Weir Cottage

Mandurah, Western Australia - April 2005

We particularly wanted to get to Western Australia as we have always been to the east coast and also because we wanted to visit Jacquie & John who live near Margaret River and who we hosted here for a few days in 2004 (pictures of them when with us are on the Past Exchanges page).  Our visit to them this trip is on its own page above.

Anyway, that was the background but this 'exchange' can best be described as an IOU event and an example of human nature at its finest ......here's why.

We had agreed to exchange in April, 2005 with Garry & Faye in East Perth something arranged ages before.  Unfortunately, two months before we were due to leave Garry was taken very seriously ill and, as a result, had to cancel their trip to UK.  Very graciously, they said we could still go but in view of Garry's convalescence this didn't seem the right thing to do.  So, having already got our tickets we considered cancelling, and attempting to claim on the insurance, or renting.  Then, as an after thought we decided to write to exchangers in Perth in the hope someone might come here at short notice (by then only about six weeks before the 'off').  This was the first time in years we'd written proactively and we were very humbled by the responses received - most within 24 hours.

J & J offered to put us up and lend us a car.  We did meet them and had a super steak dinner in their truly fabulous waterside home...thank you!  John & Elaine said we could have their house if we could change our tickets a little as they were going abroad anyway.  Again, we made a point of meeting them and had a nice Italian meal one evening in Fremantle....thank you for the generous offer!  Several others volunteered help in a variety of ways and.....................

Denis & Kerstin said we could use their magnificent holiday home an hour south of Perth in Mandurah.  There were no strings attached, they didn't know us from Adam, they simply wanted to help.  In my 51 years this easily ranked as the greatest example of bonhomie ever experienced.  Even now we can scarcely believe such warm hearted individuals still occupy the planet after all the tales of doom we get bombarded with in our everyday life.  So, we readily accepted and Garry & Faye let us have a car!

As the pictures sent to us beforehand suggested, the house was amazing.  Set on a canal development - pool, own boat/mooring at the bottom of the garden.  The great thing was that because we were not actually exchanging at that time we were able to spend time with Denis, Kerstin, (and daughters Blaine and Kallen) also Garry & Faye.  Very pleased to say Garry is well on the road to full recovery.  Pictures paint a thousand words so here we go:

  Garry, Faye, Theresa & Shane having a waterside meal on arrival a very short walk from their home in East Perth.  First night we stayed with them.

  We also got together on another day they came to us at Mandurah and we had a tour around and finally, on our last afternoon we met again in East Perth.  We will do the exchange with them another year when they are ready to do so.  Garry, Faye, thanks so much for everything.

  Our saviours!  Denis, Kerstin, Blaine & Kallen.  This picture taken at Mandurah on the day they took us out on their boat.  Perfect day - champagne and nibbles on board, saw dolphins in the estuary, lunch at the marina and then when we got home we caught an octopus off the house jetty.  It was a monster and spotted by Blaine - here it is, and, yes, we put him back: 

  Where we moored for lunch.    Dolphins in the canal.  I have to admit I didn't take the dolphins shot - Kerstin did - best I got was two fins - the rest just water!

<<<House from canal and from road>>>

View of canal from house - perfect>>>

<<<Mandurah taken from the wooden bridge and the boardwalk>>>

The night before we left for home we stayed at Denis and Kerstin's main home at City beach.  This, again, was a fantastic property and a real credit to them following the remodelling.  We had a barbecue on the Saturday night and ex-pat friends Eric & Liz joined us.  All of us that night>>>

So what can we say?  A BIG, BIG thank you is inadequate in the extreme.  We just hope we do have the opportunity to reciprocate some day or exchange properly....Denis, Kerstin you are great people and we'll never forget your kindness.  Since then we have visited them again in 2006.