This is Nathan here. On the first full day in Eidsvold I helped out at the old RSL being converted into a youth centre for the local kids. We dug garden beds, planted trees, mowed and fixed the fence to name just a few jobs. You can imagine, doing all of this in the intense heat of Northern Queensland would be quite draining, and sure enough we had to stop regularly for drink breaks.  The day after, myself and some other keen individuals helped to finish off a hole for a memorial fountain, designed by our very own Marcia and Kathryn.  We finished that in approximately an hour and made our way to the historical society to help out. At the historical society me and the other boys helped to move historical railway carriages, remove weeds from amongst ancient machine parts and re-stack planks that had a whole eco-system of their own underneath! The most fulfilling part of this day for me was being able to interact with the old men who were helping us, and learning more about not only the history of the objects we were working with, but individual stories as well. Being able to help at Eidsvold has really emphasised to me the importance of having an understanding and a relationship with the people you’re helping. We made many great friends and I truly believe that without the lovely and genuine people in Eidsvold our experience would not have been nearly as good.

The experiences and opportunities we took and gave in Eidsvold are ones money just can’t buy. We thank the members of the Eidsvold community dearly for all their support and we are very keen on re-visiting. Although we were about 2 hours late for Theodore because the air con in the bus stopped working and Duncan had to fix it, I’m sure no body was complaining about having to stay in Eidsvold for an extra 2 hours.

On an end note, we just want to say YEAH BUDDY!
- Nathan

This is Teleah updating you all on some of the events of the Big Lift Team, all the way from Eidsvold, Queensland. The two days we spent there were more than eventful. Our days consisted of A LOT of manual labour in various areas within the community. Some students participated in an Optiminds project, where they grouped up with students from Eidsvold State School and worked with them on activities, which melted their brains. This small school catered for 86 students all the way from prep to grade 12. I was paired up with the lovely Leonie and we took our 5 kids outside to play our first game. If anyone knows the game Jenga, it was the same theory, however we used wooden blocks and they were significantly larger. Admittedly, we built the tower up almost as high as Leonie and I (about 150cm ;) ) which was a little awkward because some of these kids were taller than us. At the end of the day, the kids from all groups gathered together and we all played a few games together. I wasn’t very good at them to be honest and I learnt that those kids are A LOT better than me at any game involving numbers. Our final goodbye consisted of 3 ‘fireworks’ from the students, which were 3 loud claps and a giant YEAH BUDDY for some of the most amazing kids I have ever met in my life. It was great to know they had a good time and that we made an impact on them all. I felt like I really connected with the kids in a way that cannot be explained in words. They are such smart kids and they will all go such a long way, they just need the opportunities.

- Teleah