So
excited to have touched down in Sydney and be on our way back to see all our
families and friends.
As
we sit on the bus heading back to Newcastle we are reflecting on the past two
weeks:
Ali
- the adventure of the amazing race is drawing to a close as we head home to
reality. Awesome experience that we shared together and one that I would love
to see others experience.
Sharkie
- sad the trip is over but happy to be able to unpack the bag full of pressies
for others!
Rhi
- adventure of a lifetime with amazing people. Sad it's over but happy to be
home.
Carol
- fantastic time with wonderful group of people and can't wait to see Sharkie's
documentary.
Lou
- life changing experience. Found it tough but had great bunch of friends to
help me through it. So glad I took on the challenge.
Holly
- great historic adventure and challenge and amazing mateship. Happy not to eat
rice for a long while !
We
all feel like we have been part of the amazing race. Check out our stats:
In
the past 14 days we have been on:
·
8 flights
·
7 boat rides (113 km by boat)
·
40 coach, car or ute rides
·
110 km trek through the jungle
·
30km of general walking
·
1 train ride
We
have stayed in:
A
Longhouse, tents, 2 star hotels, Chalets, River Lodge, 5 star Le Meredian
hotel.
We
have crossed:
·
3 suspension bridges
·
9 rivers
·
Sulu Sea and South China Sea
·
Visited 3 big cities of Sandakan,
Labuan and Kota Kinabalu
·
Visited 7 small towns and
·
Been through 22 villages.
So
our amazing adventure has come to an end. We have all come back safe and sound,
created new friendships and cemented old ones.
An
amazing bunch of people from all different walks of life who came together to
do something incredible for Camp Quality. CQ is so lucky to have such
courageous and passionate people as part of its family.
We
have all come back with such knowledge of what actually went on during the
POW's captivity and with a real desire to pass this knowledge on.
What
happened to these soldiers is described as Australia's holocaust and one of its
worst war time atrocities and yet barely any Aussies even know about it.
Having
walked in their footsteps we get some idea of where these death marches took
them but we will never fully understand how they just kept going without food,
water, boots, and clothes and riddled with sickness such as malaria, ulcers or
battered and bruised bodies from beatings from the Japanese. They continued to drag their poor bodies
along the track as they knew that if they stopped then they would be shot or
stabbed.
Their
story needs to be told - they need to be recognised for their bravery. Do
yourself a favour and google the Sandakan Track Death March or better still
contact Wayne from Sandakan Spirit and book a trip over to Sandakan to walk the
Track. You will get to meet the amazing Jerome - a guide who goes way beyond
what is expected to ensure all your needs are catered for. He is a wealth of
information regarding the Death March and is so passionate about ensuring that
these courageous POW's story is told.
Thank
you to everyone who supported us in every way to get us here. A massive thank
you also to Beaker who ensured that the blog that I sent him at any and all
hours (depending on when we had wi-fi) was always posted.
Until
the next adventure,
Donna
x
