But . . . before I get into my news I just want to just say a bit about all these pics first. I have shared with lots of people since I moved up here about the unique family Christmas Day tradition we have at Phil & Shellie's place . . . a great big water fight (big as in with buckets and not water pistols LOL!), but, because I am always in the thick of it, I never got to take any photos of the mayhem myself, and its really hard to describe just what its like in words alone. Now, part of what makes this water fight such a beauty, is the fact that Phil & Shellie have friends Jack & Jenny who run a backpackers hostel a few minutes down the road from them, and this water fight has also become a tradition for their backpackers on Christmas Day as well . . . this year there was about 30 of them that came to join in, and, thanks to Jenny, who took the photos, I am able to give you a glimpse of the fun it always is. We had these three huge tubs (below) filled with water before we started, but with 30 - 40 kids (in big bodies) and a good supply of buckets, it did not take long to empty them LOL!
I have quite a few pics to share with you, so what I am going to do is share a bit of news and info in between them, so you don't have a whole stack of words to read in one go, OK. Here, below, we see my nephew Harley (tall skinny guy with the tatts on the right) on a mission . . . probably to get a new bucket . . . those cheap plastic things are not really made for this kind of action and the place was literally littered with bucket handles and pieces when it was all over LOL!
OK, my news . . . hmmm, perhaps I should go back and have a quick run through from where I left off in my last update. I had quite recently completed my Certificate III In Aged Care, and was working at Carinya Home For The Aged. Well . . . I actually did not work there for very long. Despite it being absolutely perfect, position-wise, there were a few things about working there that I did not enjoy and when I thought about what I really wanted to be doing for the rest of my life, then Carinya was just not it. I mean . . . the residents were beautiful people, and I know I made a positive difference to the lives of some of them, and most of my co-workers were great to work with . . . and the whole experience of doing the training and working in the role was invaluable . . . but engaging in it for more than I had already done was just not for me. So, it was back to the challenging task of looking for work again for me. Here (below) we see me quick to get into the action and unleashing some serious water into the backpacker throng after arriving a few minutes after the fun had started.
As I had discovered before doing the Certificate III In Aged Care, work was scarce in the little country town of Atherton, and so I wondered several times, as my cash flow started going backwards again, if I had made the right decision in terminating my employment at Carinya, but each time I was able to remember I had followed my heart, and that the Universe would always support that, and so I had to just hand over and trust in the unfolding. In June, a door opened, and I did a Drumbeat Facilitator Training and in July, another door opened and I found myself enrolled in a Diploma Of Youth Work course with Community Training Australia (CTA) at their Malanda Campus. Why Youth Work? I'm not sure really. Maybe I just wanted to go in a completely different direction to Aged Care LOL! Here (below) we see some serious backpacker retaliation LOL!
Well, I loved pretty well everything about doing the Diploma of Youth Work. The venue was awesome, the lecturer was great, the time schedule was brilliant for me (one week full-time going through two modules on Campus then 4 or 5 weeks to complete the related assignments . . . and going through that process four times all up), and the group of people doing it with me were awesome fun (we laughed so much during our full-time on-campus weeks). The assignments were not that much fun though, especially towards the end, but the one thing I simply had no love for was my negative cash flow. It was not this course in particular, as any full time study would have resulted in it, but to counter this, another door opened in October when a friend of mine with the trolley collection contract for the local Big W store in Atherton lost a worker and needed someone to take his place.
I have to admit, I never really expected to find myself working as a trolley boy, but after swallowing my pride and "just doing it" I really loved the work. The money is almost as good as what I was getting as an AIN at Carinya, and it was perfect time-wise, because it was only 3 days a week, which meant it did not disrupt my full-time study (assignments) too much, and the one on-campus week that clashed was easily worked around. It was outdoors (even though it was very busy and hot over Christmas), I lost about 4 kgs, my fitness improved dramatically (its physically a lot harder than it looks), I was my own boss pretty well, so could take breaks when I wanted, and I was able to catch up with lots of people each day because practically the whole town shops there. Here (below) we see Shellie's demise. Harley (behind his mate Callum) holds her firmly while another mate of his, Daniel, unloads a bucket all over her.
