Finishing up and returning home

Looking ahead to the last week I wasn't sure how I would fill it in. In the end I was quite busy. My boss, Laurie, decided we needed a meeting in Port Moresby to progress the journals so I flew there and back on Tuesday. We had some senior people in attendance this time so hopefully they will take on our recommendations, find an editor and the journals will survive. I had a second paper ready to publish and this took a couple of days to copyedit. I was going to publish it on Thursday but the author asked me to hold it until the Friday as that was his birthday. How could I refuse?

Jenny's article for Harvest magazine was fast-tracked and was also published on Friday just before we knocked off for good. She was pleased!

We were a bit worried about the send-off we might receive (based on a past experience in East Africa) but it was low-key and very pleasant with a few short speeches and modest gift giving.

Deputy Director General Dr. Peter Gendua presenting me with a few gifts.

During the week we had dinner at the yacht Club with Laura (fellow volunteer) and her mum who was visiting. We also invited the Consol General, Brenton Kanowski and one of his team, Ruby Yamuna. Also joining us was Harley who is in Lea with the St. Johns Ambulance team. 

We had emotional farewells with our NARI driver Daniel and the Black Swan security duo - Pestus and Tobias.

Saturday we packed everything up and gave some items to Wama - our housemeri. Some household things we had purchased and items owned by Australian Volunteers were given to Laura to look after. Sunday we left mid morning for a flight to Port Moresby where we stayed at Airways Hotel - thus completing the circle from when we arrived a year ago. We popped in to the AV office on Monday for end of assignment briefings with Margaret and to hand over our trackers and ePIRB unit. On Tuesday we headed to the airport after an early breakfast and caught a plane to Brisbane then another to Melbourne. Jenny declared all sorts of craft items and my dried sourdough starter. A couple of the woven items were knocked and revealed tiny insects so all such items were bundled up and will be fumigated and then delivered to Hamilton. I was surprised that the starter flakes aroused no interest.

Port Moresby domestic terminal has only one luggage belt so when several planes land close together ...

We had Wednesday in Melbourne for a long walk and to see David and his new apartment. Thursday we were booked on the afternoon train-bus to Hamilton via Warrnambool but at breakfast at our hotel we encountered my former work colleague Banjo Patterson and he kindly drove us home where we arrived just before 11am.

Apart from a couple of maintenance issues and a bit of mouse mess to clean up all was well. Toby was pleased to see us although that might change when he discovers I've banished his game machines from my TV/Audio setup again. The garden is overgrown and somewhat weedy but with the days now getting longer we will soon have it looking great for spring. We've briefly met the new neighbours and the car started after a couple of conniptions.

So good to be home!

A moth from HBS Village and a butterfly from NARI HQ to conclude this blog.

A Hooktip Moth (probably Tridrepana lunulata).

A Crow Butterfly (Euploea sp.)




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