Churchill Helen Episode 4: Days 4 and 5

I have enjoyed a couple of less structured, touristy days over Friday and Saturday. This started with an uber drive downtown on Friday morning to find a coffee shop that sells Australian style coffee – mixed success but a caffeine hit nonetheless ??

Following this, I wandered up Main St and enjoyed some quiet sightseeing on my own. It is important to get used to my own company this being only week one of my time away from home! It is impossible to feel lonely here though, everyone is so friendly and warm and keen to engage in conversation - especially once they hear my accent!

Friday afternoon, I ventured out to the home of Catherine Compton-Lilly where I chatted with her and some of her doctoral students while walking along the banks of the beautiful Saluda River, the traditional lands of the Congaree people.

Friday night I enjoyed another lovely meal with Gloria Boutte . This time we ate in an old vaudeville theatre (theater!) now a restaurant. Not only did the restaurant contain a bowling alley, but dinner was delivered with the help of a robot!

This morning (Saturday) I started out fulfilling a promise to my oldest granddaughter Eva. Eva had told me she wanted to make an “Earth Sandwich.” So, at the same time - 9am here and 9pm Perth time - we both went outside and placed a slice of bread on the earth (I had a little help from Clem, my traveling toy dog companion!). So, if you get your globes of the earth out you will see that we managed pretty well to sandwich the earth between our two slices of bread.

The rest of this morning was spent downtown. Firstly, taking in the sights, sounds and tastes of the Soda City markets held every Saturday morning. Such a huge variety of food, stalls and especially some amazing musicians and dancers!

Next was a real highlight so far, when the wonderful warm D.J. from Columbia SC 63 gave me a personal guided Civil Rights History Tour starting from the African American Monument at the State House and walking down past key sites in Main St. Many of the foundations of the civil rights movement in the fifties and sixties were laid here in Columbia.

The stories of courage, resistance and determination were both inspiring and sobering. I could see some strong connections including the way Aboriginal people who served in the Australian army in major conflicts were treated on returning home. I was also struck by how little most Australians know about some of Australia’s own historic Aboriginal activists such as Fanny Balbuk and I hope some of the work I have the honour of being involved in with Aunty Marie Taylor, ? Libby Jackson-Barrett and Matt Byrne will help change this.

I finished off taking a wander through the State House itself – an imposing building serving as a reminder of the power structures at play.