Friendship Force - Sunshine Coast hosts again

View of Moselle Bay in Noumea, New Caledonia

The Friendship Force Sunshine Coast has hosted the first inbound exchange journey since we farewelled visiting ambassadors from Long Island USA just before COVID began in March 2020.

Recently a group of members from clubs in South Sydney and Tamworth arrived on the Sunshine Coast to be home-hosted by our club for a week of exploration, cultural exchange and associated activities. An excellent program was designed by Jeff Gunns and his team to explore many of the delights of life here in our region. Our visiting ambassadors, their hosts and club members began the week with an informative Maroochy River cruise and walk through the wetlands sanctuary, experiencing first hand the native flora and fauna living among the mangrove forest. We also visited Point Cartwright and the water tower murals, the Qcamel Dairy and Beerwah Tavern, nearby farms growing exotic fruit and bees, a visit to Blackall Range and the rainforests in Mary Caincross Scenic Reserve. Travelling north our group enjoyed a morning at the only theatre in the world showing silent movies year round at the heritage listed Majestic Theatre in Pomona where they took a ‘step back in time’ to watch The Lost World movie. The afternoon included a ferry ride from Tewantin to Noosa and an exploration of the area. The final day began with a treasure hunt at Mooloolaba beach and ended with a excellent farewell dinner at the Loose Goose in Twin Waters. Many new friendships were forged during the visit and the FFSC members enjoyed being back in the business of furthering their mission of love and peace to others. While many other clubs in this world-wide organisation have had difficulties surviving during the pandemic, our Friendship Force Sunshine Coast club has managed to thrive and grow. This may well be due to the club’s policy of nurturing members and maintaining their ability to actively and safely explore the local environment and its cultures.

Later this year, members will journey to stay with clubs in Perth and amount Gambier, and in 2023 will host a world-wide incoming journey before visiting Wellington and Noumea later in the year.

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