bloke and awesome to have with us. The kids loved him, and the adults got to learn just what a sense of humour he had and just how competitive he was. I now officially declare him the winner of "My Restaurant Rules which he well deserved, despite the howls of protest from the also-rans. Thanks mate!

The parent body have been a most marvelous group of people. Thank you for the trust you, have shown in the school and the commitment to your children. You truly are amazing.

This tour is only possible because we come from the town of Collie. Its people and spirit and generosity make it happen. I hope you have all enjoyed our blog and found it entertaining. More importantly, I hope you find pride in the achievements of our students because they have done Collie proud.

Thank you.

Ed Croft

Doha to Perth

Depart                    Doha QR900                              0200

Arrive                      Perth                                         1755

Boeing 777-300ER (twin-jet)

Click here for live flight tracking details

Landed.

Sleeping Selfies

One of our favourite bus activities has been to torment those sleeping on the bus by taking selfies with them sleeping. James A has been the king of this but here are some of the snaps for your viewing  pleasure...

Day 18 by James M & Brianna

After a long and truly eventful previous day in our saga, tour members were glad and relieved to hear the beautiful words from our lord and saviour (Mr Croft's) mouth; "You can sleep in for as long as you want tomorrow." Sleep was welcomed by all, and everyone seemed to be fully replenished for the morning to come.

Today began as a mishmash of people doing whatever in the world they wanted, with the exception of course of transmutation (because it's not really physically possible and it might not be accepted by society), and shopping because absolutely no shops were open. Some students left the hotel in search of open shops, instructed to return by 12, but all returned  earlier due to their failed attempts in buying the goodies they all so desired. It was, however, the afternoon that brought the most fun to the travellers. This was the beginning of what could be a new tour tradition - "The Amazing Arras".

Now, this wasn't just any regular Arras. This was practically gospel as far as Arras' go. Maybe one group *cough cough* Kelsey, Nat and Olivia's group *cough cough*, who got lost at least two times, did not believe in the blessed Arras. After a hearty two hour quest and many complaints about the clues given; In particular the clue about Notting Hill Coffee shop, that, apparently, shares its name with some obscure Hugh Grant and Julia Roberts film, James' group managed to complain to Mr Heptinstall that the shop couldn't be found whilst standing in front of the actual shop. Finally, "The Gruelling Arras" was over and all groups congregated in front of the town hall. Points were given and taken off (for some frankly silly reasons) and in the end, in first place was Georgia, Jarrod, Liam, Mason and Georgie-Rose with a grand total of 21 (9+10) points. And in last place was, of course, Kelsey's brigade with a grand total of 5. With "The Amazing Arras" over, some of the tourists retired to the hotel while the rest of us entered into the extraordinarily exquisite town hall.

Now, as a tour, we had seen town halls, cathedrals, mosques and mausoleums in many cities, we were practically architectural connoisseurs by the time we entered this building, not to be easily impressed. But, golly gosh. This was one town hall. Yet again, we were taken aback by the intricacy and detail put into every aspect of the upper floor rooms. There were wooden panels on the walls that, at a glance, looked the same, but if you got a little closer you noticed that EVERY SINGLE PANEL ON EVERY SINGLE WALL WAS UNIQUE. This may seem a little silly to emphasise, but it was extremely impressive. After visiting the rooms on the upper floor, and marvelling at the handiwork, we ventured down stairs, and more stairs, and even more stairs...

The stairs took us to an underground quarry, that at times took us about 15m below ground level. This was troublesome for some of our taller crew, as the tunnels and passageways were often carved  with a maximum arch of about 4 feet high. Great for Brianna, not so great for James. Anyway, we ventured through the tunnels, heads brushing on the 'roof grass', learning about the interesting underground past of the town. There were names carved on the walls from the First World War, and the little cellar rooms had been used for all sorts of things like chalk mining, food storage, bomb shelters, water collection and China disposal. Our guide did an excellent job of translating her usually French tour into English, and many thanks go to her for her efforts. We followed our underground tour with another extreme - we caught the lift, then travelled up some more stairs, reaching the top of the clock tower. The view of Arras was admired by all, and was a beautiful end to our tour. The rest of the group then retired to the hotel to prepare for dinner.

Our last formal dinner was quite a happy affair, with each table sharing laughs and nice food from a buffet and a grill. Olivia managed to create fortified walls that challenged those of medieval castles, but this time made out of at least thirty bottles of drink that she consumed throughout the night. A brilliant effort there. The night ended with some emotional thank you speeches, and the feeling of closure spread throughout the tour. Tomorrow we make the long journey back to Australia... Well, that's if we manage to close our suitcases in time!

