I remain forever inspired and in awe of our Rotarians. Once again our members have stepped up when it counts.
When we received word that Rochester residents were approaching winter without enough blankets, our People Of Action instincts kicked in. District Service Director Lili Teichman has written a fantastic article about the blanket drive but I wish to echo her thanks to the following clubs and individuals for their generous donations and support (in club alphabetical order):
Activate Victoria club members, including Greg Harbour
Albert Park club members, including Mark Davies, David Gorman, Lea Ram
Balwyn club members, including David Hobson
Bendigo club members and, including Peter Reading
Brighton North club members, including Lyn Mortimer
Carlton club members, including Ian Ada, Michael Elligate, Tania Herschberg
Camberwell club members, including Gary Goldsmith, Alan Lorenzini
Chadstone/East Malvern club members, including Michele Kennedy, Frank Warner, Jo Roach, Kathy Noble
Daylesford club members, including Terri Oprean
DIK Team, including Bob Glindemann
E-Club club members, including Gabe Hau
Hawthorn club members, including Katrina and Mick Flinn
Hoppers Crossing club members, including Mick and Pennie Stade
Macedon Ranges club members, including Sally Armstrong
Melbourne Passport club members, including Jessica Palti
North Balwyn club members, including Rowan McClean
Point Lonsdale club members
RIMERN Team, including David Gorman
Werribee club members, including Ian and Micki Hovey
Woodend club members, including Grant and Melissa Hocking
Enjoy a 3-day pass free of charge to the House of Friendship, where you’ll be able to connect with thousands of fellow Rotary members from around the world; and have access to hundreds of Rotary project booths, vendors, food, and entertainment at the 2023 Rotary Interantional Convention in Melbourne.
The Environmental Sustainability Rotary Action Group (ESRAG) is organising a diverse range of activities for convention delegates, prior to and during the Rotary International Convention in May 2023.
These activities include Environmental Tours, an Action Summit, a RAGtime event pre-RICOON; and break-out sessions during the convention. The aim is to showcase a sample of Rotary environmental initiatives across the world; and to encourage Rotarians to take further action to support and recover our environment.
The Rotary Passport Club of Melbourne has welcomed 5 Rotaractors from the Rotaract Club of Siem Reap, Cambodia, who are in Australia for the Rotary International Convention. Doeb, Lita, Phanich, Sokal and Tola have already done so much during their first week in Melbourne, including being guest speakers at a number of clubs in D9800, volunteering alongside RC Balwyn members at the Camberwell Sunday Market and hosting a community event.
Posted by Lili Teichman, Director of Service on May 04, 2023
The other evening, I was sitting on the lounge. It was so cold that I decided to throw over 2 blankets and then I stopped and thought about the people in Rochester, impacted by the floods, living in caravans, tents and sheds ………
The incredibly generous acts of kindness shown by our Rotary clubs, in answering our callout for assistance, only two weeks ago, to help others in need is simply overwhelming. The families in Rochester who have been impacted by the floods, after 6 months have reached out and asked us for help. We have been waiting for this call! And there was a 24-hour turnaround in responses!
Breaking News: Word from Rochester is that almost all blankets have been distributed in only 2 days since they arrived!!
Photo: David Gorman and Frank Warner loading the truck.
The Rotary Club of Brunswick Tullamarine is hosting a Gala Fundraising Night Monday May 29th, 6.30-10pm at Hyatt Place, Essendon Fields.
Cost is $200 per person, which will provide a 3-course meal with drinks, African drummer entertainment, inspirational speakers, and a DJ to get you dancing!
The Victorian Rotary Emergency Services Community (RESC) Awards are designed to recognise our emergency service personnel who have gone above and beyond their call of duty and reflected the Rotary motto of “Service above Self”.
Nominations for the RESCA Awards VIctoria will be open to all Victorian-based paid and volunteer Emergency Service Personnel and can be made by any member of the community, or their colleagues.
Rotarians are encouraged to nominate outstanding Emergency Service workers in their communities.
Rotary Club of Essendon partnered with Youth Project’s Night Nurses to provide essential items for People in Melbourne who are street based. The project, called ‘Here Comes the Sun’, provides mainly items needed to get through Melbourne’s warmer months.
Teachers and students alike have responded enthusiastically to Bayspeak, a Rotary public speaking competition for Melbourne Bayside high schools, now in its third year. Teachers have praised the organisation of the competition and the very high standard of the speakers, qualities, they say, that have made Bayspeak the premier public speaking event for Bayside secondary schools.
Via their work in hospitals in Phnom Penh, a group of orthopaedic surgeons had a dream to build a new surgical ward for Kampong Spue Referral Hospital. That dream has now been realised through the extraordinary generosity of benefactor, Dr. Chris Keenan who funded the building of a brand-new surgical facility with two operating theatres.
While the building was under construction the Rotary Clubs of Hawthorn, Vic. and Osborne Park, WA, got to work identifying and sourcing suitable items for the new operating theatres.
Posted by PDG Marilyn Mercer, Rotary E-Club of Greater Sydney on May 13, 2023
The Science Experience is a Rotary Districts of Australia initiated and supported program: a nationwide STEM outreach program for year 9 and 10 students in 2023.
Rotary Club of North Balwyn has a 6 metre x 9 metre marquee, which is no longer used. It was purchased around 2008 and has been used for many Rotary events, including the annual ‘Rotary River Ride’. The club is willing to donate the marquee to any club that is prepared to collect it from their storage facility in North Balwyn.
Details: 6m x 9m, steel tube frame, vinyl roof and side panels.
After several years of setbacks, the small rural village of Mwast, on the island of Espiritu Santo, 25 km north of the city of Luganville, has two new school classrooms and an office.
The project began in 2017, at the suggestion of Woodend Rotarians Allan and Shirley Cann, who have volunteered business mentoring for many years in Vanuatu.
‘We noticed that many primary school-age children were not attending school and were told by the Ministry of Education and Training (MoET) that many parents could not afford to send children to school, and many schools were so overcrowded, that new children were turned away’
RIMERN and WERN are a multi club Rotary projects operating Inner and Western Melbourne, providing furniture, appliances & homewares to welfare agency clients who have experienced homelessness, domestic violence, incarceration, refugee displacement and other crises.
Customers of Coles have an opportunity to contribute.
ROMAC (Rotary Oceania Medical Aid for Children) is a not-for-profit humanitarian organisation run entirely with volunteers. Established more than 35 years ago in District 9800, it is now a project of Rotary Districts in Australia and New Zealand.