Today we had an amazing experience; first waking up to the spectacular wildlife in the Kragga Kamma Game Reserve. We saw giraffes, springbok, ostrich, zebra and even a cheetah…all from the doorway of our safari tent. 

After breakfast, we took a drive to Sinethemba Children’s Centre for a short visit. Mama Signoria and a few of the youngest children greeted us with warm hugs. Mama and Mr. Osborne took us to look inside the centre to look in the living spaces and bedrooms. There was 3 bedrooms altogether, 1 for the little kids, 1 for the middle aged and 1 for the elder kids. The rooms were small and cramped but very tidy and with very few possessions visible.

After about half an hour visiting Sinethemba, we drove about 10 minutes to Alexander Road High School. Visiting Sinethemba and then ARHS, it really let us understand that life can be very different just a mere 5 minutes apart. Once inside, we were invited to join the whole school assembly. In the assembly, we witnessed a heart-felt tribute to the late Mama Winnie Mandela who recently passed. Overall, we enjoyed the vibrant atmosphere of the proceedings. At the end of the assembly, we were treated with a student-led rally to get their school teams pumped up for a series of sporting contests the next day. After the assembly, we were given a tour by Mr. Kevin Golightly and a few of his students. We were shown various classes and felt for the first time that we were the exotic ones, with our Australian accents being a great source of entertainment for the ARHS students and perfect material for a particular maths teacher, and resident comedian.

We met with Kyle and Declan, both students of Mr. Golightly, and we worked together to organise activities for Sinethemba later in the afternoon. We meet a few more of the students from ARHS and set off to set up for various sporting activities we had planned. The Sinethemba children arrived at 3:00pm. The St. Stephen’s students made an effort to stick to our plans but soon enough, children were everywhere. Various forms of sport and hysterical laughter covered the school oval. A 6-on-6 soccer game with some of the older Sinethemba children turned into rugby and lasted over an hour. It and was an amazing spectacle to watch some of the older boys demonstrate their skill and enthusiasm. The younger Sinethemba children enjoyed the attention and their laughter fuelled our hearts and pushed us well into the afternoon.

All the Sinethemba and the Alex kids joined us on the bus as we drove back to Alex High School. The ARHS students cooked up an unbelievably tasty traditional South African Braai. As we approached the venue we could smell the amazing food cooking from a long distance away. We really enjoyed ourselves chatting with all the Sinethemba and ARHS kids and playing with a hacky-sack.

– Lauren Vaisey & Kianah Connor

Today we left Cape Town and a short 1-hour flight later, we arrived in Port Elizabeth. There, we were greeted by our driver, good friend and overall legend, John Moketsi.

John took us to our accomodation at Kragga Kamma Game Reserve. Students were immediately impressed with the ostriches and rhinos before we even got to the check-in office.

Terri, our safari guide took us on a game drive. In just the first day we’ve already spotted springbok, wildebeest, bontebok, giraffe, cheetahs, impalas, monkeys, nyalas and warthogs.

After this amazing experience, we went to Fairview Soccer Courts where we caught up with our good friend Stephen Morgan and some of the boys from Hearts Football Club. We jumped straight into some mixed 5-on-5 games. Afterward, they organised a traditional braai and we all had delicious boereworse roll and salads. They were such terrific hosts and very accomodating. Our visit finished with the presentation of the soccer boots and equipment that has been donated by our friends and family back in Australia. Stephen Morgan and Heart’s F.C. will be able to disperse this equipment to underfunded clubs within various communities.

The evening culminated with our nightly ritual of a ‘debrief’ where we review the days events and share what we observed and what we thought about. It’s fantastic to see our students becoming better travellers each day.

– Mr. C. Osborne

We began our day by visiting the District 6 Museum. There, we learnt the confronting stories of the Apartheid era, especially of those affected in District 6. We learnt how the residents of District 6 were forcibly removed from their own homes, often resulting in their houses being demolished all because of the colour of their skin. We were all certainly touched and the next bus ride was very quiet to say the least.

