Why We Love Having Home Stay Students in Our Family
In the past ten years, Lynne and Murray have opened their house and their hearts to more than 220 girls. While they are about to embark on their first holiday in that ten years, they have no regrets about the commitment Home Stay has required. Lynne has made the management of the Home Stay accommodation her full time job and no longer works in the corporate world. ‘I lived in a hostel as a schoolgirl when I came to the city from the country and was quite lonely with no-one of my own age living there. Since then I have often thought about offering accommodation for a student from the country or overseas, but felt that I did not have the time to do the job well. ‘My aim now is to provide a happy, loving and resourceful home where students can gain full benefit from school each day, a place where they are able to enjoy themselves outside school hours in a relaxed environment, with adequate privacy for homework and study. I want to involve them in the many and varied interests of our family and for them to enjoy our beautiful city and the many attractions it offers. ‘I try to be at home when they arrive after school, to listen to the news of their day and be sympathetic or share with them their day-to-day achievements at school, and to assist with homework if necessary.
6 Carey International Prospectus • MELBOURNE • AUSTRALIA
‘You are the best Home Stay mother I’ve ever met before. The kindness in your heart makes you a shining star which shows me the way back home in the dark. Here is my home in Australia, the nicest place in the world. ‘Thank you very much for trying so hard to be a good mother. We all love you. ‘Lots of love from Stella.’
‘We all eat dinner together and it is a time we all really look forward to. It helps the students with conversational skills and having a laugh together helps relieve the tensions of the day. I really like to cook what the students enjoy eating, and regularly try new dishes to cater for their varied tastes. Occasionally on weekends some of them like to help in the kitchen, and my husband says the meals have improved out of sight since we became a Home Stay household. ‘We want our students to know that they are truly welcome in our home. If they are not happy we want them to try to tell us how they feel, because being open with your Home Stay family is the only way to fix a problem.’
