Newsletter for the Rotary Club of Greater Geraldton - Issue No.: 781 Issue Date: 22 Apr, 2024

John Gooch re-introduced Rhianna, OBES 2017 to Germany.

Rhianna arrived in Germany halfway through the academic year which was both advantageous and disadvantageous. The advantage was that she was able to meet two lots of fellow outbounds that changed midway through the year. The disadvantage was the difficulty picking up school halfway through the year. Her school was established in 1700 (before white settlement in Australia). Rhianna was hosted by three families for varying durations and enjoyed each of them and the sibling relationships she was able to establish. She did not have to attend regular Rotary meetings which was good as they were held in the evenings with no time limit. Her first family took her on a rotational orientation trip around Germany which was a wonderful introduction to the country. Another of her families lived about an hour from Hamburg, which she visited regularly. The EuroTour lasted three weeks, visited 15 countries which included a free 24 hours in Vienna, one of Rhianna’s favourite destinations. She learnt how to windsurf and also went skiing in Norway.

Rhianna now has friends all over the world, has a greater understanding of different cultures and is keen to pursue more travel. She thanked the Club for giving her the opportunity for a life changing experience.

Rhianna is now at UWA studying Sports Science and Human Biology which she hopes leads into Physiotherapy. She is also about to commence teaching piano.

Questions came from Douglas, Dan Pete Sveno and Bruce Ralph.

A vote of thanks was expressed by Tony Emmott who thanked Rhianna for her regular correspondence with the Club