We then moved on to a driving tour of Langa Township and arrived at Mokone Public Primary School. We were overwhelmed with kindness when we were greeted by some beautiful singing by a group of the primary students.

After this, we engaged in some games of netball and soccer with some of the primary students. Who had the most points at the end of the games is not important. Let’s just say that Australia was well represented and in our eyes, we’re all winners.

After presenting Mokone Primary school with our boots, shoes, clothing and equipment donations, we went for lunch at Nomzamo’s Butchery in the heart of the township. We were provided with a variety of meats and a dish called ‘pap’ and we all tucked in with our hands, just as the locals would (except for our vegetarian and vegan students who were also well looked after).  We then embarked on an hour long walk around the township, learning the ins and outs of the Langa lifestyle. The Langa Township was a vibrant and cohesive community. PIC 3

At the Cape Town United School of Football, we trained with the Under 13’s team and got to know a lot of the players. We played some short games where they out-skilled us by far, meaning next year’s South Africa Tour Students should probably start training! After training, we then caught up with the Senior Soccer team where we presented them with their brand new track suits as well as several duffle bags of donated boots and equipment. We also donated several duffle bags of shoes and equipment for the affiliated women’s netball team.

We then invited some of the junior players and few of their coaches to join us in finishing the day with a dinner at LeLapa. This restaurant has operated out of a converted house since 1960. We enjoyed some fantastic live music and we all had fun learning how to play the instruments and dancing with the locals. The food was sensational. We enjoyed great music and enjoyed a great variety of delicious foods, including Kudu and Ostrich.

In all, this day opened all our eyes and changed our perspective of South African townships.

– Olivia Martin & Alex Avern-Taplin

Day two was an opportunity to see some of the sites around Capetown with the firm focus on “being a traveler, not a tourist”. Often people can get caught up trying to get the perfect photo or see every sight, that they forget to be in the moment and be aware of what they are experiencing.  So with that in mind and a packed lunch in our bags we began our adventure for the day heading to Hout Bay and visiting Seal Island.  Along the way we were able to see the segregation of the townships and witnessed the affects of the significant unemployment problem that South Africa is facing with people lining roads to ask for daily work.

The coastline south of Capetown is spectacular and we drove from Hout Bay to Simon’s Town further along the peninsula to make our second stop at the penguin colony.  We didn’t have to go very far before we saw two African Penguins who hadescaped and were crossing the roads on their own adventure.  The boardwalk allowed us to go down to the beach where we were able to see many more penguins enjoying the beach sun baking or going for a swim!

From there we continued south to Cape Point, the south-western point of Africa.  More wildlife for us to see which included some ostriches, antelope from afar and the cheeky baboon.  Where else but in Africa would you see a baboon taking a ride on a visitor’s car!  Arriving at the Cape of Good Hope we took the obligatory photo in front of the sign before heading up the small mountain for a better view. To the east we could see our next destination which was the Cape’s lighthouse where we also took the long inclined paved walk to the top.

Returning home to our guesthouse, we drove through some more affluent areas which were in stark contrast to the townships which we passed on our way out from the airport.  Our final challenge for the day was again in line with our “be a traveller” focus. The minimum monthly wage in SA is R3500 ($350A)  and there is 28% unemployment so the staff/student challenge was to eat dinner for less than R50.  Driving on our way to the Waterfront we once agin were reminded of the intrigue of Africa where one minute we are behind a red shiny Ferrari and the next we are behind a vehicle that had a cheetah in the back!

Whilst the challenge was not impossible it was restrictive in the choices that we could make.  We were all successful, however it took more time and effort. Some chose meals that they would not have first chosen, others were resourceful and pooled their money, whilst others showed initiative and looked for other options than the easy to find.

In our end of day reflections, students were able to identify a way that they had attempted to be less of a tourist and how this had helped them have a richer experience.

Today was an opportunity to recognise the differences in how people live in SA. Tomorrow we get to experience this more closely as we begin our service component by visiting Langa township and Capetown United Football Club.

