Mount Gambier Friendship Force Club members opened the golden gate to the Friendship Force San Francisco Bay Area, their first international visit since the COVID-19 pandemic began.

The club consisted of eight members who arrived on November 2 for a shortened five-night stay.

They had been in New Zealand for another exchange, then travelled by the Great Ocean Road to Mount Gambier.

The program set for them was jam packed to allow their members to experience as much of the area as possible.

A welcoming breakfast at the home of members Marg and Noel Doody was followed by a walk through the Lady Nelson Centre and then on to the Blue Lake Pumping Station.

A rose planting ceremony with Mount Gambier Mayor Lynette Martin and journey coordinators Eric Miller and Carol took place in the afternoon.

The rose was aptly named Golden Celebration and was then followed by an official welcome and gift exchanges.

Mayor Martin presented the group with a commemorative sketchbook “Historic Mount Gambier” in which the foreword was penned by the late Sir Robert Helpmann.

The second day began with a pine falling talk and demonstration by forestry consultant Lew Parson and third generation tree feller Craig Reid.

The visitors were mesmerised by what the harvesting machinery could do and also the fact the area’s radiata pine originally comes from the seeds of the Monterey pine in California.

Lunch followed at the Little Rippa Brewery, then it was time to experience the Kilsby Sinkhole and gin tasting.

It was the local members’ first visit to this attraction as well, so it was interesting for them to learn more about another world renowned sinkhole on their doorstep and also the fact their gin is made from the waters of the sinkhole.

The next day, in keeping with the forestry theme, the clubs visited the Nangwarry Forestry Museum which houses all things timber, including a section on the 1983 bush fires.

Mary McKillop Centre and school house was the next port of call and then everyone was treated to a ploughman’s lunch at Brands Laira Winery.

To conclude another busy day Wynns provided wine tasting.

On their final day the clubs were treated to the “Volcano” movie at the main corner at which many questions were answered regarding Mount Gambier’s exceptional geological history.

The rest of the day was taken up with a picnic at the Princess Margaret Rose Caves with a leisurely bush walk afterwards.

A highlight on the return trip to Mount Gambier was the sighting of a group of emus which delighted the visitors.

This was a bonus for them as they had visited the Conservation Park at the Valley Lakes and saw numerous kangaroos and wallabies, but the emus were the icing on the cake.

A farewell dinner was held at Jens Hotel where the visiting club donated $250 to Foodbank Limestone Coast manager Lyn Neshoda.

The San Francisco Club left the Blue Lake city the next morning with a different view to what they were expecting, with all expressing their appreciation of the diverse attractions and of the hospitality shown to them by the Mount Gambier Friendship Force Club.

For two of their members Mount Gambier was the only city they would see on their trip to Australia, and it did not disappoint with high praise from all.

Local journey coordinators Marilyn McGregor and Marg Doody hailed the visit as a resounding success with hopefully many lifelong friendships formed.

The club is now looking forward to welcoming the Wairapa/Northland clubs in October next year as the world continues to emerge from the pandemic.