Mum thinks world of 51 ‘daughters’
It was a neighbour who first inspired Sue Wallis to bring a young woman from another country to join her family of three boys in Wellington.
Over the following years, she, husband Rusty and their boys ended up hosting 51 high school students at their Miramar home – and they’ve stayed in touch with almost all of them.
They started hosting exchange students from all around the world in 1997, after seeing what a positive experience the family over the fence was having.
‘‘We could see the dynamics of the family changing. There was better behaviour from the kids.’’
Having a ‘‘sister’’ had enriched her boys’ lives, Wallis said.
The family’s first student was a Brazilian girl who stayed for three months, and they were still in touch.
‘‘She’s got three boys of her own now.’’
The next girl was from Japan. So strong was the bond they forged that one of the Wallis boys went back to Japan with her for two months when he was 10, and the Wallises later went to her wedding.
Hosting exchange students had opened up the world for the family. ‘‘I can’t think of the word to really describe how enriching the whole experience is.’’
One father who came to Wellington to pick up his daughter was astounded by how much she had grown up during her stay.
‘‘Where’s my little girl gone? I’ve got back this independent young woman,’’ he told Wallis.
The Wellington Regional Economic Development Agency (Wreda) hopes to build the number of international students coming into the city to 12,000 by 2025.
General manager David Jones said as a region it was really important to provide the best possible experience for exchange students, and that started with where they lived.