Posts
It's officially starting! Ben (along with his girlfriend, Bre) has started his first "work day" in paradise! I'm excited to read about Bens adventures over the next 6 months, and the board of tourism has him set up right. You can follow a schedule to see where and what he'll be exploring next.
Please join me in congratulating Hamilton Islands new caretaker as he starts The Best Job In The World!!!
Thursday, July 2, 2009
Wednesday, May 6, 2009
CONGRATS TO BEN!!!
Congratulations to Ben! The following is the official announcement from Tourism Queensland. For those of you still following, check back in July for Ben's first set of blogs about his new job in paradise!
After a truly global search, the atmosphere was electric when the Caretaker of Islands of the Great Barrier Reef was announced by the Premier of Queensland - congratulations Ben Southall!Ben S was chosen from more than 34,000 applicants for the Best Job in the World after a selection process that culminated on beautiful Hamilton Island today before an excited crowd and media from around the world.
Tomorrow morning, Ben S will be officially handed the keys to their new home - the gorgeous Blue Pearl villa overlooking the Coral Sea and their base from which to explore Queensland's magnificent Islands of the Great Barrier Reef.
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
Wild Card
Sorry for the delay, folks. It's been a few weeks, but i haven't given up on the blog.
With the selection process being so long (for the wild card voting) i decided to let this run it's course and step in when the action started picking up again. Though this will be a short entry, be sure to check in next week for announcements on who made the short list for interviews!
News from the Reef Job site says that one person was excluded from voting for violation of the terms of agreement, and another person pulled his application on his own accord. TQ made it clear that they would not be replaced with other applicants since the voting time was far too short. Drat! And I thought i would have another chance to take the job. :)
Voting closes very soon! If you haven't already done so, check out the finalists and make your mark!
With the selection process being so long (for the wild card voting) i decided to let this run it's course and step in when the action started picking up again. Though this will be a short entry, be sure to check in next week for announcements on who made the short list for interviews!
News from the Reef Job site says that one person was excluded from voting for violation of the terms of agreement, and another person pulled his application on his own accord. TQ made it clear that they would not be replaced with other applicants since the voting time was far too short. Drat! And I thought i would have another chance to take the job. :)
Voting closes very soon! If you haven't already done so, check out the finalists and make your mark!
Monday, March 2, 2009
Time is up
Time is up, and though the winners won't be announced on the Island Reef Job for another day, i've done enough research to know that i'm not going to be contacted or considered for the final rounds. All people considered for the short list of 50 candidates were to complete an online test by the end of this last weekend to be eligible. All of those applicants were to be contacted by e-mail, and unfortunately i didn't see anything in the inbox.
I knew, from the beginning, that the competition was going to be very tough, and now that i think about the content in the video, i could have done some things differently. Don't get me wrong, i think it was a clever move, and i was pleased with how it turned out. But I would have needed some other resources to make it what i really wanted. Over all i had some great fun with the project, and i had some outstanding support from friends and family. Thanks to all of you for the encouragement.
Some people will be wanting to see how all of this turns out, and the main site should have all of that available to the public over the next several months.
http://www.islandreefjob.com/
For those who want to keep up with what's happening next, there is a FAQ section of the site that has many good comments on the next steps. I encourage you to check it out!
http://www.islandreefjob.com/#/faq
I'm sure some of you will ask: "Well, Wes... what's next for you?"
I think i'll keep the blog open for a while. I may wind up changing the name, but not for a while. I'll certainly follow the job and update people on what's going to happen next. When the position is filled, i'll like everyone to the new blog and site that they will maintain. After that i may change this one up a bit, but i'll likely keep blogging. It's been fun.
So... STILL more to come! Stay tuned...
I knew, from the beginning, that the competition was going to be very tough, and now that i think about the content in the video, i could have done some things differently. Don't get me wrong, i think it was a clever move, and i was pleased with how it turned out. But I would have needed some other resources to make it what i really wanted. Over all i had some great fun with the project, and i had some outstanding support from friends and family. Thanks to all of you for the encouragement.
