By Jaqui O’Donohoe
Having immigrated to Melbourne from China in the ‘60s, Rhys has enjoyed most of his life here apart from brief stints living in Singapore and India whilst working. Rhys’ career in transnational education has seen him involved with providing international education programs in other countries on behalf of Australian universities and higher education institutes such as RMIT, Box Hill Institute and Victoria University. Currently working part-time, Rhys runs the Melbourne-based Australian campus of a Chinese education group.
Rhys has been involved with KOTO (Know One, Teach One), a not-for-profit organisation in Vietnam that provides hospitality programs for disadvantaged youth. He has also been involved with the Spina Bifida Foundation over the past thirty years, assisting with fundraising and services; and, he has assisted Stephanie Woollard with gaining accreditation for the training programs that are part of the ‘Seven Women’ project in Nepal.
Having been in various volunteer roles in the past, including projects where he partnered with Rotary, Rhys came to admire the organisation’s work. The time was right and the stars were aligned for him to join the Rotary Club of Central Melbourne on 8th September 2020.
Rhys’ personal goals as a Rotarian are to assist with community service projects, make a useful contribution, and learn from the talent and experience that his club’s members have to offer.
Witnessing the changes to a person’s life from an education program gives Rhys a deep sense of personal satisfaction. He believes that the biggest challenge Rotarians face in the future is climate change, and that we must consider the impact of all that we do to avoid creating a catastrophic world. He also sees the importance of Rotarians remaining relevant in a changing world.