Anyway, it was about this time that I also began the process of applying for a job with Queensland Correctional Services (QCS) . . . as one of the 20 odd new Correctional Officers at Lotus Glen Correctional Centre (LGCC). I say process, because that's exactly what it was, as the recruitment was handled by a recruitment agency from Victoria that was particularly thorough. This process included an online IQ test, then an online psyche test, the customary police checks, a full medical examination, an emergency response physical test, and an assessment day in Cairns that included an interview, group problem solving (with observation), and a computer aptitude test. It also included interviews with two referees, and although that proved to be a little challenging to organise, it worked out in the end. Oh, by the way, I did complete all my assessments for the Diploma Of Youth Work (below), and received my certificate in the mail earlier this month (February 2014). I am not sure if there is going to be a graduation ceremony or not.
I think the fact that I was doing this Diploma, had done the Drumbeat Facilitation, had worked for 5 years in Mental Health in Victoria, and had a Diploma of Teaching . . . all played a part in the success of my application, because at 55, I think I might well have been the oldest applicant . . . that was successful. Yes, I found out in January when I was offered one of the positions, and this was the news I was waiting for before I did this update. Basically I was going to share with you either that I was happily working as a trolley boy at Big W, or that I was about to start a 10 week training as a Correctional Officer with QCS at the LGCC, and I am really happy that I can share the latter of the two, even though, as I said, I did love my trolley boy work. Here (below) we see me getting backpacker water from all directions, but I have to say I did Queensland proud on the day LOL!
The Correctional Officer position feels perfect for me right now. It means a dramatic and considerable reversal of my cash flow (which is such a weight off my shoulders), and I am sure it won't be too long before I am in the black again. The initial 10 week training is 8 hours a day I think, five days a week, but once that is finished, I will be working 12 hour shifts, 3 days on, 3 days off, which I expect to be much more enjoyable than 9 to 5, five days a week, with a two day weekend. Now . . . there's a few people I want to thank. The referee checks were crucial to this recruitment agency, and so without my referees, I simply would not have been offered this position, so thank you to Edith, my old Community Residential Support Team (CREST) boss for being one of them, and thank you to Bruce, my parent's doctor, who agreed to be the other. Also, thanks to Lisa, an old CREST team leader who was so helpful in helping me to track down Edith. Neither of these women worked for CREST any more, but Lisa worked for another agency under the Eastern Access Community Health (EACH) umbrella while Edith had actually left EACH altogether. Here (below) we see some sneaky tactics by yours truly . . . all captured on film LOL! With the tubs of water empty over near the house, we had to resort to getting our water straight out of the irrigation channel. A nice friendly backpacker offers to help . . . I don't need it but thank him, we chat, and he drinks his beer . . . then when he's not expecting it, I empty my bucket on him LOL!
So . . . we are almost up to date. I completed all the paperwork that I was sent regarding QCS employment, and two weeks ago I attended an orientation day at Lotus Glen where we were fitted for uniforms ,etc., and taken on a tour of the facility. I am writing this on Sunday 16th February . . . the day before my 10 week training begins, so I will be up early tomorrow and raring to go. :) Here (below), due to the water running out in the tubs, and the pump that pumped the water out of the channel to fill them being unable to provide the volume of water necessary for such a water fight, the water fight moved . . . to . . . and into . . . the irrigation channel LOL!
Well . . . that's it guys! I finally got this update done. I finished working as trolley boy two weeks ago, and have had a "to do" list of considerable length that I have been working through. Now I have one more item to cross off the list. Woooooo Hoooooo! Yeah, I know it's been over 12 months since the last update, but better late then never I reckon, and I do intend, at this point in time, to improve on that with the next one. Here (below) we see the water fight crew when it was all over . . . some of us had even dried off and got dressed LOL! I hope you enjoyed these pics and that they enabled you to get a real sense of our Christmas Day water fight . . . so . . . until next time, blessings and In Lak'ech to you and all your loved ones . . .