Some people will be wanting to see how all of this turns out, and the main site should have all of that available to the public over the next several months.
http://www.islandreefjob.com/
For those who want to keep up with what's happening next, there is a FAQ section of the site that has many good comments on the next steps. I encourage you to check it out!
http://www.islandreefjob.com/#/faq
I'm sure some of you will ask: "Well, Wes... what's next for you?"
I think i'll keep the blog open for a while. I may wind up changing the name, but not for a while. I'll certainly follow the job and update people on what's going to happen next. When the position is filled, i'll like everyone to the new blog and site that they will maintain. After that i may change this one up a bit, but i'll likely keep blogging. It's been fun.
So... STILL more to come! Stay tuned...
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
Australia
Just a couple of days before TQ starts voting on more than 19,000 applications. Can you believe it? Not even a week ago they announced that they had hit the 15,000 mark and, of course, it was still climbing.
I've been trying to view other videos in my spare time, but i'm not able to load them from work. There have been several impressive submissions, and i've noticed that this uphill climb against the competition seems more like a straight vertical shot. I'm happy with the video i made, and i think i had a creative and innovative approach to capturing TQ's attention. Surely i'm not the only person to think of getting a head start on one of the job details, but we'll see how that goes. What can i say, i'm determined!
Lately i've been getting some feedback from friends and other viewers. One of the questions that keeps popping up was my experience in Australia, and what that was like for me. A "tie-in" question that i got, since then, was if my previous visit there effects how i'm looking at this job. I think that's a great question, actually. The answer to that is: "Yes and No..." My visit to the Kambalda/Kalgoorlie area was fantastic, and i have so many things to share about it, which i will do shortly.
I've always wanted to visit the Great Barrier Reef. And regardless if i get this position or not, i'll be visiting before i leave this earth. When i was young, i thought about what i was going to do as i got older. I was huge into planes, military especially. I had always wanted to pilot F-14s or F-18's. My plan was to join the Navy after i graduated high school (talked to the recruiter and everything) but those plans fell through when i was accepted for EMT and paramedic courses through the local emergency response teams. I also dreamed of being an astronaut... like many other kids do. I think most of that was tied into the flying thing. And a few other "jobs" fell in line with those dreams, but the only other one that i remember REALLY wanting to work with something involving marine biology. At the time i thought i wanted to "work with dolphins" which was the only thing that really registered in my little brain. Obviously there's more to it than that, but when you grow up in small town Missouri, there isn't a lot of talk or education about the marine biology world. For me... i think that missing out on such an opportunity (which is nobodies fault but my own) that's what makes this job so intriguing to me. My experience dreaming about such a job, when i was young, was a precursor to that. The experience, more recently, among the Australian people and culture just pique my interest that much more.
The Kambalda area is a far cry from a tropical island feel. You're talking desert, and lots of it. In fact, water is highly coveted. It can be so scarce there that they have to run all pipes above ground in case there happens to be a leak, that way they can isolate it much faster. As you travel the roads to and from town, it's common to see pipes running along side the road. The earth there is beautiful, some of the most deep and rich shades of orange and red you'll see. After taking a walk in the bush, i came across a small water hole, likely from rains that came through before we got there. I found tracks scattered around the water, which was interesting. Not knowing the area, and what animals may live out there, you wonder if they're tracks from kangaroos... or perhaps quokkas? Not likely in that area. I did see several red kangaroos though. Some of the prettiest birds i've seen were a common sight there. Galahs are nice to look at, but you don't like them so much around 5:00am.
Between Kalgoorlie and Kambalda there are plenty of eye opening landmarks to see. One of the biggest landmarks is the "Super Pit" which is Australia's largest open cut gold mine. Some of the largest loading trucks known to man are hauling out around 900,000 ounces of gold every year. There's no way to really describe how huge this thing is. The pit (according to it's website) is (at the moment) about 3.5 kilometers long, 1.5 kilometers wide, and about 360 meters (about 1080 feet) deep. In other words... it's big. Mining is the staple of the community in that area, the Super Pit started somewhere around 1893. Another cool sight is when traveling to Red Hill in southwest Kambalda, you'll pass by many old mining buildings and museums. You can hike your way to the top of the hill, and when you crest it you find a stunning panoramic view of Lake Lefroy's salt flats, which looks like a deep blanket of snow as far as your eyes can see.
