Concordia
Merchant Taylors’ School
After a couple of days spent in Singapore
staving off jetlag, I arrived in Sydney, where
I began my journey up Queensland. The
outdoors culture, the friendly nature of the
people and the prospect of getting sunburn
at the end of autumn were all pleasant
surprises. I was able to enjoy the pristine
white sands of the Whitsunday Islands and
snorkelling around the Great Barrier Reef.
I returned to Sydney after a month,
settling into hostel life. My efforts to even
stand up on a surfboard met with limited
success, but discovering Pyrmont fish
market cheered me up immensely, even if
it did end my healthy eating habit. I visited
the Sydney Opera house and the Harbour
Bridge. These iconic buildings were a
pleasure to see in real life and no photo
could ever hope to do them justice.
Canberra was a world apart from
Sydney, with pristine white buildings and
a planned, geometric layout. I familiarised
myself with Australian politics and current
affairs during this time, visiting the grand
Australian Parliament and popping into
the High Court for an afternoon. Whilst not
teeming with nightlife, it was still a relaxing
time.
Waving goodbye to urban life, I spent
a month on a sheep farm acquainting
myself with a very different type of work. I
was a fountain of stupid questions and I’m
pleasantly surprised the farmer put up with
me, despite me driving a trailer through a
ditch! I won’t forget the strong community
spirit I found there. Although I left the farm
fed up of fox hunting, I also left with great
memories and an authentic farmer’s beard.
My last stop was Melbourne, where I
spent my time exploring the busy little
side-streets. Thankfully, I finally worked
out Australian Rules Football, something
of a cult there. I also met Joyce Webster,
whose late husband Tony had generously
founded the Wallaby Scholarship. We
had dinner with another OMT, Andrew
Gemmill and his wife Diana. Though our
school experiences were different, the
spirit of MTS hadn’t changed. I returned to
Sydney for my last week to see John Filmer,
another OMT.
I returned home after three months a
seasoned traveller. When Gavin Brown first
discussed the Wallaby Scholarship with me
I was sceptical about the opportunity for
reflection it provided, but that is precisely
what happened. I can only thank everyone
who helped to get the ball rolling and who
hosted me whilst I was there.
Waving goodbye to
urban life, I spent a
month on a sheep
farm acquainting
myself with a very
different type of
work.
I couldn’t
recommend an
opportunity like
this highly enough.
I can only thank
everyone who
helped to get the
ball rolling and who
hosted me whilst I
was there.
Letter fromAustralia
Will Copping (2005-2012)
recently travelled toAustralia during his
gap year on aWallaby Scholarship. He
writes of his experiencesDownUnder
