On Thursday September 4, three young ambassadors from the Gwydir Shire were accompanied by Alyse Steiger to Sydney for the annual Willoughby exchange program.
Willoughby 2014 – Mathew McNamara, Kodie Hardy, Jorjah Coss, Willoughby students, Mayor of Willoughby Gail Giles-Gidney and Cr Peter Pankhurst.
The bus and train trip to Sydney was an enjoyable experience for the country kids.
The Gwydir group was greeted at the train station in Chatswood before meeting up with the Willoughby students at the Chatswood Youth Centre. Various activities were enjoyed by the students including table tennis, pool, and roof top soccer.
The trip was packed full of fun including a beach visit and a visit to the Aboriginal Heritage Museum in Manly. Cr. Pankhurst, General Manager Max Eastcott, Glen Pereira and Suzanne Webber accompanied the students on a Sydney Harbour Bridge climb on Friday before attending the Willoughby Spring Fair and street parade on Saturday.
Students were presented with certificates in recognition of their participation in the exchange program.
A visit to Macquarie Ice Rink on the Saturday afternoon was a novelty and saw some tumbles, but all in all everyone had a lot of fun. Sunday was busy with a visit to the China Town Markets then a tour of Darling Harbour.
Monday morning came around too quickly and as everyone had developed very strong friendships during the program, the students were reluctant to depart. The students all agreed that it was a great trip and one they would never forget.
Thank you to our ambassadors from Gwydir, Kodie Hardy and Mathew McNamara (Warialda High School) and Jorjah Coss( Bingara High School) for representing our Shire and making the trip so much fun.
by Alyse Steiger
