Stonehenge, and beyond

Mr Wilson being terrorized - again.



Russell - a wombats eye view of Stonehenge.



Mr Pearson, Russell & Sam (in the Tour Idiot Jacket).




An early bus boarding, headed for Taunton and old foe Queens College. An easy hop to Stonehenge and the unique experience offered by this mysterious feature of the English South-West. The boys were in awe and soaked in the atmosphere. Russell enjoyed the time off the bus in the fresh air of a typical grey English day, especially given that his fur protected him from the 'lazy' wind that blows across this exposed swail. A short hop to meet our hosts at Queens and a very valuable goal setting session before dispersal.

Match 1 - The Kings School, Canterbury

Joe, distributing.



A devistating forward charge.



Liam, a frightening sight.




We were at the top of our game. We saw what we shall saw. We played what was front of us and we never lay down! Playing a well drilled home side containing two current England age group representatives (fly half and outside centre). The team played some of the very best rugby they have played all year to trail by 6-10 at half time and were certainly in the game. Changing ends and having to run up hill (yes uphill) and into the wind sapped our defense and two late tries blew the score out to a margin that was not reflective of the closeness of the game. Netani and Joe were outstanding in a team that to a man lifted their game to a new level. Apart from two injured players (Goose and Lachlan Lynch) the whole squad got a run. The evening function really cemented some of the very special attributes of rugby tours in the minds of the staff. Seeing the two teams, after a very ‘willing encounter’ sharing a meal and a story spoke volumes of the special nature of this game we all love. Tomorrow it is off to Taunton to play Queens College, a school we last played five years ago. On the way Russell will get to visit Stonehenge.

Canterbury - Kent

Preperation on Birley's Field.



Ruins of the Old Abby with the Cathedral in the backgrond.

A jog (and a few cobweb releasing sprints) to start the day in Kemmel before a bus trip back to Calais to catch the ferry across the English Channel was uneventful until we lost one of the tour party at customs! Chris (Caleo) managed to hitch a ride with some passing Poms and rejoined us prior to boarding the ‘Pride of Canterbury’. Kings School Canterbury is amazing, founded in 0597AD the School is integrated into the same precinct as the Cathedral surrounded by well preserved ancient buildings as well as medieval ruins. The oldest School in England! An afternoon practice on the magnificent Birley’s Field before our boys retired to various boarding houses with their hosts. Game one awaits, against a school with a great reputation who currently have their best team in decades. We will need to be at the top of our game, but the boys are primed and ready. We shall see what we shall see. We shall play what is in front of us and we shall never lie down!

Ypres

Four Boarders from Bowen at the Menin Gate, indicating the name of Andrew Cameron Kneath, a boarder from Bowen who was killed in action in 1916




An early morning jog to start the day before a full day of WW1 history per kind (and by the end of the day, painful) favour of Stevo, really brought the enormity of the human devastation that resulted from the Great War. Traveling through France and into Belgium we visited Grammar War graves at Villers Bretonneux and a number on WW1 cemeteries along the way. Co-incidentally we encountered the Flemish archeologist who discovered the five most recent Australian soldiers are now interned at the Lone Tree Cemetery. The evening Last Post ceremony at Ypres was really moving as was discovery the names of two ex boarders whose names were amoungst the 62000 remembered on the Menin Gate.

The Somme

Mr Zietsch conducts a short but very moving ceremony at the Australian War Memorial, Villers-Bretonneux.

Friday morning an early breakfast and then a whistle stop tour of Paris. The ’boys from the bush’ were blown away by the pace of Paris, the lack of personal space on the Metro and the size and sights of one of the classic cities of the world. Our Tour mascot Russell the Wombat visited some of the great tourist attractions of the world before getting lost with the rest of the party, almost catching the wrong train to the wrong place. After a hectic morning in Paris, it was onto our coach and off to the Somme. An unfortunate delay in Albert saw some of our plans curtailed. A quick visit to some of the WW1 war graves sights to visit the graves and memorials of ex-Grammarians ended with a lovely ceremony at the memorial to Captain CM Johnson, a scholarship boarder from Homestead (1906-1908), killed in action at Guedecourt in November 1916. Dinner was ‘beefsteak’ in the town of Albert. Clayton recons that the beef “came from a thousand different cows".

Well, it is Sunday. We have been away for a while. It seems as if most of the time has been flying. The bedraggled tour party arrived in the capital of France late Thursday night and transferred to our hotel after 42 hours in transit.. The opportunity for a short stroll to ‘get the flight out of out bodies’ then onto bed. The staff took a Metro to the Arc de Triomphe and a walk to the see the Eiffel Tower at night.

In Albert

We are currently in Albert France visitng the Somme battlefields. We are leaving for England today. Large tour update coming tomorrow. (Joe G)