Regardless if the areas rugged terrain, it's a beautiful place to visit. I would have to say one of the best trips i've ever been on. As i had mentioned in my first entry, the people were extremely friendly and welcomed us to the area. The experience there was exotic enough to know we were definitely away, but warm enough to feel right at home.
So here's to all of those living in the Kalgoorlie/Kambalda area. I simply can't wait to go back! Hopefully the next time i visit Australia is when i take up residence on the island... May the environment there be as open and warm as it was there.
*disclaimer*
I've been trying to view other videos in my spare time, but i'm not able to load them from work. There have been several impressive submissions, and i've noticed that this uphill climb against the competition seems more like a straight vertical shot. I'm happy with the video i made, and i think i had a creative and innovative approach to capturing TQ's attention. Surely i'm not the only person to think of getting a head start on one of the job details, but we'll see how that goes. What can i say, i'm determined!
Lately i've been getting some feedback from friends and other viewers. One of the questions that keeps popping up was my experience in Australia, and what that was like for me. A "tie-in" question that i got, since then, was if my previous visit there effects how i'm looking at this job. I think that's a great question, actually. The answer to that is: "Yes and No..." My visit to the Kambalda/Kalgoorlie area was fantastic, and i have so many things to share about it, which i will do shortly.
I've always wanted to visit the Great Barrier Reef. And regardless if i get this position or not, i'll be visiting before i leave this earth. When i was young, i thought about what i was going to do as i got older. I was huge into planes, military especially. I had always wanted to pilot F-14s or F-18's. My plan was to join the Navy after i graduated high school (talked to the recruiter and everything) but those plans fell through when i was accepted for EMT and paramedic courses through the local emergency response teams. I also dreamed of being an astronaut... like many other kids do. I think most of that was tied into the flying thing. And a few other "jobs" fell in line with those dreams, but the only other one that i remember REALLY wanting to work with something involving marine biology. At the time i thought i wanted to "work with dolphins" which was the only thing that really registered in my little brain. Obviously there's more to it than that, but when you grow up in small town Missouri, there isn't a lot of talk or education about the marine biology world. For me... i think that missing out on such an opportunity (which is nobodies fault but my own) that's what makes this job so intriguing to me. My experience dreaming about such a job, when i was young, was a precursor to that. The experience, more recently, among the Australian people and culture just pique my interest that much more.
The Kambalda area is a far cry from a tropical island feel. You're talking desert, and lots of it. In fact, water is highly coveted. It can be so scarce there that they have to run all pipes above ground in case there happens to be a leak, that way they can isolate it much faster. As you travel the roads to and from town, it's common to see pipes running along side the road. The earth there is beautiful, some of the most deep and rich shades of orange and red you'll see. After taking a walk in the bush, i came across a small water hole, likely from rains that came through before we got there. I found tracks scattered around the water, which was interesting. Not knowing the area, and what animals may live out there, you wonder if they're tracks from kangaroos... or perhaps quokkas? Not likely in that area. I did see several red kangaroos though. Some of the prettiest birds i've seen were a common sight there. Galahs are nice to look at, but you don't like them so much around 5:00am.
Between Kalgoorlie and Kambalda there are plenty of eye opening landmarks to see. One of the biggest landmarks is the "Super Pit" which is Australia's largest open cut gold mine. Some of the largest loading trucks known to man are hauling out around 900,000 ounces of gold every year. There's no way to really describe how huge this thing is. The pit (according to it's website) is (at the moment) about 3.5 kilometers long, 1.5 kilometers wide, and about 360 meters (about 1080 feet) deep. In other words... it's big. Mining is the staple of the community in that area, the Super Pit started somewhere around 1893. Another cool sight is when traveling to Red Hill in southwest Kambalda, you'll pass by many old mining buildings and museums. You can hike your way to the top of the hill, and when you crest it you find a stunning panoramic view of Lake Lefroy's salt flats, which looks like a deep blanket of snow as far as your eyes can see.
