Margaret River Rotary Timor Leste exchange program Alternate Leavers opens for 2025 mission

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Margaret River Rotary Timor Leste exchange program Alternate Leavers opens for 2025 mission

Some of the region’s best and brightest young high school graduates have celebrated a life-changing adventure helping less fortunate communities overseas.

A cohort of 10 Margaret River Senior High School students have praised their experience as part of the annual Rotary exchange to Timor Leste which this week opened for new applicants.

Backed by Rotary Margaret River’s ongoing philanthropic work, the graduates chose to volunteer in Timor in late November while many of their peers were partying instead.

Among numerous activities that included meeting Timor Leste president Jose Manuel Ramos-Horta, the 10 teenagers worked hard to lay a new floor for a local medical clinic.

The Margaret River, Leeuwin and Cowaramup Lions clubs along with business sponsors also provided the students more than 180 school bags filled with important education as well as medical supplies to donate.

But the trip also included valuable outdoors experiences as well as character tests for the young participants.

Student Kate Jovic said she was never keen on the idea of conventional Leavers and when she heard about the Rotary program, she jumped at the chance.

“I realised Timor could be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and I was very excited to learn about a country which celebrated entirely different cultures to what I’ve ever been used to,” she said.

“I felt that everyone who volunteered all shared a love for Timor Leste after the trip.

“The best thing I got out of it was appreciating how kind the people we met were, despite their very poor living conditions,” she said.

“It really put an emphasis on how privileged we are in Australia and how lucky I was to step out of my comfort zone into another world.”

Highlights included visiting the island of Atouro and hiking with her friends to the remote village of Adara.

“Adara had limited access to resources,” Ms Jovic told the Times.

“It doesn’t even have a road to cross the island.

“We had many engaging volleyball games with the locals. This ended up being the most fun and memorable part for me.”

She also said she would love the chance to return to Adara and reconnect with friendships made there.

Rotary president Charles Johnson commended the attitude of the youngsters.

“The Timor Leste Alternate Leavers Program has been a great success and will be continued next year,” he said.

“It is a great demonstration of young people being prepared to help communities in need instead of participating in the usual Leavers activities.”

Rotary had opened expressions of interest for the club’s year-long overseas Rotary Youth Exchange as well as its 2025 Alternate Leavers trip.

Applicants were urged to visit

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to apply by April 1.

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