Our District GSE team cleaned up pretty well so we have decided to go ahead with sending them to Australia. J   The team will be lead by Wayne Kuhn of the Rotary Club of Hanford, noon.  Team members and their businesses (from left to right) are: Sara Moncrief (Scheid Vineyards), George Meyer (Farmer’s Fury Winery), Christopher Canepa (Bernardus Winery) and Aubrey Bettencourt (California Water Alliance).  While the team will learn about the Australian people, their culture and Rotary in Australia; they will also have a strong vocational focus on the wine industry in Australia.  The vocational emphasis has and will influence many aspects of this GSE exchange beginning with the selection of team members, determining site visits during the exchange and eventually it is intended to benefit the team members’ companies upon their return.  Rotary’s GSE program is changing and a stronger vocational focus is a part of that change. 

The District team will be leaving in mid-February for a month in the State of Victoria.  The topography ranges to include rustic fishing villages along a beautiful coastline, scenic vineyards, lush fern-laced forests and craggy mountains.  Melbourne – a city of 3.5 million people – is quite a contrast in this highly diverse State.  The draft itinerary has our team “seeing it all” plus 10-15 Rotary meetings and a district conference during the month.  It will be an exciting, fast paced experience and the team is very appreciative of having this opportunity. Follow our experiences on the District Facebook beginning in mid-February.