Day 17 by Kelsey & Mason

Once upon a ridiculously early morning, 32 dedicated, hard working, utterly exhausted tour members set out on a truly wonderful bus trip *wink wink nudge nudge* to Villers Bretonneux. The problem with this trip compared to the others was the fact that our bus driver was slightly intimidated about the journey we were embarking on. Taking us the back route on a road almost abandoned from traffic, even though there was around 6000 other dedicated participants heading to the same location. With multiple stops and confusion and an extra hour onto the journey we finally saw the lights of the ceremony, and weren't we glad (although there were quite a few staff and students who managed to sleep through a fair chunk of it). After claiming our seats and sending off Rhiannon and Mason accompanied by Mr Croft and Mr Dent as they were participating in the Roll of Honour name call as part of the pre ceremony service, we set up our umbrella hats, scarfs, beanies, gloves and solar blankets preparing our selves for the weather as the rain and chilling winds started to sweep across the open landscape. The weather became progressively more horrendous as the dawn service began, so much so, that students and adults were forced to don the most beautiful ponchos ever introduced to humankind. 

Mason and Rhiannon did a fantastic job reading the names of lost service men that fought for our country 100 years ago, getting soaked through in the process. The whole ceremony was chilling, sending shivers up your spine. The amount of people that put up with the weather to pay their respects to the lost soldiers was unimaginable the seats were full and people were standing around in massive packs trying to keep warm. At the end of the ceremony we laid a wreath on behalf of Collie Senior High (yes, this involved removing the beloved ponchos, beanies and scarves). It was a massive honour and everybody did their part in giving Collie and Australia a great sense of pride. 

Once the ceremony ended and we had lined up for our coffee and breaky, it was a waiting game. The thousands of people that braved the cold at Villers Bretonneux for the ceremony were waiting for their bus in the same spot as us, and amongst the buses to take these people away was ours, bus number 50! After climbing aboard and cranking up the heater we were back on the road, heading to Bullecourt were we would be participating in two more ceremonies. On our travels, we stopped at a small cafe in Albert to fill our empty stomachs. Whilst waiting for our food, some of us took the time to look for some more things to buy in small markets located just outside the cafe. Some even bought extra bags to carry the few extra kilograms of chocolate and clothes they have onto the plane to avoid a large bill. After this much needed break we got changed in to our dry formal uniforms and made the rest of the journey to Bullecourt. 

The first ceremony we participated was held in the town centre, near the church and town hall. We did not have a large role in this ceremony, but we were part of the crowd paying our respects along with many officials from both Australia and France. Like all the other ceremonies, it was moving experience and an honour to have the privilege to participate in it. After this ceremony, we were invited along with the rest of the crowd to participate in the second town service in Bullecourt. This was held near the Diggers memorial near one of the battlefields in the town for the soldiers of the Great War. Again a touching ceremony in which we paid our respects. At this ceremony, some of the students laid a wreath while the rest of the staff and students formed a guard of honour. This was the final formal ceremony that our tour was to participate in and while being relieved that the day was over, we were all extremely sad to see it end. 

After this very long day, the bus trip home had 32 very tired tour members either sleeping or trying to stay awake so Mr Croft didn't take a selfie with them while they slept. When we arrived back in Arras, an early dinner at an Italian restaurant that Mrs Abbott & Miss Wellington choose, saw us at the conclusion to our very long and emotional day. Many of us had not eaten too much because we were far too exhausted, but others stopped in to get ice cream on the way back to the hotel. When we were all back, it was not too long before we were all in bed ready for a well deserved, much needed sleep.

Day 16 by Jarrod & Alyssia

Today we were rewarded with a sleep in, not having to leave until nine. We boarded the bus for another day on the road with our first stop at the Lochnagar Crater. To many of us this crater appeared larger than others that we have seen because it was the first crater that was not filled with water. This was only blown up using 60 000 pounds of explosives where as the first crater we visited was blown up using 90 000 pounds of explosives. 

Next stop was at the Australian First division memorial, this was located outside the town of Poziers. The battle site has been described as the place on earth most densely sown with Australian blood. It was here that we met another school from South Australia, St. Michael's. Both groups combined and we performed a small ceremony for the Turley family. We also found out that it was around this location that Martin O'Meara was awarded his Victoria Cross. We made a quick stop at the Mouquet Farm memorial plaque so Jordan & Dave could see where their relative was killed in action.

Our journey continued as we stopped at the British National Memorial. This memorial was the biggest memorial that we have seen, it contained around 75 000 names of British soldiers that were never found and have no grave. There was also French soliders buried at this cemetery. From Theipval memorial, the group made our way to the second Serre-road cemetery where we held a service for Simon and Mason's relative.

After this moving ceremony we made our way to Amiens for lunch and a look around the city. Once in the city we were able to visit the largest cathedral in all of France. The stonework and intricacies of the building were simply stunning and once inside you could only be gob smacked by its size and beauty. Unfortunately like most of the older structures we had already visited it was under maintenance and had scaffolding up the side of it. After this quick tour we all headed our separate ways for lunch. Reunited again we set off back to the hotel for an early dinner at a restaurant chosen by Mr Heptinstall and Mr Blackmore. Due to a small language barrier, there was some slight differences between what was served and what had been ordered. Eventually after much running around from Mr Blackmore, everyone received the right food and it was time to go back to the hotel for an early night in preparation for the early wake up tomorrow.