EXCHANGE BETWEEN ROTARY DISTRICT 2260, OSAKA AND DISTRICT 9980, NEW ZEALAND
Agreement of an exchange between the two districts was completed by Governors Peter Haines and Shozo Nakagawa, with arrangements then being completed by the two District GSE committees.
Initial contact from Chairman Yasunobu Kashimura and Peter Jackson was completed by fax, with a five week exchange being agreed on, with the District 9980 team also spending a week in Tokyo at the Berlitz Language Centre.
The GSE Committee then completed itineraries by E-mail, and this has again proved to be a most satisfactory medium for quick and inexpensive communication. Selection Process
Nominations for team leader opened in July 1996 and closed on 17 August, with team leader selection being on 31 August. Nominations for team members opened on l September and closed on 10 October, with area selections completed by 20 October and district selection in Dunedin on 9~10 November.
Eight nominations were received and interviewed for team leader, with 23 nominations for team members being received, all of whom were interviewed, with 11 nominees coming forward to district selection when four team members plus an alternate were selected.
Final selection was completed by the GSE committee, with the District Governor Peter and Claire being members of the selection panel.
Nominations for both team leader and team members being of a high standard, with those chosen proving to be first class ambassadors both for the country and for Rotary International.
A feature of this year's team was that one member of the selected team was unable to go due to family illness, therefore the alternate stepped in two weeks prior to departure and proved to be a very capable team member.
District 2660 team were also excellent ambassadors for Japan and for Rotary International, and were warmly welcomed throughout the district and made a considerable number of friends.
In summary, an excellent exchange.
