 | When asked by the lovely Rachel and Eddie to join their fundraising team for the World Homeless Day Sleepout at Centennial Park, we jumped at the chance |
Why? Well first of all we could contribute to Mission Australia's Mission Beat by doing something as simple as sleeping
Second. A once in a lifetime opportunity to sleep in the beautiful Centennial Park
The start of the evening was quite chilled. With a expected crowd of 350 in attendance, the organisers had done well to provide a multitude of entertainment including local bands, karaoke and a moonlight cinema.
As the night got late it was time to rug up and get comfy. Our little team was a hard core team. There were no luxury tents or blow up mattresses for us. No it was sleeping bags under the stars for our little posse. Thank goodness for that swiss army winter coat
Now fortunately the Lamb was once a girl guider Lamb and she thought to pack a tarpaulin. Very useful when the rain came in the middle of the night
We were both very grateful for our tarpaulin cocoon, slightly claustrophobic but a welcomed alternative to being wet and cold. And I think it was at this time that the light hearted theme of the night faded and the real message came through. For some people, surviving the night with some form of warmth and shelter is a full time occupation
When dawn finally came I can honestly say I was more than relieved. Cold, slightly congested and very sleep deprived, all I wanted was to get home and get to my big bed
But there was a silver lining of course, we got to see Centennial Park in the dawn light. Very beautiful. The Lamb and I raised over $200 for Mission Australia. Rachel and Eddie raised about $700 between them. And at the end of the day, we got a whole new appreciation for just how lucky we are. Not bad for a nights work
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