In 2005 two "additional pupils" - George and Geraldine Bear were part of the K-2 students' classroom activities. The two bears spent each weekend with a different student and stories were written of experiences with their "host" families. As well as the weekend adventures on the local scene, Geraldine went on an overseas trip to Scotland in July, 2005, and during Term 4, 2005 both George and Geraldine went on a Queensland holiday. visiting students in a Queensland school.
Geraldine's Diary of her Trip to Scotland.
7th July, 2005 - left Wee Waa to go to Newcastle to stay with Jasmine and Heath – I couldn't wait to meet them. Had two nights staying with them. Also saw Thomas, Beth, Abigail and Susanna who were very excited to meet me.
9th July, 2005 - (J.B.'s birthday) - went to Tuggerah Shopping Centre where I enjoyed a big birthday lunch at Hoggs Breath Cafe before going on to Sydney. Shared another big birthday party with Emily, Alex and Jessica before going out to Sydney International Airport at Mascot ready to go on my big trip to Scotland. Saw so many people - some looked happy - some looked sad - some looked tired but I knew no-one was feeling as excited or as tired as I was. Was hoping I would get some sleep on the big plane. At 10.00 p.m. all the people - and I - boarded the plane and after a few instructions on safety, we were on our way into the big dark sky. I was fortunate to have a seat to myself and when I realised I could watch movies and play games, I didn't feel tired any more.
10th July, 2005 - the plane arrived at Heathrow in London and then we had to find out where to go so that we could catch the plane which was flying to Scotland. That took ages as everything was so BIG and so many more people were around me. I don't think anyone has seen a bear like me before, as they kept looking at me. I told them my name was Geraldine and that I came from Wee Waa. Nobody had heard of Wee Waa and yet I think it is a great place. One thing I noticed was that everyone was speaking differently to all my friends back in Australia. I guess this is what is meant when you hear people speaking with different accents. On the plane to Scotland one of the flight attendants spoke to me - he thought I was the best behaved bear on a plane he had ever seen and he brought me a kit-kat for being so good. I was very happy to be given a kit-kat and I thought I would take some home for George. Sadly, this didn't happen as I forgot and before I knew, I had eaten it. We had a ride into Edinburgh on a bus and then walked to the place where we were staying for the night - I was exhausted by this time and didn't even want to watch television.
11th July, 2005 - up bright and early but soon went back to bed. The time was only 4 o'clock in the morning - the sun gets up very early in Scotland in summer.
I also discovered that the sun goes to bed very late as well - around 10.30 p.m. at night. Today was the day we collected our car to drive around for the time we were staying. I had a ride in a taxi which was fun - taxis are very different looking to the taxis in Australia. After collecting the car we had an interesting time trying to find our way through the streets - everything was so busy and horns were beeping all the time.
12th July, 2005 - wasn't in a hurry to get up this morning - we were going to Pitlochry in the middle of Scotland. This took quite a long time to get through all the traffic but it was worth the time as when we arrived at Pitlochry - it was the prettiest place you would ever see anywhere in the world. This town has won the prize for the prettiest floral town in the whole of the United Kingdom, which includes England, Wales and Scotland. Had some photos taken whilst I was at Pitlochry - I wanted to remember this place for a long time. At Pitlochry I made friends with two children whose mum came from Tibet. Can't remember their names but I had my photo taken with them whilst I was playing with them.
13th July, 2005 - today we packed our bags again and we travelled up through Kingussie to Barbaraville which is near Tain. We stopped at Kingussie for lunch and
I tried some haggis. Really liked it - although I was careful not to have too much. I didn't want to put on too much weight as I didn't want to have to go and buy some more clothes.
The first thing I saw when we arrived at our bed and breakfast home was a sign that read - no swimming as there are crocodiles in the water. I took notice of that straight away and kept reminding myself not to even paddle my toes in the water. I wrote a letter to George from this place and bought a stamp at the local post office - Mandy was very kind to sell me the stamp as she has never sold a stamp to a bear before. She said - "wait until I get home and tell my family that today I sold my first stamp to a bear - they will think that I am daft." I think she used the wrong word or perhaps I misheard her - I am sure she would have said - they will think that I am famous!.
I met some people today from Denmark. They were going to tell Princess Mary I had been speaking to them - I had my photo taken with them so Princess Mary could see that I really was in Scotland.
