Taking Moree by Storm Co

Going on a STORM (Service To Others Really Matters) Co trip wasn’t simply a matter of packing my bag and jumping on a bus. Our service trip to Moree, NSW, involved a lot of preparation and organisation.

We had worked out a budget and each member of our team had to do fundraising. We also had to organise food and accommodation, meal plans, the Kids Club program and community-service activities before we departed. Corey Seibel, our team leader, had been busy, organising who was doing what job and assigning who was in charge of the different sections, such as puppets and music, and who would drive the bus.

In planning the trip, one of the first things we did was call Moree Council to let them know we were coming, and ask what work they would like us to do. Cory spoke to a number of important leaders in Moree, including the leader of the nearby Aboriginal community. It was really important that we ask the leaders what service or help our team could provide for the town.

One of the community-service jobs they asked us to do was spend a day helping to clean the Aboriginal mission. As we drove into the mission, I looked through my window and saw a big field with a run-down, rusty jungle gym and swing set. The kids could see we were here and were running around barefoot on the grass and staring at our rather dusty minibus. Corey told us we would be working on that field and cleaning it up.

e all thought there was nothing to clean up; there was just the old jungle gym and swings. But as we stepped out onto the grass, we looked at the field in utter shock and disbelief. The grassy area, which was the size of half a football field, was completely littered with shattered pieces of glass glistening in the sunlight!

We spent the next four hours picking up the many pieces of glass, but there was just too much for us to collect in one day. We realised we couldn’t accomplish what we had set out to do, so we re-evaluated our plans. Our priority became cleaning up the area around the slide and jungle gym, since the kids played in this area the most.

The highlight of the trip was playing with the Aboriginal kids. They had seen us only a few times at a Kids Club we had run, so I thought they would think of us as strangers. But they were really receptive to us and enjoyed playing football with us.

As the week came to an end, with fatigue setting in because of late nights and 6 am starts, I was happy to head home. But a part of me was sad—saying goodbye to all the kids and the wonderful people who had volunteered their time to help us was hard.

And then I realised that our STORM Co trip, including the preparations, budget constraints and obstacles, had been successful and was well worth all the energy and commitment. As the kids waved goodbye, I could tell they were eager to see us back again next year. And I was eager to go back too.