Around 20,000 rotary members from around the world will converge on Melbourne for the International Convention to be held between May 27 – 31.

Many of the delegates take the opportunity of visiting other parts of Australia prior to arriving in Melbourne.

Iluka Woombah Rotary Club was delighted to be given the chance to host a group of six – travelling together as a friendship exchange – for three days over the weekend from May 19. The four ladies and two men were members of five different Rotary Clubs in the capital, Taipei – a city of over four million out of a total population of around 24 million all living in a country a little over half the area of Tasmania.

Our guests were treated to perfect weather which enabled our club to showcase the attributes of our wonderful area. We took them on a tour of Maclean and Yamba, on the ferry across the Clarence River, to Woody Head for a BBQ and to meet the local Kangaroos (they had never encountered Kangas in the wild).

Although Taiwan is surrounded by beaches, they are not generally driven on, so we took them for a drive along ‘10 Mile Beach’ and celebrated the occasion with a glass of bubbles.

On the final night we dined at Club Iluka after exchanging gifts, for our part a book published by the Iluka Emporium ‘Snapshot of Iluka and Surrounds’ and the Taiwanese presented their hosts with delightful tea making sets.

During dinner, restaurant guests were ‘treated’ to some impromptu renditions of popular Taiwanese songs – no doubt prompted by an abundance of fresh North Coast air.

We said a fond farewell to our guests at Byron Bay the next day and the feedback we got was appreciation for a relaxing informal visit full of fun.

Graeme Lockyer