A trip to the “Land Down Under”
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| Arriving in Melbourne |
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| St. Patrick's Cathedral |
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| Inside the cathedral |
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| Shrine of Remembrance |
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| Australian troops honored |
Another reason was to visit family living near Sydney. My cousin, Bob
Turner, moved from California to the “land down under” thirty-eight years ago
to play professional basketball. While there, he met and married Allison from
Australia and then decided to make it his home. We arranged ahead of time to
stay two more nights at the hotel in Sydney at the end of the trip so that we
could get together with cousin Bob and Allison, something which we had wanted
to do for many years.
The tour officially started in Melbourne,
after a long fourteen hour flight which began late on Tuesday evening and
arrived on Thursday morning, skipping over Wednesday completely. It was an
experience in time travel, projecting us into the future just one day; but that
was enough to get us confused and sleepy.
Al tells people that I can sleep
anywhere, even on a bucking bronco… something I’ve never tried to do. While it
is easier for me to sleep on a plane than it is for him, sitting that long in
one seat was uncomfortable. We were extremely thankful to have arrived safely
and were ready for a good night’s sleep in a bed, on solid ground.
Although the weather had been hot in the
days just prior to the tour, it was rainy and cool on our first full day there.
A bus took us around the city, where we visited a beautiful old cathedral, St.
Patrick’s. It felt good to stand inside the awe-inspiring cathedral and look
heavenward, before being whisked away to the next place.
A short time later, we dashed through the rainstorm into the “Shrine of
Remembrance,” a memorial built in the heart of the city to commemorate all of
the Australian soldiers who had served their country in combat, starting from
WWI. An opening had been created in the ceiling of a special room which would
funnel a brilliant ray of sunlight to a round plate on the floor at the very
hour of Australia’s Memorial Day, providing the sun was shining!
I stood in the little gift shop and cried over a children’s storybook
called “Lofty’s Mission,” about a pet carrier pigeon who was taken to the front
lines during the first world war and the young boy who loved him. The
sacrifices of lives lost in combat once again hit home through the little book,
the photographs, a large collection of medals of honor and various things on
display throughout the memorial. My first purchase in Australia was made with
the thought that our young grandkids would be interested in a valiant bird
named Lofty.
There is much more to tell about our trip, which I will do in the weeks
to come. Al and I are grateful to have had this experience and are thankful for
the Lord’s protection.
“If
I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea,
even there Your hand shall lead me, and Your right hand shall hold me.” Psalm
139:9-10 NKJV
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