Group Study Exchange from District 9830 Tasmania - Australia to District 4200 Mexico

departing 22 April 2006........ returning late May 2006

Team Leader - PP Arthur Orchard (RC Sandy Bay)

Team Members
Donna Woodleigh - Advisor (legal Issues), Department of Education (RC Kingston)

Marion Edmondson - Women's Health Coordinator, Dep Health & Human Services (RC Central Launceston)

Andrew Mitchell - CEO, Work Plus Training & Development (RC North Launceston)

Desmond Smith - Lawyer, Butler, McIntyre, Butler (RC Sandy Bay)

 

 
 Cultural/recreational visits and activities requested for the team:

Attend a regional or national soccer game, a baseball game, a charreada and a horse race.
Visit many of your cultural, religious and historic sites and museums&endash; San Cristobal, Virgin of Guadaloupe, La Venta, Aquaselva, Comalcalco, Palenque, Yaxchilan, Bonampak and others.
Visit cocoa plantation, a coffee plantation, forestry plantation and other agricultural farms.
Learn some authentic Mexican cooking & maybe undertake a cooking class.
Learn some Mexican dancing (Salsa and others).
Attend local markets, functions and festivals.
Sailing, horse riding, golfing, diving, kayaking, deep sea fishing, &endash; whatever is available.
Visit national parks and Biosphere Reserves (especially Sian Ka'an on the Caribbean Coast.)
Visit a Mexican ranch/hacienda.
Visit some seaside resorts and smaller rural villages.
Anything else you would like to show us or do with us.

Arthur Orchard Team Leader: (Rotary Club of Sandy bay)

 

Arthur is 57 years old, has been married to Jill for 34 years, has three adult children (Anita 30, Julie 29 and Peter 27) and four beautiful grand-daughters (Tahlia 6, Chloe 4, Hannah and Ebony (twins aged 2.5).

He is now semi-retired but still very busy with some investments, family, travel and Rotary. He was self-employed for most of his working life and has worked in a diverse range of businesses, including some 20 years in the financial planning industry.

Arthur enjoys spending time with his family, travelling, touring, boating, walking, their holiday home at Eaglehawk Neck, reading, relaxing with friends and, of course, his involvement in Rotary.

He joined Rotary in 1982 as a charter member of a new club and joined the Rotary Club of Sandy Bay in 1998. He was club president in 1984/85 and 2001/02.

Arthur and Jill have hosted several GSE team members and exchange students over the past twenty years and Arthur spent two weeks working on a Fijian Rota-home project in 1994.

Arthur is a non-smoker

email - aorchard01@bigpond.com.au
Donna Woodleigh, (Rotary Club of Kingston )

Donna Woodleigh is a lawyer who lives at Bonnet Hill, Tasmania with her 7 year old son, Liam and partner Nick. Donna is 32 years old and works for the State Government in the Education Department as a legal advisor. Nick is a police officer.

Donna also has a background in alternative dispute resolution having experience working as a mediator, and management experience from co-ordinating an office for a mediation, counselling and training organisation.

Donna volunteers for, amongst other commitments, the Red Cross International Humanitarian Law Committee, and has an interest in social justice issues. Donna has also written an Honours thesis on human rights.

Her interests include travelling, the outdoors &endash; especially kayaking, bushwalking, and horse riding, entertaining with family and friends, and theatre. She is committed to 'having a go' at most things and has a keen sense of adventure.

Donna loves above all else, people. She keeps busy by trying to balance family and work commitments, organising social activities with friends, and having fun.

Suggested Vocational visits:
A private legal firm especially human rights lawyer/law firm
An orphanage
A mediation organisation/practitioner
A prison
A school &endash; primary & secondary
An education government minister/ or equivalent
A Red Cross project
A education department (or government department equivalent)
The Courts &endash; spend day with a Judge
A university - especially law school
The Attorney General (or government equivalent)
Amnesty International

Donna is happy to do joint vocational visits with Des, Andrew and Marion where they overlap.

Donna is happy to stay with host families on her own or with other team members.
Donna would like a home-stay on a ranch or hacienda if possible.
She is a non-smoker.

email - Donna.Woodleigh@education.tas.gov.au
Marion Edmondson, (Rotary Club of Central Launceston)

Marion Edmondson is a thirty five year old woman who lives in Launceston, Tasmania and is the Coordinator of Women's Health North. Women's' Health North is a part of the Tasmanian Government's Department of Health and Human Services and is an information and referral service that aims to improve the health and wellbeing of women in Tasmania

Marion is married to Ian, who is studying for his PHD in Education and has three children: Hannah (deceased) Gus (13) and Clara (5).

