NEW AUSSIE

Photo: Ben Curtis and Judy Ross at the Australian Citizenship ceremony on Thursday.

Background:

In February 2009 our Club jointly hosted the visiting Group Study Exchange team from Canada and Washington State, whilst they were in Warrnambool. This team was a specialist team related to the timber industry. Phillip and Judy hosted the youngest member of the team, Ben Curtis, who shortly after his return to Canada, lost his job due to the global financial crisis. Ben went back to Uni and after further study and further disappointment in the Canadian job market, returned to Australia to work in the timber industry in the Otways, through a contact he had made whilst here on the GSE trip. He is now based in Ballarat and works in the Ballarat/Beaufort areas.

He kept in touch with Judy who was delighted to act as a referee for him in his application for permanent residency, which was successful. So, through Rotary we welcome another Australian Citizen.