14th July, 2005 - a big trip was on the program for today as I went on a long drive to the top of Scotland - it was very cold and misty with rain. I had some lunch at Thurso and on the way to John O'Groats which is what is known as the end of the road we stopped at the Castle Mey - this was the home of Queen Elizabeth's mother. I saw some signs which said - no cameras to be used - and I was a bit disappointed. However, when I spoke to the lady at the door - she was so pleased to see me and to know I had come so far from Wee Waa that she did a very special thing - just for me. She actually closed the front door to the castle to keep other people out - and then I sat on the steps in the entrance hall and had my photo taken with me sitting in front of some beautiful flowers. Then the front doors were opened again, and people were wondering why I was so special - I think! Outside the castle I also had a photo taken of me sitting on a special seat that Prince Charles had put there for me if or when I was able to come and visit. That was nice of him, wasn't it.
15th, 16th, 17th July, 2005 - this was a big weekend. It was a big gathering of people from all over the world who had come to Eilean Donan castle for a reunion. Over 200 people came from America, Canada, Argentina, Australia (I was one of this lot), New Zealand, England and Scotland. People were dressed in tartan kilts and bagpipes were being played in the mountains. The castle was a dream - I had to walk across a bridge to get to the castle and it was huge. A big, huge stone building which was very old - and also very cold! I met Alex who was a guide of the castle and we became good friends. He and I had a photo taken together. Must remember to write to him when I get home.
I went on the bus to the Highland Games at Loch Carron - the day was misty rain again, but I think this is what the weather is usually like in that part of the world. Lots of people were at the games and we marched behind the pipe band. Everyone was cheering for me - I think although it might have been for all the Australians who were the first to march. It was a good day. Lots of competitions took place and one of the funniest things to see was a race called - Run the Hill. I couldn't imagine anyone walking up this mountain, let alone trying to run up it - and then they had to run back again to win a prize. I was quite happy to sit and watch (and stay warm).
On the Sunday we went for a drive to the Isle of Skye. It was raining for most of the time so we didn't get to see very much. One thing that I saw which I was amazed to see was a building which had snakes on display. I didn't go in as I don't like snakes.
18th, 19th, 20th July, 2005 - by this time I was exhausted and had to catch up on some sleep. I missed out on a ferry ride to the Isle of Mull but I enjoyed hearing all about it before bed time. On the Isle of Mull is a castle which is the McLean's castle. It was a beautiful castle too, and had so many interesting items displayed with a history going back to the 10th century. At Oban we had yummie prawns to eat - and lots of them, too.
21st, 22nd July, 2005 - we said goodbye to Oban and to Mrs. Barbour, who made the most beautiful fried bread for breakfast - will miss that as I am sure nobody else will do that. On our way to Ayr, we called to see Euan whom I met at the Eilean Donan castle. He goes to school at Wemyss Bay which is near Glasgow and he is in Year Six. He asked if I could have a photo of me - I liked Euan. We arrived in Ayr after travelling for most of the day - to find the bed and breakfast home where we were staying to be right near the shops. That meant I didn't have to travel by car for a while as we were able to walk everywhere - and this we did. In and out of the shops - what a time I had. By this time I was beginning to wonder if I would ever hear the voice of Australian people again.
23rd, 24th, 25th July 2005 - After having a great stay at Ayr, we packed our bags - again - and went on our way to Dumfries for one night and then onto Windermere which I was really looking forward to. This was the place where I was going to see where Peter Rabbit, Gemima and all their friends lived. We had to go by ferry across the water to the place where Hill Top is - that is the name of the home of Beatrix Potter who wrote the books about Peter Rabbit. Here I met a very shy girl from Hamburg - she didn't speak the language that I knew - she couldn't even understand me as she could only speak German. I asked her mum if I could have a photo taken with her and I was excited when her daughter nodded her head with a smile. I waited at the gate for Peter Rabbit and his friends to come - but something must have delayed them. I was a bit disappointed but then decided I would go to the shop and have a look at all the souvenirs I could buy which would remind me of my visit to Hill Top. There were two lovely ladies working in this shop and I had my photo taken with them - they were a bit shy at first, but I think they enjoyed the opportunity of having a photo taken with me - Geraldine - from Wee Waa Public School.
