2025-06-25 Guest Speaker, Amy Ying

Life after Rotary Youth Exchange (to Australia in 2009)

Guest Speaker, Amy Ying, from Taiwan introduced by her former host mother Di Gilleland.

The Gilleland's were Amy's first host parents in Geraldton. Other host parents included the Cooper, Beaver and Young families.

Amy says it made a difference to her being a Rotary Exchange student. She learned different lifestyles, hobbies and interests from her host families.

When she returned to Taiwan she went to university. And then she went into business. Up to 70% of business in Taiwan these days revolves around technology and the growth of AI- artificial intelligence.

However Amy has pursued a different track and is managing a 'holiday house' for meetings, re-unions, weddings and the like. She has a video which she plays showing that the wooden 'holiday house' can accommodate up to twenty four people.

She is happy to be back in Geraldton, her second home.

 
 
Questions
Hugh Lavery - What makes a good host parent?
Grant Woodhams - What is the relationship between China and Taiwan?
Russell McKinnon - What was it like to leave Taiwan as a teenager and come to Australia?
Emily Beaver - Did you choose Australia as your exchange country?
Hugh Lavery - What advice would you give to other exchange students?
 
 
 
Hugh recorded Amy's presentation, and it can be found on youTube here :
 
 
 
 

Hugh Lavery presented Amy with our traditional certificate of donation on her behalf of 50 polio vaccinations to End Polio Now and Amy reciprocated with a gift to Hugh. (We suspect he ate it! - No, he didn't - Donated to RC of Batavia Coast's High Tea, Changeover)

 
 
 
 

Rotary Youth Exchange -Creating Lifetime Friendship

Photos- L to R
 
1. Ray Cooper, Alan, Amy, Di Gilleland
2.Bob Urquhart,Amy, Di Gilleland
3. Ray Cooper, Amy Ying, Di Gilleland
4. Amy Ying, Sarah Price-Walkley, Emily Beaver
5. Andrew Beaver, Sarah, Emily Beaver, Mandy Beaver, President Hugh
 
 
 
 

After the meeting, President Hugh commented that "the Rotary Youth Exchange Program is the ONE thing we do that connects all of us- within the Club, within our Families and the Community, within our District, and across the World, AND across Time - a fantastic program and THANK YOU to all the volunteers that make it happen"