Island Caretaker needs help

Sailing Maxi into arlie

Best Job in the World is Tourist Queensland promotion for Islands of the Great Barrier Reef. This last winter thousands of hopefuls made viral videos and applied to be the “island caretaker” of Hamilton Island. Yours truly included. The winner was a blond brit; Ben Southall, a young enthusiastic beach and surf poster boy. An obvious choice, second only to a female version backpacker adventurer type.

Now only one month after the start of the Island Caretaker job was awarded, Tourism Queensland is looking for 4 mates; Island caretaker helpers for Ben Southall. It seems the job was just too much for this “bloke” from UK. Perhaps experience should have been the choice over blond beach hair? Or its just that after the fanfare of the “best job” competition the PR drive was not able to be sustained and a new way to grab attention and capitalize on those million of internet hits was needed.

Personally I would love to win a 7 week trip to Queensland for me and 3 of my friends. It is just my type of trip. My wife and I have done much of this trek already. In 2004 and 2005 we travelled from Perth to Ayers Rock to Cairns, Australia, doing several weeks in Queensland. Flying down to Rockhampton and then driving up the sunshine coast to Townsville, MacKay, Arlie Beach, Tully, Mission Beach and up to Port Douglas, Cooktown and Kuranda. Along “Bruce” the only highway I know with a proper name (Where else but Queensland?), We experienced the people and places of Queensland and blogged about it on http://Mytripjournal.com/Queensland2005.

Queensland Vacation

Should I enter this competition? Of course. At least this time I wouldn’t have to sit in the snow.

Infinite Communication Finite Connection

I received a Facebook notification and message from a family member today; he is attending university away from home but near me. Then a Skype call came in from a cousin in Italy. Its as if we are all just here, now. It’s amazing.

I can recall when my father left Italy for Canada; we didn’t hear or see him for a year. My mother may have received letters or postcards but I don’t recall a phone call, and if there was one it would have been late at night when the rates were less and the time difference had little impact for either of them on both sides of the Atlantic. When we immigrated to Canada it was 5 years before I saw my cousin and family members. We did have phones but access was limited.

Today communication is unlimited. We connect by internet, Skype, Facebook, email, blackberry. We can see and hear people from around the world. This weekend we helped a friends’ child in Germany study for a test. We have unlimited calling 24 hours a day, no waiting for 6 pm to get a reduced rate. We email and Skype without additional cost. With webcam we can see each other in real-time.

We talk, we connect, we exchange thoughts. It can be overwhelming and sometimes distracting. Yet where would we be without the ability to communicate with each other.

Friends shape you more

Consider how much time you spend with your friends growing up. Peer pressure and influences from your friends are significant. In school you spend your days and free time with friends much more then with siblings and family. Your personal tastes and attitudes are shaped by this interaction much more than any other influence.

In the playground we play with anyone, and then we become more discriminating. Who we chose as friends in our youth will likely be there most of our lives. I still occasionally keep in touch with my first pre-school friend. Friends from high-school are still a significant part of my life. Do you have friends that you have known your whole life?

Keep your friends close, some day they may be the only ones who understand where you came from.