With the conference up and running we were on our feet no earlier than 10am. Meeting up with the Canadian GSE team the night before meant that we may have had a social night catching up and talking everything GSE.
So with the team up to the conference at 10am we went to watch a couple of speakers and then head to lunch. What a feast that was! The food and atmosphere at the conference was a replication to that in Coonabarabran. After lunch some of the team left to reorganise ourselves and return for an all important speech, the Canadian GSE teams presentation on their experiences in Australia and what they learnt. Unfortunately Mark and myself could not attend this presentation as we were lucky enough to meet Cal Dakin who works for the Alberta Pacific Forest Industries pulp mill. This mill is the largest in the province, employing more than 500 staff and cutting 8 million cubic metres a year of deciduous and some coniferous trees.
Holy crap!!!
Cal went on to describe APFs forest management area which was huge! On average APF have 350 trucks coming into the log yard per day 365 days a year. Can you even comprehend the amount of trees there are in that log yard??? Whoa it's big! Cal also mentioned that on a busy day in winter they can traffic on average 450 trucks per day most with a tonnage of 50 - 70 tonne. I can't speak for Mark here but those figures blew my mind. We also leant about the new technique APF were undertaking in how they planned out their lots and also how they have gone from having a 20 year plan to 30yrs. By the time we had to go we had been speaking to Cal for around 1.5hrs and could not thank Cindy enough for organising this informal meeting.
Once Cal left the team had to say goodbye to the Canadian GSE team as most of them were heading home. It was a sad moment but the girls and I were keen to get ready for the evenings festivities. The DG's ball!!
It took a little while but the girls and I were having a celebratory beer whilst we got ready. Woo hoo.... The guys looked very handsome in their suits with a bright red Canada tie and the girls put on our dresses. Emma was looking very fine in a knit dress with a beautiful pearl necklace, Kylie wore an amazing black dress with knockout heels and I tagged along in a red dress with some shoes that Emma, Kylie and Holly Astill helped me purchase in Whitecourt's walmart! Bargain!!! All night the team were being complimented in our dress and I must say we were one of the hottest tables of the night.
Kylie got on stage with Robert from the Athabasca club to help "improve" (as told by Robert) his skit. As 2nd place winner of Rotary's Got Talent he needed to perform once more. It was hilarious! Kylie had to sing every sentence she wanted to say whilst Robert performed a magic trick of placing knives through her neck.
After the official speeches and some thank you's the team were on the dance floor rocking it with some of district 5370s finest rotarians. I know for a fact I had to change out of my silver heels and get some flats on because I had blisters forming but that wasn't going to stop me dancing! We dance, we sung and then we cried at 1:30am when we had to say goodbye to some of the host families we had on our stay.
So home again, late night again but we will forever rock on in Athabasca!
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