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f r» - PLAINDfCALER - WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 23,1878 % A Hearty Handshake. . •KHMMi **:&%* JRg--r v. f §p| From "Down Under 99 v The wives of the Bega Rotarians are entertained at the home of afternoon garden party was a highlight of the three-day visit. Ray and C aroline Nelson on Monday afternoon. The luncheon and Shown with the Aussie visitors are their McHenry host families. The main purpose of the trip to America was to exchange ideas and learn to understand the point of view of the other country. In connection with that purpose, a tour of the McHenry Plaindealer was on the itinerary of many of the Bega visitors. Explaining the layout of a local ad is Sam Zito (right) of the McHenry Plaindealer advertising staff. Comparisons of newspapers here and in Australia brought up many similarities and many differences. M r a n d M r s V e r n o n M c N e i l o f Bega. Australia, view the picture, Merimhula. painted by his father and presented several years ago to the MtHenr> Rotar\ club. It hangs in the city library. The M< \. iU u.-M- in tin « it\ last week along with other Bega Rotarians and members of their families in a goodwill visit to the local club, with v\hieh a friendship started fifteen years ago. McNeil is president of the Bega club and his father, the late Silby McNeil, painted the picture. pi After the Monday luncheon. Ken Bruce showed the visitors from "Down Under" what the beautiful Chain O' Lakes is like. A cruise of Pistakee bay and lake was taken in the afternoon and vi amazed at the beauty of woods and water so close to the Chicago metropolitan area. 1 The relationship between the McHenry and the Bega, Australia, Rotary clubs was strengthened once again last week when eleven members of the Australia club, wives and children, made the trip to Illinois. With them they brought a beautiful painting called Cuttigee, painted by Beth Hudson, sister of the Bega club president, Vernon McNeil. It was the second gift of a painting made to the local club and is named for the beach area north of Bega it portrays. Some years ago Silby McNeil, the late father of Vernon McNeil, painted a picture called the Merimbula, named for a town south of Bega, and gave it to the local club for any use it saw fit. Local Rotarians, desiring to share the piece of art with others, hung it in the McHenry city library. The close association between the two Rotary clubs has existed since 1963 when Jack Kelsey, then international contact person for the McHenry Rotarians, made the selection of Bega. His choice resulted from two facts, that the clubs were about the same size and they had been organized the same year. It was the senior McNeil who answered for the club in Australia and a friendship was begun which remained for fifteen years. In 1969 Mr. and Mrs. Kelsey visited in Bega and this year he acted as coordinator for the visit to McHenry. Bega is also a sister city of Littleton, Colo., and on the twenty-fifth anniversary of that association thirty-two Bega residents made plans to come to the United States and spend time in Littleton. Among the thirty-two were eleven Rotarians and all of them selected to spend the remaining week in this country coming to McHenry. Outings of various kinds provided diversion during their stay as guests in the homes of local Rotarians STAFF PHOTOS- W A Y N E G A Y L O R D / Jim Kelley of Bega, Australia, sharpens up his water-skiing talents with a ride on the lake. Since it is now winter in Australia, a chance to ski this time of year was a welcome bonus to a trip to America. Jerome Buch was instrumental in preparing a superb chicken dinner and corn roast for McHenry and Bega Australians Monday evening. The dinner and get-together was held in the city park in the pavilion built and donated to the city by McHenry Rotarians. The rotisserie used here was built by Buch to cook the hams for the annual Rotary ham dinner held in October. ( h e r KM) persons from McHenry and Bega. Australia, enjoy an evening get-together Monday t iling in the city park. New friendships were made as Rotarians from two countries learned to i H ' d t i s t a n d e a c h other's views and problems. i :? i $ A group picture of the Rotarians. wives and families from Bega. Australia, is taken on the old fire truck in the city park. The thirty- two members of the Bega delegation spent about three days in McHenry as part of a five-week tour of the United States. Alio included on the trip were stops in San Francisco, Las Vegas. Littleton, Colorado. Niagara Falls. Washington. D C., and New Orleans. :.v.v.',»v,yAw/ I