DAD BATTLES TURBULENCE TO SEE KIDS
A GEELONG father who travelled through three countries and took five flights has landed in Canada to be reunited with his daughters.
Murray White, who had been unable to visit his children due to coronavirus, decided to move back to Ottawa because of the uncertainty of future travel.
But the father-of-two almost didn’t make his international flight.
After landing at Sydney airport and providing authorities his exemption for international travel, Mr White was told he could not spend his 12-hour layover at the airport and he was taken to a nearby hotel.
“I was taken to patient transport to a quarantine hotel,” he said.
“There was generic paperwork on my desk saying I was going to be detained for 14 days because I was showing symptoms, but I’d been tested the week before and everything had come back clear.”
After finally clearing the air on his status, Mr White was able to leave the hotel and catch his flight.
“I wound up calling triple-0 and explained the situation,” he said.
“Police were really good, and we had a call shortly after saying a car was coming to collect m
He made his flight 30 minutes before boarding.
While the rest of the trip went smoothly, including an upgrade to a connecting flight which shaved a day off his travel time, Mr White said the atmosphere in the airport was creepily silent.
“It was good to have three seats to myself on the flight,” he said.
“There’s this really eerie feeling about being at an airport without business people scurrying about, no travellers and no one saying goodbye or hello.”
Mr White will see his daughters on August 15 after his quarantine period ends.
“My daughters were able to wave at me through the window and it felt a little odd,” he said.
“There’s definitely comfort in knowing I’m here and that they know I’m here. I’m absolutely looking forward to spending time with them.”