When planning an education/development/discovery tour of Vietnam that involves a day of bike riding, it is necessary to ensure that the prospective tourists have the necessary skills and fitness! So our young legatees who took up the offer to accompany the tour came together on the first weekend of the school holidays for the ‘test’.

It was raining as we met, but by the time the group had listened to the tour company expert with his ‘100 tips for novice travellers’ and lunch was out of the way, the skies had cleared and the ‘test’ began. For the next hour and a half we enjoyed a leisurely ride from the bike hire at Princes Bridge along the Yarra River to Collingwood and back. Everyone passed!

Then onto the Glen Waverley Police Academy where the group spent the night.  Dinner at a Springvale (Vietnamese) restaurant added to the adventure!  The young legatees then had time for reflection in the magnificent Police Academy chapel. This was a first for some and all the more special as plaques commemorating family members were on display. The day ended renewing or forming friendships while relaxing together with police trainees.

Following a Sunday breakfast, our legatees watched a nervous group of 125 applicants being tested on their agility as part of the Victoria Police entry process.

Our brief time together before the big trip in January was now over. Thank you to our young legatees and their families for making the time to help prepare for this very special event. The experience will be all the more rewarding for the effort.