The Auzzies have landed…in Canada this time…and we can’t be more excited!!

The Auzzies have landed…in Canada this time…and we can't be more excited!!

# photos of today's activities are going to be posted on the blog tomorrow, they are a MUST see!

We arrived around midday in Edmonton and had some happy snaps of our long awaited arrival, thank you so much to Linda and the wonderful Rotary Club of Camrose for being so patient. Then it was off to Camrose for some lunch and more importantly a shower! Thank you again to our hosts for being so welcoming and accommodating.

Next we visited the Jn Snr High School at Ermineskin First Nation which was fantastic! The school was so beautiful and the executive and staff were a wealth of knowledge.  I think we were most impressed with the student artworks and the enormous…and I must say very breathtaking tepee (just wait until you see the pictures) that was built on the site and is used as a multipurpose room.  Thank you so much to Keith (principal) and his staff for taking us on such a great tour.  It was also here that we met up with our very own Canadian Mountie, Perry and Maya who really enhanced all of our afternoon visits by sharing their additional insight, knowledge and humour with us. Thanks for being such wonderful company and taking time out of your busy schedules to spend with us.  



After our school visit we went to take a tour of Pe Sakastew Centre at Samson Creek First Nation.  This was a truly amazing and eye opening experience, we walked in not knowing what to expect and walked out blown away by the dedication and commitment of a community of people who really care about the people in their society.  Sarah was such an amazing tour guide and it was fantastic to see such a passionate person share their profession with us.  The most AMAZING experience of the day for me was watching the men at the Centre perform a First Nation song for us. They were so talented and had such incredible voices; it was a truly moving experience and one that I will never forget. They had such sincerity in their voices and what they were singing really spoke to me and the rest of the team I'm sure! 



Our terrific afternoon didn't end there.  The team then went to have afternoon tea at Roy and Judy's home.  They were so warm and welcoming and took us on a "tour" of their home, which was like a mini museum.  There were so many marvellous things to see; including artworks, historical relics, mementos and so much more.  It was a terrific afternoon and we had a lot of fun getting in photos with Roy in his father's ornate headdress and finding out about the work he and Judy, as well as many other dedicated members of the whole community, have been doing and are continuing to do.  They are awe inspiring individuals and a dynamite team! A BIG thank you to Judy who put out an afternoon tea for us that could only be described as feast and to Maya for sharing her superb talent of violin playing with us while we attempted to eat all of it J

Again, thank you to Roy and Judy for opening your home and hearts to all of us!

Finally, thank you to all of our wonderful hosts for running us around, we truly appreciate you getting us from A to B and for sharing our visits with us and making them more special.