Hilari Smith - Our first Youth Exchange Student 1994/1995
 

Extract from the Club Photo Album 2001:

Our first inwards exchange student, Hilari Martin, now Hilari Smith with husband Jason
and baby son, Peyton,  May 2001. Hilari came from Prosser, Washington State,
U.S.A. and spent 1994/95 with us.
 

Forward to 2008:

Will and David Rolle were planning their trip to the for USA in August 2008 and were keen to make contact with Hilari if they were in in the vicinity of her residence. Will made contact with Hilari via an email address given to her by Phil Leck and on 16 August the following message was received from her:

Hilari and her husband Jason have recently settled in Houston Texas after five years in California.  Jason manages an Apple store in Woodlands (a suburb of Houston) and Hilari plies her accounting trade in two full time jobs.  They have a seven year old son and two year old daughter and piccies found on blog   http://web.me.com/jason_hilari/Site/Welcome.html.
 
Hilari was one of seven siblings - her parents are doing well travelling to see the grandchildren wherever they are settled from Hawaii to Montana and now Houston.
 
In our correspondence Hilari remembered a night at Rotary - 
I still remember sitting in the Rotary meeting when a young kid came to talk about the "internet" and he was
talking about "surfing".  I just remember how it was a lot of speculation about how it would work, and would
people use it.  Being an exchange student would have been a lot different with the internet! 
 
It has been delightful to catch up with Hilari although we won't be seeing her this trip. To keep contact and see where the exchange students venture in their progressive lives gives the heart a lift for the opportunities offered in their youth.
 

Hilari and daughter, Ashlan - photo taken in 2007

 

Hilari prepared a Blog of photos and memories of her exchange period in Australia and forwarded it to us on 16 August 2008.  It may be seen here.
 

REFLECTIONS AND A SHOUT OUT TO PARKWOOD ROTARY,THE GOLD COAST, AUSTRALIA

Recently, I’ve had the opportunity to reconnect with some long lost host families from Australia. Some of you reading this may not even know of this adventure I had at a mere 16 years old. So, here’s a big hello to everyone at the Parkwood Rotary in The Gold Coast. Four of these families welcomed me into their families for a year of study, learning and of course a lot of fun... Since I didn’t have a digital camera, or a blog back in 1995, I had to dig through my old scrapbook to find pictures.
I’m glad to say the my scrapbook talents have increased as well as my taste in sunglasses!  I showed Peyton the picture of me in the school uniform, and he just laughed.  Someday we’ll take a family trip to Australia...someday!  (The Blog from Hilari - August 2008)
 

Hilari has generously given us access to the scrapbook of her exchange year - click each pic to enlarge
             
                             
                   
                             
Hilari, The members of the Parkwood Rotary Club are delighted that they have found you again and that you, Jason, Peyton and Ashlan have happily settled in Houston.  We will bring this webpage to the attention of your host families so that they can recollect that happy year you spent here on the Gold Coast through the wonderful blog you prepared. Thank you for responding in this way and with very best wishes to you and your family.
 

Youth Exchange Program
 

Navigation