Queensland

I spent Monday Tuesday & Wednesday working in a large organisation in Brisbane with a group of 34 staff helping them get out of a conflict that has been dragging on for some years. So no fun in that, but a fair challenge.  I've left them with a bit to think about and will be back week after next to wrap it up in what will be a show worth buying tickets for. A little bit of drama coming their way as it all gets brought to a head.

From there I flew to Cairns where I'm working with a group of Murris (Aboriginal people from Queensland) who work in remote communities all across the far north of the state. I've been working with this group for a while now and it was great to be back.  Walking into their workplace was like catching up with a group of old mates and while we had a lot of work to get through, we stopped for a big feed at morning tea and again at lunch. Then to top off a good day I had dinner with two of the elders, who've become good mates. We worked through concerns of imminent violence in two remote communities and put together some ideas to learn more about their experiences of institutional racism.

At the end of a week like this week I feel good about life and the business.

It's not however been the best week for training, but I managed a two km swim on the waterfront at Cairns this 'avo between work and dinner and have been getting out early each morning for a long walk, some stretching and some strength exercises. I'm a touch behind with some of my work which I planned to plow through on the flight to Cairns, but I made the mistake of going into a bookshop and buying a book titled I'm here to win, by Chris McCormack, probably the world's best triathlete in the last decade or so, and read the whole thing in one sitting.  If you're interested in how people become the best at what they do, it's worth a read and I highly recommend it.

And for the weather buffs, the temperature here was a chilly 24C today and the locals were rugged up this morning against the freezing conditions! Brutal . .  .

Tomorrow I'm on a flight back to Sydney. Time away from Gene is always tough so it'll be sweet to get back home. I'm planning a long ride on Saturday morning and a massage in the afternoon to relax and give the muscles a bit of therapy, then an ocean swim on Sunday to keep the training on track. I know the girls have been having a slow week, which is just what the doctor ordered as they gear up for the marathon the following weekend.


As a closing comment, I'm not sure if anyone watched the SBS doco - Go Back to where you came from, about refugees, but it completely captured me. We really do live in a good part of the world and it seems a waste not to be out and about making the most of it. Time to hit the sack and see what tomorrow has in store!  . J