|
 "Nothing
is stronger than an idea whose time has come."
(Paraphrased from Victor Hugo)
Picture this: A young high-school teacher tapping away at
a typewriter in his New York City apartment, compiling a list
of fellow teachers who had expressed interest in exchanging
their homes during the coming summer vacation. Copies of this
list would be mailed to all the participants, who would then
contact each other to arrange home exchanges in New York and
adjoining states. Word spread quickly amongst the educators,
and soon the lists became booklets that gained more and more
weight every spring.
David Ostroff was the teacher, and 1953 the year he put his
concept into practice. Like many people, he had already enjoyed
exchanging his home with colleagues and relatives during various
vacation periods. He was aware that home-exchanging had been
a long-practised social activity, quite popular even in the
middle ages.
In 1960, David formalised his enterprise, establishing Vacation
Exchange Club Inc., which by then had extended its domain
to include members, primarily teachers, throughout North America,
Europe and United Kingdom. Unaware of David's service, a young
lady named Jan Ryder was now offering a similar one in the
UK, primarily to members in the armed forces (her husband
was an RAF officer). Within a short time their paths crossed
and they elected to collaborate by pooling their resources
to lay the foundation for the world-renowned international
organisation that we know today as HomeLink International.
The '60s and '70s saw their formal network grow with official
representatives in other countries setting up offices to promote
the service and provide registration facilities worldwide.
Directory Group Association was the adopted name, in reference
to the directories now published, replacing the modest little
booklets of earlier years. By 1980, the group had expanded
further with offices in the following countries: Australia,
Belgium, France, Germany, Great Britain, Italy, Netherlands,
Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and United States.
In the next decade, DGA welcomed newcomers, as well as replacements,
for some of the originals. Representatives emerged in Brazil,
Canada, Cyprus, Denmark, Greece, Iceland, Ireland, Israel,
Malaysia, New Zealand, Norway, South Africa and Yugoslavia.
Recently, new offices have opened in Estonia, Russia and Turkey,
with arrangements underway to add Nepal and Slovenia. To reflect
this astounding expansion, and a truly International network,
the name of the group was changed in the late 90s to HomeLink
International, the name already held by our UK office.
The 1990s also saw the growth in popularity of the worldwide-web
and advanced Internet access and with that perhaps the most
dramatic stage of our evolution in terms of format and technology.
Listings can now be posted online with photos in full colour,
members have plenty of handy tools for quick searching and
correspondence, and the quality of the directories is vastly
improved with colour photos and modern typography. Now, it
seems that there is no limit to the exciting features that
can be added to increase our members' enjoyment and facilitate
home-exchanging everywhere.
Yes, times have changed - from typewriters to computers,
black and white books to quality full colour publications
and from snail mail to email. What changes will the next 50
years bring? New ideas, new technology no doubt, but one thing
we will strive to retain: HomeLink International - "Number
1 in the field of Home Exchange."
Our Annual General Meeting in May 2003 in Copenhagen featured
a milestone celebration as we marked the Golden Jubilee of
HomeLink International.
Footnote: Sadly David Ostroff died in February
2000 without witnessing fully the blossoming of the seed he
had sown so long ago. This short history of HomeLink is a
tribute to the wonderful foundation he laid. David's loving
wife, Mary, remains in Rio Rancho, New Mexico USA, and Jan
Ryder resides in Sun City, Arizona USA
HOMELINK INTERNATIONAL ASSOCIATES
Registered in Brussels
Website: www.homelink.org |
