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PDG Nancy introduced our speaker, who had been a Rotary Exchange student in Tasmania, Australia in 1979-80. On his return, he attended the University of Manitoba where he earned a Bachelor of Commerce (Honours). This followed with a 35 year career with PriceWaterhouseCoopers and then as a chief executive of The Petals Group (a business that sources most of the flowers and plants sold by the major grocery chains in western Canada). He has been active on volunteer boards of United Way, Youth for Christ Winnipeg and Victoria Hospital Foundation. He coached his children’s hockey and soccer teams and attended their choral and band concerts. When he was in Grade 9, Robert decided that he wanted to be a chartered accountant but while in Grade 12, a friend told him about the Rotary Youth Exchange Program, and he decided that he really should explore that option. Robert recalled his interview that resulted in him being chosen by the Winnipeg Assiniboine Rotary Club to be their exchange student going to Burnie, Tasmania, Australia. He thought that his answer to a question about how he would handle a stressful situation – “by using humour” – was instrumental in his having been chosen. Before departing on his exchange, he spent 3 weeks at the beginning of June in a hospital due to a ruptured appendix. So when he showed up for his graduation ceremony at Westwood Collegiate at the end of June, he was 6’3” tall and weighed 119 pounds. Robert prepared himself for the departure by seeking relevant tourism information from each Canadian province as well as letters from the Winnipeg mayor, and Manitoba’s Lieutenant Governor to take to their counterparts in Tasmania – plus lapel pins to share with his new friends on the other side of the globe. While his friends were going to University, his plan to become a chartered accountant was delayed and he was off in his first ever flight (a 36 hour one, yet!) to stay with 4 main families in Burnie (population 20,000), to attend Hellyer Matriculation College (where he played volleyball and basketball) and to participate in meetings and events of Rotary and Rotaract clubs. His experiences included: - helping out with bread, milk and newspaper deliveries at 4-5 AM for his first host family’s store
- being surrounded by Tasmanian devils (who don’t attack humans) while camping with the Scouts.
- baby-sitting 15 children while staying with a host family that owned a funeral home
- staying in the home of an optometrist who raised goats
- sailing for 3 days in waves that were 35 feet high
- shearing sheep and haying with the family of Dr. Kill
- drowning while kayaking, (and being resuscitated afterwards)
- being able to ski downhill (yes, on snow!) and swim in the ocean the same day
- speaking at Rotary clubs, schools, businesses, and special events (1 to 3 presentations a week)
- spending an afternoon with Aussie Prime Minister Malcolm Fraser
- adapting to Aussie lingo and slang
- living with the 4 Ds – no drinking, no driving, no dating and no drugs (except for the Aussie’s love of beer!)
- meeting other exchange students from around the world
- seeing most of mainland Australia (except for western Australia) with Rotarians and school trips
What he found hard was being away from home, travelling and moving around, being on display (since everyone knew who he was), keeping up with his schoolwork (because of his other duties), getting a haircut (his mother had always cut his hair at home), leaving friends, and not getting too close to anyone (i.e. no dating). When he came back home, he was a changed person. He ended by thanking Rotarians for the Youth Exchange Program. It changed his life in the following ways: - Mature, confident and able to handle whatever comes
- Faith was strengthened
- Became an extrovert & interested in meeting people
- More sensitive to other cultures and types of people
- Hunger & curiosity for what is new
- Knowledge that he can make a difference
- Desire to continue travelling and learning of other cultures, not just sights
- Competence and enjoyment speaking in front of others
Jack thanked Robert Reimer for his presentation. |
