Exchange chance to develop skills

A nurse educator, a community services officer and a hydro-geologist walk into a Brazilian boteco.

This is not, as you might suppose, the set-up for a comedy routine – in fact, it is a tale of Rotarians on exchange.

Next month, five West Australian young professionals will fly to Brazil and the southern state of Paraná, where they will travel together on a four-week program to exchange ideas and observe how their vocations are practised in another country.

As it happens, this exchange has a strong Goldfields connection.

One of the five, Chelsea Gillam, teaches at South Kalgoorlie Primary School, while a second team-member, Kate Harper, grew up in Kalgoorlie-Boulder.

“It’s a unique opportunity to develop leadership skills,” Ms Harper, who now works as a nurse educator at Rockingham Hospital, said. “It will open our eyes to a different way of doing things – professionally, but also culturally.”