It’s 2018 and another program of fantastic IOE trips and holidays is now underway, so we thought we would share our recent adventure to New Zealand with you.

We set foot on the Golden Princess on 29th of January and our first impression was how HUGE the ship was! Immediately we started exploring, finding out where the best places to chill out, eat and party were. The weather for the first couple  of days was pretty undesirable,  so we spent our time indoors watching various ‘across the ditch’ movies, playing cards, reading books, socializing and even making our way up to the night club for a dance!

Our first dock at Dunedin, gave us an opportunity to stop by the Cadburys factory for an amazingly flavored hot chocolate – forget the scenery, give us the chocolate! Then it was up to Akaroa, a really cool little town in the mountains. Once we regained our land legs we set off on foot to explore the town and do some touristy shopping.  The coastal city of Wellington, our next stop, was by far the biggest city of our trip! In Wellington we visited two museums and walking through the Wellington version of Melbourne’s Docklands we were all reminded of home. The markets in the old bunger and the stairway in the middle of the pier used to jump into the water, were unique features of this city. It was a great way to end our visit to the south island!

That night, sailing to Gisborne, we sat on the deck and watched a movie under the stars while sipping on hot chocolates.  Next morning we woke to a view of the scenic town from our ship rooms! Situated right on the port, Gisborne presented us with green landscapes, huge palm trees and neat little stalls at one of their local markets. After a wander around Gisborne, we stopped by the pub enroute to the dock, to avoid the crowd waiting for the tender to take passengers out to the ship. Our last stop of the trip was in Tauranga where we stopped by the natural hot pools before renting a jetski! We spent an hour hooning around the port in marvelous weather.

We were sad to say goodbye to NZ but the Princess’s kitchens were calling our name. The food was amazing every night of the week. Our waiters Bob, Nathaniel and Bruno catered to our every need and provided the best recommendations. We all really loved being able to dress up for dinners and sleep in on the sea days. The cruise also gave us opportunities to see some hilarious comedians and even sit through an art auction, which was pretty cool. On the final night our bags were collected and sent down stairs to be ready and waiting for us when we got off of the boat – a final bit of luxury.

The Princess cruise to New Zealand was an awesome way to kick start 2018!

by NZ crew 2018

Being a regular attendee of family camps now, I can readily see and appreciate all the little things that go into making family camp what it is. This was the first time I had been to Licola Wilderness Camp and it certainly did what it said on the tin – a ‘wilderness camp’ for sure. You couldn’t have asked for a more perfect location to get away from it all. The surrounding mountains and classic Australian high country vista plus a meandering river through the heart of the camp, made this an amazing location. Perfect for the extreme activities that were about to happen over the weekend. No one can hear you scream in the high country when riding the mighty giant swing!

All the classics were there … flying fox, giant swing, canoeing, archery and much, much more . Fully accessible with a wide range of ‘stuff to do’ this made this place very attractive, whichever way you look at it.

At Licola I was drawn to the new families who had not previously been on a camp. Looking a little unsure from the onset about ‘what do you do?’ and ‘how will it go?’ they were soon in the midst of it all ; scurrying from one activity to the next and joining in with the ridiculous nature of what is known as IOE Family Camp. How they interact can certainly be attributed to how people are made to feel whilst on camp. Families embrace each other open heartedly … we are all on an equal playing field. We are all there to point each other in the right direction, to lend a helping hand or to give some support when needed.

I tip my hat to the ‘vollies’ who show so much love, expertise and nurturing in what they do; we certainly couldn’t do it without them. They take so much in their stride. I can’t help think that these early shared experiences unquestionably add to the character development of these young people. Experiencing these life teachings early on sets them up with skills and characteristics which are beneficial for all of us in life.

This year I was looking forward to Fred’s night walk, as you can never even guess where the night will take you. We enjoyed a beautiful walk up onto a ridge overlooking the town and camp. It was great to see so many families enjoying each other’s company and wanting to do a walk on a beautiful evening. A perfect end to a perfect day with a reasonably starry night. Fred, yet again, is the fabric of family camp and his energy is conveyed and transferred from one person to another.

You realise you have been captured and have experienced the true nature of family camp when you are running, jumping, rolling about on the floor like a fool … all around you can see the smiles on faces. No one can escape how infectious this is.

We all create our own path on family camp and each of us has our own individual experiences shared and articulated later in the day when we sit and reminisce on what the day has brought. When you hear the stories from camp you can’t help but be optimistic about it … it’s about family, community and support.

Well done do the family camp team for a great 2017 camp at Licola, you did a great job. Extra special thanks to the Lions Clubs of Park Orchards, Forest Hill, Vermont South, Vermont and Box Hill for their support which made this amazing camp possible.

The support will keep coming! That was the message from Freemasons members when they visited on Thursday 19 October to present IOE with yet another cheque in support of the Sibling program. This takes their total financial contribution for the Sibling Program over the past eight years to an incredible $200,000.00.  As the program receives no other funding, it has only been through these ongoing generous donations that the IOE Sibs Program has been able to continue operating.

Miles King, the Grand Director of Ceremonies from the Freemasons Foundation, joined Lionel May, District Coordinator, Freemasons Victoria Monash Gully District and other members to present the cheque.

Prior to the presentation, sibling Kaeli Farrelly told the gathering of how much the Sibs Program has meant to her. How it gave her a break from her sibling with a disability and other family members, of how good it was to be with others who understood her situation, of the friends, including her ‘bestie’, she had made and the self-esteem she had gained through being a part of the program. Kaeli’s mother, Carla told the all too familiar story of how parents’ attention is, of necessity, focused on the child with the disability, so siblings often come in second best. She said she had seen the difference the program had made for her daughter’s confidence and to her overall quality of life.

Miles King spoke of the value of members being able to see such positive results from their fundraising efforts. He thanked the members present for their hard work and commended them on their dedication to raising funds enabling the support of such a valuable program as the IOE Sibs Program. Freemasons’ continued support of Sibs for the coming year was then re-affirmed.

Member Keith Thornton has been an integral part of building such a strong support relationship with IOE Sibs and Freemasons. At the gathering it was IOE’s turn to reciprocate with the unveiling of The Keith Thornton Room (formerly IOE training/meeting room) in appreciation of the difference that Keith has made and the way he has paved the way for this partnership that has enriched the lives of so many siblings and families.

Thank you to Freemasons Foundation Victoria and Freemasons Monash Gully for sharing our vision and value for the Sibs program. We are incredibly grateful for your support!

Unveiling ‘The Keith Thornton Room”