News Bulletin - September 2009

 

Welcome to the 2^nd edition of our News Bulletin.

Paraplanning Direct welcomes Corinne Jacquin on board as a trainee contractor. Corinne has a Bachelor Of Business in Financial Planning from the RMIT (Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology). Corinne has worked for two years in a financial planning practice in Western Sydney. Corinne operates from Blairathol in Sydney and this reflects the “no boundaries” nature of our business.

In June, I successfully graded and achieved my Green belt (5kyu) in Karate Goju Kai. It was my first grading since my karate injury in May 2007.

In July 2009, our 4 day trek on the  Bibblumun Track was cut short on Day 2 as I battled a bout of flu to get back to civilization. The Bibbulmun Track is a long-distance walking trail which runs from Kalamunda (Perth Hills’ suburb) to Albany, 403 kms south of Perth. The Track is 973 kilometres long and has 48 three-sided timbers huts spread from 12 to 23 kilometres apart. Our proposed trek was in the Dwellingup region, 136 kilometres south of Perth.  We set off in wet weather with the rain pelting down. The weather eased off by the time we stepped into the Chadoora Hut, where we spent the night. The next day we set off for the 20 kilometres back into Dwellingup where we spent the night at the caravan park before heading back to Perth to recover.

At the end of July, we flew to South Africa via Singapore. During the six hours transit in Singapore, we enjoyed a feast of barbecued stingray, oyster omelette, greens and rice all washed down with sugar cane juice and coconut milk at Chiangi Village.

Our South African visit included a 9 day camping trip in the Kruger National Park which was an amazing experience. Every night we went to sleep to the sounds of animals, whether it be the roar of lions, grunt of hippos, barking of the baboons or yelling of hyenas.  We encountered a mating pair of lions lounging in the sun next to the road and the next day spotted a leopard with 2 cubs frolicking up and down a tree. Our favourite spot was a waterhole away from the main treks where we spotted kudus, impalas and giraffes.

The next part of the trip was Mauritius where I caught up with the family. I enjoyed a number of walks through the Mauritian highlands and a relaxing stay at the beach-house on the North West side of the island. To top it up I managed to work through the time I spent in Mauritius confirming that we are really a business with no boundaries.

If you want to enjoy more photos, click here.