Rotary Youth Exchange Australia provides an opportunity of a lifetime for Australian high school students to live & study abroad.
RYE allows students aged 15-18 to spend a year abroad, attending secondary school and living with 3-4 host families. During this exchange, exchangees gain self-awareness and learn about their host families’ culture and country’s diversity.
Members of our club believe that the future is in the hands of young people. Exchanges with other cultures provide life-long benefits. We are strong supporters of Rotary’s Youth Services.
Rotary Youth Exchange
Our club sponsors Australian students to enable them to spend a year in an overseas country. We also host inbound students from other countries, to spend a year in Toowoomba and attend a local high school. These are the students and the exchange countries our club has supported:
2024-2025
2016-2017
Marlene Justesen (from Denmark)
2015-2016
Laura Hjortshoj-Haller (to Switzerland)
2014-2015
2013-2014
Sebastian Bastides (from Ecuador)
2012-2013
Sebastian Bastides (from Ecuador)
Molly Gibson (to Hungary)
Maddy Wicks (to Denmark)
2011-2012
Charlotte Basting (from Belgium)
2010-2011
Roisin Davis (to Germany)
Lachlan Wicks (to Sweden)
Amy Holt (to France)
2008-2009
Bridget Davis (to Denmark)
Andrea Caldas Costa (from Brazil)
2006-2007
J. Mulraney
Sam Houston
2005-2006
Daniel Szabo
2004-2005
Patrice Armagnacq (to Hungary)
Marina Tronc (from France)
2002-2003
Lauren Hatchmann (to Belgium)
Valentine Wauters (from Belgium)
1999-2000
Jeanne-Marie (from France)
Rebecca McKay (to Sweden)
1998-1999
Alex Gilstrop (from Denmark)
Joetta Perritt (to Switzerland)
1997-1998
Marit Mjobo (from Norway)
Tim Flanagan (to Finland)
1996-1997
Rebekah Jones (to Norway)
1995-1996
Tomomi Kurimoto (from Japan)
Janice Sullivan (to Japan)
1994-1995
Harsh Shah (from India)
1993-1994
Maira Martinez-Montiel (from Mexico)
Harlan Redgen (to Denmark)
1992-1993
Ursula Schubiger (from Switzerland)
Madeline Cruice (to Germany)
1991-1992
Melanie Malherbe (from South Africa)
Leisa Richardson (to Japan)
1989-1990
Roberto Capelli (from Brazil)
Rachel O’Reilly (to South Africa)
1988-1989
Melissa Taylor (to Norway)
Okan Dikoz (from Turkey)
1987-1988
Kylie Burton (to Norway)
1986-1987
Atsuko Kitamura (from Japan)
Rachel Murray (to Denmark)
1985-1986
Elizabeth Phillips (to Sweden)
Susan Davidson (to Japan)
Devon Anderson (from South Africa)
1984-1985
Ulla Korsgaard (from Denmark)
1981-1982
Chiharu Litsuka (from Japan)
Miyako Sagai (from Japan)
Robyn Ashney (to Germany)
1980-1981
Chiharu Litsuka (from Japan)
Margaret Cox (to USA)
1979-1980
Dirk Siemann (from Germany)
Jennifer Kirton (to USA)
1978-1979
Brett Moore (to Brazil)
Phillip Murray (to Germany)
Rose Comley (from Canada)
1977-1978
J. D. McKinstry (to Canada)
Katina Kyprios (to Japan)
Yvonne Morton (to Japan)
1977-1978
Rosemarie Comley (from Canada)
Keiko Sakakibara (from Japan)
1976-1977
Keiko Sakakibara (from Japan)
Caroline Bol (to Canada)
Mitsukaido Student Exchange
Since 1986 the Club has been involved in an exchange of secondary school students with the Rotary Club of Mitsukaido in Japan. These are short visits of between two to three weeks involving two to four students during the appropriate school holidays.
2019-2020
Three students came to Toowoomba in August, with Lucy Norman and Sarah Coggan visiting Japan in January.
2018-2019
Mark Norman and Greg James took two Japanese students to farming properties in and around Goondiwindi, where they viewed dryland cattle, grain properties and a very large cotton farm.
2017-2018
Ekone Aghaneve and Annu Mahendran were our two outbound students.
2016-2017
Three students exchanged from each country this year. Kaitlin Tilly, Georgina Mullin and Tim Stark enjoyed their visit to Japan very much.
