On the 4th of October, sumivsti and plastuny from Geelong, along with parents and friends, set off on a 4 day boating trip down the Murray River. It is not the first time the Geelong branchs of these two organizations have organized and partaken in outdoor activities together. Prior to this we have participated in rock-climbing, abseiling snorkelling, hiking and other forms of outdoor activity. This is another chapter of the Geelong Ukrainian organizations working together to develop and establish strong bonds within the community.
Eleven plastuny, ten cymivsti and a group of parents and helpers made our expedition group’s final head count thirty. Logistically, hiring and transporting nine boats was any organizers nightmare but thankfully we had the two best organizers (Marko and Pavlo), and parents and helpers to keep things running very efficiently. We left from the cymivska domivka on Thursday morning, but did not arrive at our destination, campground in Barmah, till four o’clock in the afternoon.
The next three days were spent boating (in motorised ‘tinnies’) down the Murray River and camping along the way. Each boat had two to four people, there were nine boats in total. Each boat had a licensed driver, but most of the participants had a turn at driving the boat under supervision. This was a fantastic learning experience for us all.
It was sad see that some parts of this iconic Australian river were severely affected by the drought, nevertheless the Australian landscape in its uniqueness has its own beauty and serenity.
One of the most significant things that I took notice of was the fact that despite the vast differences in ages - ranging from seven to fifty, everyone worked together, supported one another and enjoyed each others company. It was a terrific demonstration of how well people can work together regardless of age and which organization they belonged to – everybody understood the common bond that we share, which is that we are all Ukrainian.
It was a highly successful trip. It was very efficiently conducted, thanks to the great organizational skills of Druh Marko Tkaczuk and Druh Pavlo Bazalicki. Thank you druzi for all your enormous effort, it truly was a great experience that will be remembered by all participants as one of the best prohylky. A big thankyou also to Ivan Bereza who provided many of the boats, knowledge and guidance that was needed to get us through this trip. Parents and friends were also an essential part of the trip - we thank them most sincerely for their support. And of course without financial support from our good friends at Dnister, this unique experience would not have gone ahead. Thank you Dnister for once again supporting us.
It is with great anticipation that we now look forward to the Krajovyj Tabir Molodi at Sokil at the end of the year. As we do to our next Geelong adventures – a snow trip and hike planned in 2008 and a tour of Geelong youth and families in 2009 to Ukraine.
Written by Plastunka Sophia Lubczenko Geelong
