Sydney

Sydney

As I write this it is Friday night the 27 August and I have been travelling for nearly a week. I flew from Wellington to Sydney last Sunday morning 21st and was hosted by the lovely Bob and Irma Birchall from Calyx Australia.

I had a frantic fortnight before flying out; my kitchen and bathroom are being completely renovated while I am away so decisions, decisions, decisions. I also had the audit and final Annual Report to complete for the Trust. The upshot was that I arrived tired and a bit manic.

Bob and Irma fed me, pampered me, calmed me, gave me 2 nights of glorious sleep-filled bliss and - most importantly - filled me up with lots of Koha talk and helped me focus on the trip ahead. A highlight of my stay was being present when 'the bell' got rung to celebrate the signing of a new client! Anyway I left their little spot of paradise a completely different woman ready for the adventure ahead.

Cool Thing

The night before we left, at the Sydney User Group meeting, I met a lovely librarian called Lesley and she told me about her voluntary work with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders. She helps young adults get their drivers licences, The wins for this project are immense:

• literacy aspect: learning the road code and sitting the test,
• financial aspect; avoid incurring fines for driving without a licence,
• criminal record avoided,
• social interaction with driving mentors who help with driving practice,
• public safety: less unlicensed drivers on the roads.

I really love the breadth of work that we librarians get involved in.