Don

		Don's picture and document gallery sEPT 1975 to 1978. (Twelve of these thirty-six months were spent back-packing.)
		SEE PHOTOGRAPHS (TRAVEL MENU) (MOVIE MENU) Don then resigned his teaching position at Michipicoten High School in June 1975, ran a Junior Ranger camp at Hobon Lake for the summer.

		Don then departed for a five month overland trip with Exodus Expeditions in a Bedford truck through Asia from London to Kathmandu and on to teach in Australia. . (Travel Journal) (Google link to THE ROAD TO KATHMANDU by Exodus Expeditions, film made by David and Ann South 1975.)

1975 VIDEOS

		Don visited Istanbul and enjoyed the Blue Mosque, Santa Sophia and the Tokapi Palace.

MOVIES OF TURKEY

		Gold and Silver Bazaar at Hasht Behesht Esfahan, Iran Don travelled through Southern Iran, spending time in Isfahan, pERSEPOLIS, yAZD, AND MASSHAD.

MOVIES OF IRAN

		Boys in Kabul. Don traveled through northern Afghanistan to Mazar-i-Sharif, and Kabul.

MOVIES OF AFGHANISTAN

		THEN PAKISTAN .

MOVIES OF PAKISTAN

		Don spent a month in India around Christmas, 1975.

MOVIES OF INDIA

		Jarkhot village with Mustang Himal Don went trekking for a week in Nepal in November, 1975. Sherpa's carried his pack, erected his tent, and awoke him with coffee and breakfast in the morning. A plentiful supply of chung, a local corn beer added spice to the trekking up and down steep hills.

TREKKING IN NEPAL

		Burma Anarapura, near Mandalay Don travelled to Mandalay in Burma in January, 1976.

MOVIES IN MYANMAR

		Don then went to Thailand, Singapore, and flew to Australia in Feb., 1976.



		Don's 1976 teaching job was located at Rockingham High School, Rockingham, West Australia, sixty kilometres south of Perth, West Australia. Don taught social studies at Rockingham Senior High School for the full year of 1976. (Rockingham Movies, Photos taken 2008.) He gained a teacher's higher certificate, then resigned his teaching position at the end of 1976.

		Looking South towards Cottesloe and Fremantle. Nearer to Bali than Sydney, Perth and its environs had a lot to offer. Outside the skyscrapers and 19th century facades, Don found a land of sand; inland sand for camel safaris, sand scattered with bizarre pinnacles and coastal sand for 'sand gropers' - as Don and residents of Western Australia are named. Don enjoyed nineteen beaches, mostly wide and white, with an occasional cove for interest. (PHOTOS)

		Wave Ski in Surf. Don purchased a wave ski soon after his arrival and paddled in the ocean most evenings after the school's 3.00 pm finish.

		Within a fortnight of his arrival, Don purchased an Austin 1100 for $500.00. Don was mobile and could drive to school. The car was damaged in April with an insurance pay out for $800.00.

		Don bought a Mitsubishi 1100 Colt for $500.00 with a warped head, blowing oil into the radiator. He drove it to Dec., 1976, and then sold it as is for $250.00 when he departed for New Zealand. Wave ski is on the roof.

		Don became aware of the danger inherent in the extreme heat and dryness of the West Australian climate. This story may be multiplied hundreds of times.

		On his arrival, Don immediately obtained an Australian amateur radio license in March, 1976. Don also upgraded his morse code speed to 14 wpm, so he could obtain a full call in New Zealand. Morse code is not needed to obtain a ham license. Don wrote this article for Amateur Radio on teaching Morse Code.

		Original rental accommodation top right flat Feb-June 1976 shared with Geoff Cordell and Paul Maciuk. G5RV antenna at back.

		In 1976, when Don arrived in Rockingham, West Australia, he purchased a Swan 350, and operated in CW with a G5RV antenna as VK6DN. Here he's operating for a month from 1 Auburn St., Auckland, New Zealand as a ZL1 call. Here is a link to some of Don's letters from 1976-1977.

		Amateur radio call book log in Australia 1976-1986. Full log 3 mbytes here.

		Don rented a beach house like this from June to Dec., 1976 on 173 Fendham St., Warnbro, a hundred metres from the sandy beaches of the Indian Ocean. He swam and wave skied every day after work finished at 3.00 pm.

		Don played golf regularly, two or three times weekly, after school and on weekends in 1976/1977.

		Kalgoorlie Super pit. Don toured the West Australian Goldfields for two weeks in March, 1976. (PHOTOGRAPHS)



		More movies on KALGOORLIE and Coolgardie.