26th July, 2005 - time to pack bags and move on again and this time we went along the busiest of roads called the M6 which had four lanes of cars driving very fast - both north and south. I was very tired by the time I saw the sign post pointing to North Wales. We went as far as Ruthin and we stayed the night on a farm. I had to catch up on some sleep so I didn't go on the drive that the Brown's went on. They told me they had called into a farm where there were guinea pigs, goats, sheep, chinchillas, birds, donkeys, cows, eagles, hawks, buzzards and owls. They saw an owl that was so big that when it started to fly, from one wing tip to another - it was two metres wide. Wow!
27th July, 28th July 2005 - I packed my bags early in readiness for moving on to Aberyswyth, Builth Wells and Chepstow. I knew from the itinerary that we were going to be getting closer to London - and I knew that this was going to be a very hectic time. I enjoyed travelling through Wales - the country is very, very green and the people were all friendly and nice to chat with. Some of the roads are scary to drive on though - as they aren't very wide in places and you even see tractors pulling a trailer of hay along the roads - right through the towns.
30th July, 2005 - this was the day I knew I had to be on my best behaviour. The road to London was just so busy, I decided to sleep - I knew that things would be hectic as the Brown's had to leave our car at Heathrow Airport before going into London. We were a little bit late getting to Heathrow but the nice man said we did well to find the right place. After leaving the car, we hopped into a taxi. The taxi driver was a really nice man and he helped with all the luggage - even with me and when we arrived at the hotel the people were quite excited to see that I had come along too. The secretary told me that if I needed a high chair for breakfast, then she would make sure that I had one. I thanked her for her kind thought, but I haven't sat in a high chair since I was very small.
31st July, 2005 - Sunday and I thought I was going to have a rest. However, we were all up bright and early and we went on a train ride to see some of the relatives of the Brown's who live at West Sussex. They had a good Aussie BBQ for us and it was a most relaxing day. The BBQ's in England are different to Australia - they had it under an awning while it rained.
1st August, 2005 - Today we went on a bus trip through the streets of London - saw many interesting places and beautiful gardens. In the afternoon we went through Buckingham Palace where the Queen lives. It was the most wonderful place I have ever been in and I won't ever forget how beautiful it was. I couldn't have my photo taken here at all - I couldn't eat or drink either - so after four hours and finishing up walking through the grounds of the Palace, we came across an ice-cream van. Delicious ice creams for sale for $A4.00 and I was so hungry I had two strawberry ones. They weren't big ice creams and I know they were expensive - however I did enjoy them. I have even brought the containers home with me.
2nd August, 2005 - Today I thought I had better have a rest. All the walking around had made me feel so tired that I knew I wouldn't enjoy my night at the Proms tonight. The Brown's went to see Kensington Palace and after that they went to the Albert & Victoria Museum - here they saw lots and lots of very old things - one very, very old brooch was almost nineteen hundred years old.
The Proms were absolutely fantastic. We were sitting in a box seat with beautiful red velvet curtains behind us. The Royal Albert Hall where the Proms are held is huge and it is something that I will always remember. Along side of us in the next box was a lady who was a teacher at a school in Aberdeen, which is up in Scotland. She said to say hello to all the children at Wee Waa Public School.
3rd August, 2005 - I had the earliest of starts today as today was the day we went to Paris on the Eurostar - a train that goes really fast. I didn't have a seat to myself but I was able to look out of the window and watch all the cars on the road - the sheep in the fields and the tractors harvesting wheat. I liked the tunnel which took 20 minutes to go through. When we went into the tunnel we were in England and when we came out of the tunnel we were in France.
There are lots and lots of people in France and I couldn't understand any of their talking. I couldn't even read the signs. We went to the Eiffel Tower to see what it looked like and I would say that about fifteen thousand other people were going to do just that too - we took some photos but then decided to go onto the Arc de Triumph to have a look at that. Everything is so big - you can hardly see I am actually in the photo. Before we went back to the train station, we walked down the street called Avenue des Champs Elys'ees – beautiful - and had a rather special cup of coffee on the sidewalk. I wanted to have my photo taken with the waiter, but he was shy and said no, thank you. I had my photo taken on my own sitting on the chair while we were waiting for our drinks to come.
I slept all the way back to London - I was so tired and I knew that I was going to be up early the next day to come back to Australia.
