Day 83: Full Circle

Today I completed the last formal part of my travels. Regular readers may remember that back in Day 1 of my journey, Xander McDade the Provost of Perth Scotland, wished me well on my journey, and gave me some mementos to exchange with the Mayor of Perth Australia (pictured below).

Well, today I was able to discharge that duty when I met the Lord Mayor of Perth, Basil Zempilas, who very kindly, officially welcomed me to Perth Western Australia (WA).

One of the gifts I passed on was a Scottish quaich, a cup traditionally used at clan gatherings to offer a welcome drink and symbolise friendship. This was very appropriate as Basil and his colleagues Graham and Scott were very friendly. Far from the stuffy connotations the title ‘The Right Honourable the Lord Mayor’ might suggest, Basil quickly put me at ease, and I found him very approachable. This way with people may have come from his earlier career, as before being elected Mayor of Perth, Basil was among other things a TV and Radio presenter.

I used the word “exchange”, as Basil and his team gave me some very thoughtful gifts too: a new hat that was badly needed; a book that links Western Australia with one of the first NASA flights (reminding me of my journey to the Kennedy Space Center in Florida); a badge; a wallet for storing all my new Australian cards; and a notebook and pen to start writing my next travel adventures in!

Both the wallet and notebook contained the City of Perth Coat of Arms, as did a badge. Interestingly, the information on the coat of arms specifically states that the City of Perth was named in honour of Perth in Scotland. It contains the Perth Scotland arms with the St Andrew’s cross. Appropriate since I arrived in Perth on St Andrew’s Day!

The Blacks Swans on the coat of arms represented Perth as the centre of the Swan River Colony (a link to the area's British founders). The river in the background of the pictures is the Swan River, named after the black swans common on the river. Basil and his colleagues had suggested this would make a good photo spot, and they were right. Credit to City of Perth Digital Content Officer Scott Simpson for some amazing photos!

Finally, the word ‘floreat’ on the coat of arms is Latin. It means to flourish. Hopefully, I too will flourish in Perth Western Australia.