2015-2016
Two inbounds this year, but due to massive flooding in the Mitsukaido prefecture, they were unable to host anyone.
2014-2015
Three inbounds and three outbounds on exchange this year. Ryan Cork, Kaitlyn Lynch and Georgia Wicks had a wonderful time experiencing the Japanese culture.
2013-2014
Two inbound girl students this year: Kaori and Momoko, with Elena Wilson, Emma Wilson and Nikora Ruhe-Bennent visiting Japan during their January school holidays.
2012-2013
2011-2012
Two girls and two boys came from Japan this year.
2010-2011
Three students came on exchange from the Mitsukaido club.
2008-2009
Three inbound students came on exchange, with Georgia Howe and Roisin Davis as our outbounds.
2007-2008
Three Japanese girls came on short term exchange this year: Moyuru, Namiko and Yuko.
2006-2007
Three Japanese students came to Toowoomba: Masashi (boy), Mayumi (girl) and Naoko (girl).
Bronwyn Knee and David Searston returning the exchange for this year.
2005-2006
Susie Reardon-Smith, Rebecca MacSweeney and Belinda Wright went to Japan and four Japanese students returned the exchange.
2004-2005
Three students from Mitsukaido came on short term exchange and four students went to Japan. This included Nigel Backman’s two granddaughters and Errol Wildman’s nephew.
2003-2004
Masatoshi and Akiko came to Toowoomba this year.
2002-2003
Melissa Sherrit and Ryan Crossing went to Japan in January and four Japanese students came to Toowoomba this year.
2001-2002
Four students went to Japan in January and three Japanese students came to Toowoomba in August.
2000-2001
Five students were hosted by the Rotary Club of Mitsukaido in January.
1999-2000
Mami, Yuki, Rie, Mozomi and Misuzu arrived from Japan on 2nd August.
1998-1999
Mika Yamazaki, Reiko Seki, Ayako Moriizumi, Mika Oshima, and Noriko Kobayashi arrived on 2nd August, to be hosted by the Fleming, Davis, Liebke, Snow, Wilson and Keable families.
Rebecca Capuzzo, Laura Jones and Zoe Gibson visited Japan in January, reporting back to the club on 7th June.
1997-1998
Four boys and a girl, Masato, Hiromi, Shiori, Satomi and Sayaka arrived in Toowoomba on 2nd August.
1996-1997
Masako Akita, Kyoko Akita and Yuya Yamazaki arrived on 27th July to be hosted for two weeks by the Davis, Snow, Trott and Keable families.
Kate Bower, Amy Watson, Kylie Watson and Amy O’Callaghan spent three weeks in Japan during January.
1995-1996
Yoko Ebihara, Tadashi Iwasaki and Yoshito Terada were hosted by the Sullivan, Fleming and Winfield families.
1994-1995
Atsushi Ochiai and Naoaki Hanai arrives on 1st August to by hosted by the Salmon and Bovill families.
1993-1994
Kin Hiroko Yamada, Noriko Suzuki, Satako Someya and Hirokazu Sunanaga arrived on 1st August.
Mitsuo Iitsuka, Incko Itsuka and Mariko Iitsuka arrived on 27th June.
Lian Keel and Bridget Bovill were hosted by the Mitsukaido club in January.
1992-1993
Takashi Kizawa, Hideaki Shirai, Mai Sasai, Yuko Yamanaka and Hideharu Choutou arrived from Japan on 10th August.
Lauren Prendigh, Rebecca Parkinson and David Franzmann travelled to Japan in January.
1991-1992
Belinda Smith, Natalie Winfield, Penny Litzow, and Kenneth Walker were hosted in Japan from 19th January until 2nd February.
1990-1991
Satomi Okuski (16yo girl), Yukari Suzuki (16yo girl) & Hidekatzu Sumanaga (13yo boy) visited from 31st July until 18th August.
Elizabeth Fleming, Sandra Smart, Sharon Taylor & Georgina Smith addressed the club in March, about their experiences in Japan.
1988-1989
Four students visited from Japan in August and four students from our club were hosted by the Mitsukaido club in January.
1987-1988
Our Mitsukaido exchange continued with students from each country.
1986-1987
Two Japanese students visited Toowoomba in spring and six Toowoomba students visited Japan in January.
Apply for an Exchange
