Saturday was one of our busiest in Wagga Wagga. Afterall, it was the whole reason for the trip!
Steffanie, Deidre, Phillip, and I woke up early and headed over to the Kapooka Military Base. Please bear with me from here on out, as I’m a bit of a novice when it comes to military jargon, but I’ll try my best. Kapooka officers volunteer as escorts for the Miss Wagga Wagga contestants, so during the dress rehearsal, one of the officers invited us to the base to see a march-out of all the soldiers who completed their first training. Steffanie’s an army brat, but I had never been on an army base in my life. My military knowledge is generally limited to CNN and Army Wives, so I was really excited to see the real thing, especially to see how Australia runs their military.
We were met at the front gate by the very nice officer who invited us and he provided us with VIP passes to get us throughout the base. We were lead to a band stand area to watch the march-out. It was very impressive. It started with an Australian national anthem and the troops were then lead through different drills, before awards were given out to soldiers who had excelled at different skills during their training. This would have been interesting enough, but we received some extra entertainment as well. A kangaroo decided to join the ceremony and run along the outskirts of the asphalt, back and forth. I had been in Australia for eight days, but that was my first wild kangaroo sighting! I was told that kangaroo are like our deer. When its gets hot, and the grass begins to dry out, the kangaroos will search for any available grass to eat. Kapooka is a prime feeding spot for them because not only does the base water its grass, the base isn’t allowed to shoot the kangaroos because they’re Australia’s national animal. It would be like shooting a bald eagle on an America base. It can’t be done.
Following the march-out, the officer took us to the base’s command post, where we met with other officers, got to see some of the historic artifacts on base, and had morning tea. The officer then decided that the best way for us to see the base would be to take his military-issued vehicle off-roading. It was so much fun! We stopped to see the base’s chapel, with three different altars, the new high ropes courses, the beautiful views, and a few more wild kangaroos!
We then attended the official award ceremony for the new soldiers and their families. It was so interesting seeing the displays Australian patriotism. At the end of our visit, our officer tour guide presented us with Kapooka coins, to thank us for our ambassadorial visit. I know the American military has similar coins for honor and service, and its quite an honor to receive one.
From the base, we headed to the Wagga Wagga Botanic Gardens. They’re extremely impressive, with different garden environments from around the world and a petting zoo. I quite enjoyed the Chinese garden, built with the help from Wagga Wagga’s Chinese sister city, and the Shakespeare garden. As for the petting zoo, we’re not talking just goats and ducks here. I’m talking kangaroos and adorable joeys, who kept hopping in and out of their mothers’ pouches. The Botanic Gardens also had a beautiful bird aviary, filled with peacocks and all sorts of Australian birds. Before leaving the gardens, Deidre lead us to a picturesque white pavilion which housed a plaque with the names of all the Miss Wagga Waggas, from Thena Karofilis in 1949 to Sally Taber in 2009.
We headed home from there to prepare for the main event: the crowning of Miss Wagga Wagga 2010!
We got to the park early to make sure everything was in place and beautiful. The ceremony opened with a blessing allowing us to use the land for the ceremony from a local Aboriginal tribal leader. Her son, dressed in the traditional sneakers and khaki shorts, played the didgeridoo. I love the didgeridoo! Each of the presenters, the candidates, and myself were lead out on the red carpet to the top of the hill by an officer. I was escorted by Lee, a very nice officer from Kapooka.
As the ceremony got underway, Sally and Nikki gave their farewell speeches and I gave my speech about my wonderful experiences in Wagga. I finished my speech by wishing the new titleholders good luck, and then announced the winners. The Community Princess 2010 was Brodie Fisher and Miss Wagga Wagga 2010 was Tamara Hope!
After a lot of hugs and pictures, we made our way to the Murrumbidgee Turf Club for the after party. That was a lot of fun! The Kapooka Military Band played and there was a ton of great food! I gave the former and current titleholders my gifts for them - a foam Statue of Liberty crown, along with some Buffalo staples like maple syrup and hot sauce. We posed for a lot of pictures and we just spent the evening talking and schmoozing. Lee, my escort at the ceremony, presented Steffanie with an Australian military hat. It was really amazing. I used this time to say goodbye to a lot of people we had gotten close with over the past week.
Before heading home from the party, Deidre and Phillip took Steffanie and I to Wagga’s look out point. It was a beautiful starry night, and you could see all of Wagga down below. It was a beautiful way to end a great day, especially since we would be leaving the next day.
At home, the whole family got together to watch Deep Impact, the movie about a meteor crashing to earth. It was sad, we were sad. I went to bed that night not wanting to think about leaving in the morning.
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