Farewell at Adelaide Airport

Last Sunday we travelled to the Adelaide International Airport to say farewell to our daughter. She was on her way to Ireland for two and a half weeks. We would have liked to have gone with her, but for the “extras” she was taking with on this journey. Those “extras” were sixteen of her students.

The view from Adelaide Airport

Our daughter is a high school teacher at Clare High School in the mid-north of South Australia. As part of her work there she organises the international programme in her school. She has already taken a group of students to Japan on exchange. She has also coordinated a visit by Japanese students to Clare.

Clare High School delegation to Ireland

This is the first time the school has organised an exchange to Ireland. In 2005 when she was teaching in England she visited St Joseph’s school in Spanish Point in county Clare. This was preparation for the visit this year. I think she is a very brave girl with the responsibility of organising such an exchange.

The parents I talked to while waiting for the time to board the plane all agreed that it was a wonderful opportunity for their children to participate in such a programme. I couldn’t help but think of the stress it must have caused her. Goodness, I used to get paranoid about organising a day trip excursion to the beach or wherever when I was teaching.

Adelaide International Airport

Just as a little aside, I noticed a large sign in the airport entrance while there. Adelaide International Airport, barely two years old, was voted the second best airport in the world recently. In small print there is a rider to that claim. The award was for airports with 5 to 15 million passengers annually. Still, little old Adelaide is pleased with its recognition.

Adelaide International Airport