Regardless if the areas rugged terrain, it's a beautiful place to visit. I would have to say one of the best trips i've ever been on. As i had mentioned in my first entry, the people were extremely friendly and welcomed us to the area. The experience there was exotic enough to know we were definitely away, but warm enough to feel right at home.
So here's to all of those living in the Kalgoorlie/Kambalda area. I simply can't wait to go back! Hopefully the next time i visit Australia is when i take up residence on the island... May the environment there be as open and warm as it was there.
*disclaimer*
I intended to post photos along side the blog. I promise to come back and fill this in soon. I'm afraid i don't have them at the moment, as i'm at my work computer. So, check back!
Friday, February 13, 2009
Video is finally up!
http://www.islandreefjob.com/#/applicants/watch/FoTR8r4zalw
OK, so i got a head start on the blog. I had been planning this method for a while, and didn't want to waste any more time by waiting for the public video. So, for those of you who are looking for more information on me, either scroll down the page to the posting with all my photos on it, or you can click the "January" link of the blog archive. You'll find that among the contents to the left.
I'm very excited about this finally going public. It had been several days since i submitted the application, but i realize now that TQ has to screen for content and make sure videos don't violate other terms of agreement.
Thanks for visiting! Be sure to check back weekly as i update the blog and share some stories about other places i've had the opportunity to visit.
Blessings to you all!
Wes
OK, so i got a head start on the blog. I had been planning this method for a while, and didn't want to waste any more time by waiting for the public video. So, for those of you who are looking for more information on me, either scroll down the page to the posting with all my photos on it, or you can click the "January" link of the blog archive. You'll find that among the contents to the left.
I'm very excited about this finally going public. It had been several days since i submitted the application, but i realize now that TQ has to screen for content and make sure videos don't violate other terms of agreement.
Thanks for visiting! Be sure to check back weekly as i update the blog and share some stories about other places i've had the opportunity to visit.
Blessings to you all!
Wes
Monday, February 9, 2009
Victorian arson.
I'm sure most of the world knows about the fire disaster in the Australian state of Victoria. The more recent news being that they think the fires were deliberately set, which just makes me sick to my stomach. At this point they expect that about 171 are dead with more expected as the fires rage on. The following articles have some amazing stories of survival, as well as stories of heartache.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/29123220/
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/29067017
A few years back some friends of mine and I came to know a couple of Australian gems (Rob and Nev) as they were staying in the States. Every few weeks Nev will write and give us updates about his adventures down under. Recently he wrote our group with the following:
And an update shortly after...
I'd like to take a moment to encourage fellow readers to pray for those involved in this disaster. From the people defending their own homes and farms, to those fighting the flames and risking their lives. Pray for their safety and that the winds calm down and rains pick up enough to help stop the spread.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/29123220/
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/29067017
A few years back some friends of mine and I came to know a couple of Australian gems (Rob and Nev) as they were staying in the States. Every few weeks Nev will write and give us updates about his adventures down under. Recently he wrote our group with the following:
Well things aren't to good over here me ole mates, we have got some bloody bad bush fires in the state next to us, Victoria, last count was 108 killed, over 700 houses burnt & heaps of people injured. One small town was completely burnt out. Our little part of the woods is ok at the moment, if it gets down there, there will be hell to pay, we have got thousands of of acres of blue gum & pine trees all around us...
And an update shortly after...
The closest fire to us down at home was about 60 miles away, closer to Uncle Rob though about 30 miles I'd say. The death toll is horrific, some family's have lost so much it's very sad. I think the death toll will be even higher yet. There's been about 830,000 acres burnt so far & there's still 52 fires still burning, at the moment the death tolls 130 people but they reckon it will top 200. The sad part is that Queensland is having massive floods if you could only even it out. The heat & wind has been terrible ... Police have shut whole areas down after the fires have gone through & classed them as murder sites. To read a paper over here its very hard not not to have a tear in your eye, some stories are just so sad. Anyway gang all we can do is pray for rain & bloody heaps of it.
Loves you lots mates, look after yourselves.
Nev
I'd like to take a moment to encourage fellow readers to pray for those involved in this disaster. From the people defending their own homes and farms, to those fighting the flames and risking their lives. Pray for their safety and that the winds calm down and rains pick up enough to help stop the spread.
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