Dave and Maree Shearer - Friends from Graceville, Brisbane - their Ninth visit!

Sometime in 2004, we think, Br Chris Wills alerted us to the possible visit of a couple of Australian travelers. Maree and Dave Shearer duly arrived and our connection with them, productive, helpful and always very congenial began.

Dave is an army-trained metal worker, former lighthouse tender, Vietnam veteran, raconteur and serious brewer. Maree is an accomplished seamstress, a leader in the Needleworkers Association in Queensland, a leader in St.V. de P. in Queensland and, in her time, a conspicuous figure in Queensland Catholic P&F. Here, grates on drains, curtains on windows and closets and better order and general cleanliness after their visits testify to their care for us, their energy and their generosity.

Dave and Maree have just finished their ninth visit, like the other eight a month long and very productive. If we have a template for the ideal volunteers Maree and Dave have shaped it. They are a reminder to us of just how fortunate our work here has been.