GUEST SPEAKER

Chairman Terry O'Neill introduced Brazilian Exchange Student Fabio Gomes as guest speaker. Fabio is sponsored by the Rotary Club of Joao Monlevade District 4520 Brazil. Terry described Fabio as a most pleasantly confident and engaging young man, fun to be with, outgoing and sensitive to those in need. As evidenced by those present, Fabio is already making some great friends at Brauer.

 

Brazil is the largest country in South America and fifth largest in the world. Australia is the sixth. Nearly nine times the population of Australia, with 85% of the population living in urban areas, six cities bigger than two million and the biggest Sao Paulo 11.5 million, followed by Rio de Janeiro with 6.5 million. The capital city is Brasilia with 2.7 million. Brazil is bordered by ten neighbouring countries and has the world's seventh largest and one of the fastest growing economies. Brazil was a founding member of the United Nations and has a woman President, Dilma Rousseff, one of the most powerful women in the world. Brazil has the world's largest Catholic population and the main language is Portugese. As in Australia, the public health services are universal and are freely available to all citizens, but millions of better off Brazilians also have private health care coverage. The currency is the Brazilian decimal Real, with one Australian dollar buying R2.03, down from R2.09 last week! About 8,000 Australians were born in Brazil and about another Brazilian 8,000 students are here as well.

 

Fabio's home city is Joao Monlevade, an industrial steel making centre, in Minas Gervas state, city population around 72,762. It is 742 metres above sea level and is located inland. The climate is humid sub-tropical and like Australia, must cope with droughts and floods. Time is thirteen hours behind us, so at any time in our pm, it will be one hour earlier there in the am, thus 7pm here is 6am in Joao Monlevade. Temperaure there today will range from 14C to 20C, rising to 25C by Saturday.

 

Fabio's dad has a business and his mum is an environmental educator and like many Australian teens, he lives half of each week with each parent. He has a fifteen year old sister and attends Kennedy College in Joao Monlevade, named after the late American President. School begins at 7:00 am and concludes at noon, with a few extra classes available in the afternoon. He studies twelve subjects and loves soccer, which is huge in brazil.

 

Fabio has dreamed of becoming an Exchange Student to Australia and is now living that dream and loving it. He likes the apparent lack of corruption in Australia and the organised way society here operates.

 

Fabio showed a brief video highlighting Brazil's magnificent scenery, including beaches, water falls and its cultural life, especially carnival time.

 

He hopes to study electrical engineering at university next year to make good use of his talent with mathematics.

 

President John thanked Fabio for a great presentation and advised him that the only Brazilian born Australian Rules footballer is Harry O'Brien of Collingwood and so presented him with a Collingwood scarf, a cap and a Sherrin football.

 

Fabio is making a great start to his exchange and has already found a special place in the hearts of all club members. Well done mate!