Marion has worked in community services since graduating with a Diploma in Community Services 10 years ago. Most of her work has been in women's services, especially domestic violence and sexual assault.

Marion is passionate about social justice and feels privileged to work in an area she cares so deeply about.

Her interests are spending time with her family and friends, cooking, playing the guitar and piano and singing. She also enjoys being in the outdoors - camping or on picnics.

Suggested Vocational visits:
Any government funded Women's Health Services
Mexifam clinics
Indigenous Women's projects
An IPAS clinic (termination of pregnancy)
An orphanage and a prison.
Any programs working with Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault.
Any groups working in the Sex Industry
Any government department that makes policy on Women's issues
Any school based sexuality education programs
Amnesty International.

Marion is happy to share vocational visits with Andrew, des and Donna where they overlap.
Marion is happy to be hosted herself or with any team member. She is a non smoker.

email - ied62276@bigpond.net.au or marion.edmondson@dhhs.tas.gov.au
Andrew Mitchell, (Rotary Club of North Launceston)

Andrew Mitchell is 36 years old, married with two children, lives in the city of Launceston in northern Tasmania and owns his own workplace training business called "Work Plus Development & Training"

Andrew is happily married to Danielle, a school teacher; together they have two daughters (Grace 10, and Chelsea 8) and live in a dilapidated old house that is at the beginning of a renovation journey. Grace & Chelsea are keen pianists, and junior athletes; Grace is also studying ballet and Chelsea developing tennis skills.

Andrew has worked in the petroleum, retail and hospitality industries and has most recently spent five years in the training and business development industry. Andrew's business employs nine people aside from himself and his business partner. It delivers workplace training in the areas of business, management, retail, wholesale, hospitality and warehousing. Andrew's business also operates a small takeaway food outlet in the Launceston city centre.

Andrew is a person driven by the need to help others. He constantly seeks fulfilment, and needs to see that he is helping others in order to achieve that.

Andrew loves to cook and eat, entertain and generally be around friends and family.

Suggested Vocational visits:
Local, State & Federal Government bodies dealing with education, training & workforce development
Local, State or Federal Government bodies or private organisations dealing with individuals or groups wishing to start a business
A public secondary (senior) school
A private secondary (senior) school
A university (public & private)
A college (public & private)
A private training organisation (providing training to workers)
An adult education facility
A small to medium retail business (talk to owner/manager about workforce issues and employee training)
A small to medium hospitality business (talk to owner/manager about workforce issues and employee training)
A small to medium transport & distribution business (talk to owner/manager about workforce issues and employee training)
An Australian business operating in the area


Andrew is happy to do joint vocational visits with other team members where they overlap.
Andrew is a non-smoker.

email - andrew@workplus.com.au
Des Smith (Rotary Club of Sandy Bay)

Almost 28 years ago, Des was born to Irish parents in Deloraine, Tasmania. He went to Deloraine Primary School and then St Brendan Shaw College, Devonport. In 1996, he moved to Hobart to attend university and, in 2001, graduated with a Bachelor of Arts/Law with Honours in History.

In 2002, he was admitted to the Bar and worked for a year as the Associate to the Honourable Mr Justice Blow in the Supreme Court of Tasmania. From mid-2003 to the present, Des has worked at Butler McIntyre and Butler, Lawyers, specialising in civil and commercial litigation.

If asked to list the most formative experiences of his life (which he hasn't been!), he would put becoming a Christian in 1996, and travelling with his parents to Europe for four months in 1991 (a real eye-opener), at the top.

Des loves coffee, reading, talking too much and Rugby Union (although not all at once).

Suggested Vocational visits:
A university law school;Visit a prison;
A private law firm;
A community legal centre or equivalent;
A law court and/or meet a judge;
Parliament and/or meet members of parliament or equivalent;
A professional mediation business or government mediation organisation to meet with professional corporate, family and commercial mediators;
A youth justice office or equivalent - somewhere to learn about youth sentencing options and programs, diversionary programs, etc;
Meet a migration Agent, someone who assists people in immigrating, either to or from Mexico.
An orphanage;
Amnesty International

Des is happy to do joint vocational visits with Donna, Marion and Andrew where they overlap.
Des is a non-smoker.

 email - dsmith@butmac.com.au

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