Elder Bednar Visit - Real Aussie Scout Leaders

The first half of March 2008 has been quite the month for us. We have been very busy with a variety of projects and tasks. We have been busy with our new roles as Aussie Scout Leaders, being fully invested with uniforms and titles as Associate Leaders in the Cub Scouts. We have also attended meetings and assisted with firesides relating to the visit to Australia by Elder David A. Bednar, a member of the Quorum of Twelve Apostles for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He spoke at a fireside in Sydney which was televised by satellite throughout the country. We also were able to take a short trip north of Sydney to Clint's ancestral home in the Hunter/Williams River area where we met Warby relatives. Clint also kept having his blood checked to regulate the dosage of warfarin needed to help reduce the risk of a stroke because of possible heart problems. He had a stress test that showed his heart was doing fine but still needs to take his medicine. Life continues to be good. We love the weather, the people and this great land!

Heart Problems - Aussie Scouting

On Valentines Day, Elder Warby wasn't feeling well so he went to the doctor and discovered he had arterial fibrillation, or irregular heart rhythm. As a result, he wasn't allowed to go to Papua New Guinea but started treatment with warfarin which decreases the risk of a blood clot. It requires numerous blood tests which are done at a nearby pathology center which we have started humorously to call The Vampire Place. He has since recovered but still requires the numerous blood tests to determine the optimum dosage. He has also visited a cardiologist and will be going back in a few weeks for a stress test. In the meantime, we have been quite involved with Australia Scouting, participating in the 1st Ermington Scout Group, a neighborhood organization with Joeys (6 to 7 1/2); Cub Scouts (7 1/2 to 10 1/2) and Scouts (10 1/2 to 14). We are working with the Cubs and enjoying it very much. We helped with an Open House and are also taking Basic Training to become real Australian Scout Leaders. Though we have taken numerous courses with the Boy Scouts of America, this is a great opportunity to get to know a new system plus make many friends with other adult Scout leaders. We also helped with a visit from an important delegation from Papua New Guinea who were here to learn more about the Church's involvement with Family History and preserving records.

Family Birthday - Church - Visitors - Theatre

The first half of February 2008 was filled with lots of office work plus a Warby family birthday celebrating Joel Warby's 16th birthday. He is part of a family we have met while here (distant relatives) that have made us feel really welcome. We also met Stephanie Rogalski, one of the Church's directors of public affairs (Perth). She came to Sydney to visit her daughter and we had a most enjoyable time being with her for a day. We also continue to support the Fairfield 3rd Ward, mostly Pacific Islanders who are so loving and wonderful. We continue to enjoy excellent weather, some rain and cool temperatures for a summer environment. They tell us this is unusual that it is usually sweltering heat but we have no complaints. We went to a wonderful musical theatre production featuring John Williamson, the Australian folk singer and really enjoyed the program.

Happy Australia Day

We helped celebrate Australia Day on Saturday, January 26, 2008 by going downtown to Sydney Harbor. The date commerates the arrival of 11 ships of the first Euroupean settlers in 1788, later to be known as First Fleet. Most of the passengers were convicts sent from England. This is a day for Australians to celebrate with pride their country. We had a vantage spot midway on the famous Harbor Bridge we walked across. There was lots of activity in the harbor itself which you can see in the photos. We also had a senior missionary couple go home (McMullins) and the arrival of a new couple (Clarks) and we took a photo of our current staff. Joyce also discovered one morning a large spider which we promptly disposed. It is quite warm and humid now with occasional rain to cool down temperatures. We miss the snow back in the States but not the shoveling.

Back To Work With Assignment Thru The Snowy River Mountains

Right after the beginning of the New Year, we traveled south of Sydney on assignment to visit various locations stopping first in Canberra, Australia's capitol city. We visited several museums, including the famous War Memorial where we stayed most of the day, seeing many exhibits and discovering some of Clint's ancestors who served and died in Australia's military. We then traveled through the Snowy River Mountains reaching Wangaratta, where we stayed at the Warby Lodge, visited businesses on Warby Street and visited Warby Range State Park. We had an orientation visit with a new Director of Public Affairs called for that area. We stopped in the city of Tumut to visit the Blowering Reservoir where Clint's cousin Ken Warby set the world speed record on water in the 70's which still stands. On our way back to Sydney, we stopped in Campbelltown to visit some other Warby landmarks. After arriving, a few days later we had an invitation by our supervisor one day to visit beautiful Terrigal and its famous beach which is north of Sydney. We are staying busy and seeing much of this beautiful country which we really enjoy and love!

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year

What a joyous holiday season we have had in Australia! We have had a great experience of attending a Christmas concert at the Sydney Opera House; having a special Christmas Eve program with other senior missionaries and the LDS Church Area President Sybrowsky and his family; being involved in Christmas celebrations with a distant relative with the same name (Paul Warby) (Clint's first name is Paul as well as his father); playing with more distant relatives including the cute, adorable Page triplet boys; and experiencing first hand the world famous fireworks celebration on New Years Eve in the Sydney Harbor and Bridge. Though we miss our families so much back in the States, we have met many wonderful people here in Australia that makes us feel like we are really home here in the land down under. May the Lord bless us all in 2008!

Its Beginning To Look A Lot Like An Aussie Christmas

Instead of snow, we have been having lots of rain these past few weeks. So instead of hot, humid weather, we have cool, humid weather so far this Aussie Christmas season. We have been busy doing our regular Public Affairs duties as well as doing some family history research, going to libraries and historic cemeteries. We succeeded in finding the graveyard of three small Warby children who died in a two week period in 1853. Less than a year later, their parents and two siblings left for America after joining the Mormon Church. Clint is a desendent of them. We did not find their specific gravesites but hope to do so in the future. We also found the gravesite of Clint's Uncle Thomas Warby, a brother to James Warby Jr. who came to America. We also are getting involved with Australian Scouts, being scout leaders ourselves in the States. Our activities also involve Relief Society, with a real diversity of female church members here in Sydney from many cultures. We also have a periodic assignment to show Church videos outdoors in the evening as part of the Temple Hill Christmas Lighting activities. We are staying very busy and enjoying this Christmas season, Aussie style. Love to All, Peace on Earth and Goodwill toward Men....