		Iron Ore in Mt Newman. Don toured the Pilbarra for two weeks in October, 1976. (PHOTOGRAPHS)



		Auckland City, New Zealand skyline. Don travelled to Auckland, New Zealand, in 1977 where he was granted a New Zealand teaching certificate. (PHOTOS)

		Don lived in Auckland six weeks while he explored the North Island, Wellington, Lake Taupo, Roturua, and Bay of Islands. (PHOTOS)

		Mount Cook, NZ. Don then travelled with his parents from Auckland around New Zealand.(PHOTOS) (Parents Slides on Flickr)

MOVIES OF NEW ZEALAND

		Don and his parents flew to Sydney, and then took a train up the coast to stay at Surfer's Paradise, near Brisbane, Queensland in February, 1977. PHOTOGRAPHS On their return to Canada in Feb., 1977, they toured Tahiti and Moora.



		Don's accommodation, 1977. Don elected to return to Perth IN MARCH after only two months, seeking warmer weather. Don obtained free room and board as a boarding master at Christ Church Grammar School. This gave him food and accommodation for 1977 when he enrolled fulltime at university for a Master's Degree in Education with a emphasis on curriculum.

		Don purchased a sporty looking green Ford Capri, a four cylinder automatic from his friend Don Weber, whom was leaving Australia to travel overseas,

		Don purchased a mobile two metre Kyokuto radio and talked with other amateur operators around Perth, whenever he was driving.

		Don enjoyed teaching amateur radio there and recently came across Mark Grewar, on the morse key, who emailed him to say he intends to get a ham license this year.

		He commenced tuition-free full-time studies at Murdoch University in March, 1977 for a Masters Degree in Education specializing in curriculum.

		Don attended folk dances every weekend, reminding him of his high school square dancing days. Folk dancing was very popular in Perth with many local bands, the most popular being, 'Mucky Duck.'

		Unlike the singer in the photo, Don was untalented musically. But Don was a regular visitor to the 'Stables' folk club, Tuesday nights, where amateur folk singers performed free of charge. This venue provided an opportunity to meet girls. Don attended annual state and national folk festivals camping out in Toodjay for the weekends.

		In August, 1977 while studying full-time, Don completed a curriculum vitae and was hired full-time as a curriculum coordinator at Hamilton Senior High School near Perth, West Australia. His first task was to conduct a school needs assessment in the last quarter of 1977. The questionnaire was translated into Yugoslav and Italian and sent home to parents. (Parents Chance to Shape School Role)

		With a regular income from October, 1977, Don purchased SCUBA gear and began diving every weekend. He joined the university dive club. Don dived from Point Peron, the North Mole, and Triggs Beach as well as an ocean dive off Rottnest Island.

		Don talked home to his dad by Amateur Radio HF a number of times as this letter proves 21 May, 1978. This was an achievement with a dipole wire antenna over 12,000 miles or 20,000 kilometers.

		Don purchased a one hour 16 mm film of his Exodus Expedition three month overland trip, filmed by the BBC cameraman and sound person David and Anne South. The film was shown worldwide on TV and was a great momento of the journey.

		Don signed up with the University Flying School in early 1978 and flew twice a week in a Cesna 152. In May he flew solo and in October, 1978 he obtained a restricted pilot's license. He commenced an unrestricted license flying a Cesna 172. I was enjoying folk dancing and parents were planning a forty-five day trip with my brother George and his wife Pat to visit Dec 14, 1978. Little did we know of the catastrophe that lay ahead, prior to their visit.

		In 1978, Don purchased a ten speed bike and cycled ten kilometres daily to and from his Hamilton High School workplace.

		Don quit his boarding master job and rented a new house near Murdoch University and Hamilton High School in Jan., 1978 after he returned from his overseas trip.

		Don graduated, after two years part-time study but with four units a semester and with full employment at Hamilton Senior High School, obtaining a Masters Degree in Education from Murdoch University. (Some essays from that period.)

		PHOTOGRAPHS Lake Toba, Sumatra. In spite of studying, Don spent six weeks in January, 1978 travelling in Malaysia, Thailand and Indonesia.



		More Hills Tribal Photos The highlight of the trip was a five day jungle trek through the hill country and Akai tribal villages along the Burmese border.

Movies in Thailand

		Perak Cave, Ipoh, Malaysia Don was entertained for a few days in Ipoh by Chin 9M2CW with whom Don had chatted by CW from Perth.

		By the end of 1978 Don was planning a trip to Melbourne and on to New Guinea. He had completed the Hamilton Senior High School needs assessment and coordinated an intervention, a teacher's handbook and a report to the Director-General of Education. Don had been accepted into a PhD programme at Murdoch University. Don had moved in Dec., 1978 to share a house with his girl friend Janet, an attractive computer programmer.

		Don obtained a restricted pilot's licence in mid 1978 like his brother George in photo.. He was planning to obtain an unrestricted pilot's license in 1979 and to fly around Australia.

		He bought SCUBA gear, dived weekly and rode to work on a bicycle. The year 1979 was bright with promise but things were to turn out differently.