4th August, 2005 - After having a wonderful time in London, it was time to leave the hotel where we had been staying. A man called into the hotel to take us on a bus to Heathrow Airport and once again, there were heaps and heaps of people with all their luggage - some looked happy - some looked sad; I was happy as I was going back to Australia to be able to tell George all about what I had been doing. There were so many people on the plane I wasn't able to have a seat to myself – I was very comfortable though, as I spent the time having a sleep in a very comfortable spot underneath the seat. I was so quiet no-one knew I was even there.
5th August, 2005 - Back in Sydney after having been away for four weeks. What a wonderful time I have had.
Not quite finished yet though. Tomorrow I am going to go to two birthday parties at Newcastle for Beth and Abigail at Hungry Jacks. That sounds as though
I will enjoy the parties as there is a special place for playing and it is a great place for kids (and bears).
8th August, 2005 - home to Wee Waa today. I have so much to think of - of where I have been and all the people I have met. I have come to realise when you travel away from home - the world is such a big, big place - there are so many people from different lands who speak a different language - and eat different foods - and when you are so far away as I have been - there is nothing quite like the feeling you have when you are coming home to your family and friends. There is no place like home!!
George and Geraldine's Adventures in Queensland
Tuesday, 22nd November, 2005.
Dear KS,
Thank you for sending George and Geraldine to us for our fourth term. We have loved reading and seeing where both bears have visited. They certainly have a wonderful life.
We have learnt a lot about different places, including Wee Waa. We really like to talk about where George and Geraldine are from when we have visitors to our classroom (like our school captains!). We are able to show them where Wee Waa is on the map and what it like there. We have impressed a lot of our teachrs with what we know (especially when the teacher doesn't know where Wee Waa is).
George and Geraldine have had lots of fun with us here - going to another skate night (where we had the most class members out of the whole school attending!), meeting Mr. Carter (our PE teacher who went to Wee Waa school), visiting Daydream Island with Ben in our class and going home with our principal, Mrs. Campbell for a night.
We hope you enjoy reading our stories about what George and Geraldine have done over the last few weeks. Thank you again for sending them to us - we're sure that they are keen to be back with you for the last few weeks of your school year. We wish all of KS a very merry Christmas and hope George and Geraldine continue to have wonderful adventures.
Love,
I SILB
Weekend with Ben
On Friday I went home with a boy called Ben. He was so excited about me coming over for a sleepover that he rang him mum and dad at work to tell them. They were really excited to hear the news. The whole family thought it was a lovely idea having a bear stay. They'd never had a bear visit them before. Ben's mum wondered what bears ate and Ben's dad wondered what they liked to do. Soon it was decided that they would take me on a wonderful Teddy Bears Picnic up in the mountains - then for a walk in the rainforest. I didn't know what a rainforest was and I wondered if it rained all the time there.
The picnic was so much fun but there was one small problem. Ben's mum had forgotten to pack the honey for me. I tried the Tiny Teddy biscuits that everyone gave me to try and cheer me up but it was no use. I really really wanted my honey. So I decided when we went for our walk in the rainforest I would look for some in the trees. The rainforest was very strange. I had never seen trees like this before. It looked like someone needed to untangle all the knots and the trees were so ... well so tall that they nearly reached the sky. I was beginning to think these were not the kind of trees you would find honey in. But I thought it was still worth a go, even if it did mean climbing the tallest and most twisted trees I had ever seen.
I didn't find any honey in the first tree I climbed but I did have fun climbing down. Wheeee. After that I just climbed up on everything. Ben and his family were starting to get a bit annoyed and kept yelling out, "George, come down!". But all I was doing was looking for some honey.
It was soon time to go home and it had been so exciting in the forest that I had forgotten all about the honey problems. Ben's mum said we would go to a restaurant for dinner so I was sure I would find honey there. But when I looked at the menu there was no sign of honey.
Ben said ice cream was just as good, so I tried it. It was sweet like honey, but it wasn't thick and sticky like honey. "I miss my honey", I said.
"Never mind," said Ben's mum. "We'll be home soon and I will make you a huge pile of honey sandwiches before bed - but don't forget to brush your teeth afterwards." ...... and sure enough she did, and I was so pleased.
Footnote by Ben's Mum.
I think George really enjoyed those honey sandwiches that much he wanted to stay with us longer, as the next morning I had trouble finding him. Eventually I found him in our laundry chute. I think he had gone for a slippery slide and got stuck! Anyway, whoever has him next - don't forget to feed him lots of honey sandwiches as we found out the long way.