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Exchange reflects the benefits of Rotary

Rotary Club of Estevan member Lynn Chipley and her husband Duane participated in a friendship exchange through Rotary earlier this year, and they say it reflected the international impact of Rotary.

Rotary Club of Estevan member Lynn Chipley and her husband Duane participated in a friendship exchange through Rotary earlier this year, and they say it reflected the international impact of Rotary.

The exchange was held in the second half of March, and the Chipleys made a presentation to the Rotary Club of Estevan in late July about the experience.

Lynn said she learned of the opportunity to participate in the exchange after reading an email from the district governor. She had applied to be part of the friendship exchange previously, but was accepted this time around.

“It’s essentially, for Rotarians, a self-funded opportunity to meet and visit other Rotarians, see how they live, see where they live, see what they do as Rotarians, and they were absolutely fabulous hosts who showed us as many of the tourists sites in their area as they could as well,” said Lynn.

They were based out of Melbourne, but spent time in various communities. And while they were able to see a lot of the sites, they learned about what Rotary has to offer.

Chipley
Duane Chipley, left, and Lynn Chipley, sixth from left, with Chris and Eileen Clinton, Murray and Donna Newton, Wayne and Joyce Claggett and Frank and Nancy Cosway. Photo submitted

“They did an excellent job of partnering us with Rotarian couples who had similar interests or maybe vocations,” said Lynn.

They also attended multiple Rotary meetings and other Rotary functions.

“I learned that in every single Rotary club, there’s a similar emphasis to ours, that the primary emphasis is helping and improving your own community, finding an initiative in your own community. Everyone has a Rotary park. Rotary parks are a given, I think, everywhere in the world.”

Rotarian barbecues are everywhere, too, but the food isn’t always the same.

Rotary also has an emphasis on international aid, with projects such as Shelterbox, but they also look to improve the lives of people around the world.

Prior to embarking for Australia, the friendship exchange team members had several Skype meetings, but they didn’t meet as a group until they landed in Melbourne.

Two other couples were from Saskatchewan, and two were from Manitoba. At each meeting, one of the group members served as the presenter and discussed life in Saskatchewan and Manitoba.

Chipley said that by staying with Australians, she and her husband learned more about the country and about Rotary than if they would have stayed in a hotel. And if people from Australia come here through a friendship exchange, she hopes members of the Rotary Club of Estevan will want to get to know some Australians.

“A lot of their issues are the same as ours too. They have oil and they have coal,” said Duane, who noted that one of the Rotarians they met was a scientist involved in coal and carbon capture studies.