To be honest, I always believed that real friendships only happened back in school or uni—once you hit the workforce, it all felt a bit transactional. That idea shaped most of my adult life, especially after the isolating experience of my first job. But then came job number two, right near Sydney’s CBD—another corporate gig. But from the very first day, something shifted. It was like someone smashed my long-held belief to bits. In that unexpected space, I met people who weren’t just co-workers—they were genuinely kind friends. And for the first time since leaving behind classrooms and cafeterias, I felt that old sense of trust again. It reminded me that friendship doesn’t care about your age or your surroundings.
Over three years at that job, plenty of people came and went, but a handful became really special. And then came the day I’d been dreading—when one of those close mates, Emma, handed in her resignation after two amazing years. But come on, there was no way we were letting her walk out without a proper send-off. So here’s what we did: a Sydney Harbour lunch cruise followed by a scavenger hunt she’d never forget.
Sydney Harbour Lunch Cruise
We wanted something relaxed where we could all catch up properly, so a lunch cruise on Sydney Harbour felt like the perfect plan. We booked this sleek catamaran with big open decks and a cracking buffet. And no joke—she was in tears before dessert. She stood there, thanking us over and over again, looking back on her time with us and all the little moments that made it special. Every sentence came with a sniffle and a heartfelt “thank you.”
The Harbour Bridge and Opera House were showing off in the background, but we were too caught up in the moment to care. That two-hour cruise turned out to be one of the best breaks we’d had in ages—everyone just dropped their work stress and soaked up the moment. We were sure it’d mean a lot to Emma, and she let us know it absolutely did. But we weren’t done yet—there was still one more surprise waiting.
Scavenger Hunt
Now, before you roll your eyes—this wasn’t one of those cookie-cutter scavenger hunts in an escape room. Nope. This was a custom-built, 2km adventure from Darling Harbour to the CBD. We’d been plotting it for weeks, and we knew it’d be the cherry on top.
Right after the cruise, we handed her a sheet full of clues—and she looked totally puzzled. It was packed with hints tied to our office banter, inside jokes, and all the local spots where we’d shared a laugh—cafés, bars, laneways and more. Anyone else would’ve had no clue what the sheet was on about. But for Emma, every riddle unlocked a memory.
The final clue? It took her to our office rooftop—the same spot where, let’s just say, we may have shared the odd smoke (hope my boss never reads this). And right there, with the golden sunset behind us, we’d set up a projector. What played was a reel of moments—good, bad, and hilarious. We even roped in our manager to pull CCTV footage, and after hours of digging through it, we pieced together scenes from her first day, her promotion, and all the laughs in between.
When the video ended, I swear I’ve never seen someone cry like that from pure happiness. Emma threw herself at us with hugs and kisses—it was emotional chaos in the best way possible. But honestly, it felt like the least we could do for someone who gave us so much joy.
And like Kierkegaard once said: “Life can only be understood backwards, but it must be lived forwards.” That day, we got to relive her past and help her move into the future with love. And of course, in true tradition, we ended the night with a cheeky smoke and a cold one!
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