Mr Thomas

After a long flight we arrived safely in Cape Town, where we received a hearty welcome from District 6’s Guest House. All in all, between flights and our homecoming, we enjoyed three breakfasts. We are all a little heavier as a consequence.
Needing to get the blood pumping, some students pondered a Table Mountain hike. The teachers however decided shopping at Waterfront will be a better cardio choice, followed by a cable car trip to the mountain top.
The views never cease to amaze, neither does the rotating floor of the cable car.
After a hearty meal at Spur, we headed back home, all in a Zombie haze. Donation packing and organisation lingered and was achieved in one epic group effort. We prevailed.

We were all very tired and headed off to bed early.

-Gillian Erasmus

Dear Tour Parents, Friends, Family and Colleagues,

Just a quick note to let you know that we have arrived safely in Cape Town with no problems. The students are really excited and really tired, which makes for an interesting combination. We’ve got lots to do today, so we’ll post more later.

Our contact phone number is: 0438605188 but should be used for emergencies only.

-Mr. C. Osborne

Tour Students,

Today has been a long time and coming. Your journey first started almost 10 months ago, when you first sat down and interviewed to go on this tour. In that interview, you convinced the tour staff that you have a desire for adventure, the willingness to get involved and work with other people, the entrepreneurial skills to fundraise, and the passion to make a difference in the lives of other people. I’m pleased to say that you have consistently demonstrated these driving forces over the last 10 months. The time has now come use the skills you possessed and the skills you have gained to make a real difference in the lives of others. Are you ready?! Are you as excited as we are?!

Tonight (Sunday, 8th April), we are to meet promptly at 8:00pm near the South African Airways check-in desk in Terminal 1. You are to wear a  tour shirt and school sports shorts or track pants with normal sport shoes. This is because we are a team and travel as a team. Therefore, we should look like a team. If you wish, you can change into different shirt/shoes, etc. during the flight if you like, but change back into your tour gear before we land in Johannesburg. You should either wear your tour jumper or pack it in your carry on bag as well. Please be sure that you have used a permanent marker to write your name on the labels of your clothing, especially your tour clothing.

Check to make sure you have your passport before you leave the house and check for it again when you get out of the car at the airport. Considering the weight of your bags, I suggest hiring a trolley to get your bags from the car to the check-in desk.

Today, you should relax and spend real quality time with your parents and siblings. Whether  you realise it or not, they have been with you this whole time, supporting you and this journey the whole time. Show them gratitude and make today a truly awesome day.

-Mr. C. Osborne

P.S. –> If you have any questions or concerns or need clarification on anything, please do not hesitate to contact me. I will be checking my eMail throughout the day.

Is your tour clothing washed and ready to go?

You will fly in your tour shirt and either school sports shorts or track pants. I suggest wearing your shorts, but pack your track pants, tour jumper, and a spare t-shirt in your carry on bag/day pack. We are representing the school, so we want to look like a travelling sports team on the flights. Have you put your passport, wallet, phone/camera in a safe place so you will not forget to bring them?

Your personal bag should now be 95% packed, with the only remaining things to pack being the 1 or 2 items you want to chuck in at the last minute (and any other donations you have taken home to fill space). As we discussed before, your clothing selections should be modest (nothing too short or revealing) and there is no need to pack designer clothes..it’s just not necessary. You should have weighed your duffle bag to ensure it is as close to, but not more than 23kg. If you have packed some of the tools we are bringing, you should have put them in a plastic bag (to prevent damaging your clothes) and then wrapped them up in some of your clothing (to prevent damage during transit).

Your large duffle bag completely filled with donations and sports equipment should also be as close to, but not exceed 23kg. Same goes with any tools you have packed…put them in a plastic bag (to prevent damaging your clothes) and then wrapped them up in some of your clothing (to prevent damage during transit).

-Mr. C. Osborne

Dear Tour Students,

There are still plenty of donations to be packed if you still have room (and weight available) in your duffle bag or personal bag. Please come and collect them from me from 3:10pm onward in the GPLC on Friday. Less than 3 days to go!

-Mr. C. Osborne