Home Page | The Rotary Club of Springwood Inc.

President Frank and the members of The Rotary Club of Springwood extend the hand of worldwide fellowship. Rotary is now in approximately 185 countries with more than 1.4 million members in 34,000 clubs worldwide.

Membership of a Rotary Club is by invitation on the basis of one representative of each recognised business and profession, being a person working or living in the geographic area from which the club draws members.

Our Club serves the towns of Springwood, Winmalee, Faulconbridge, Linden, Valley Heights and Warrimoo

It is not necessary for a person to be a business owner to be a Rotarian. employees in authority positions, can also be members. The Rotary classification system is designed to ensure that a club contains a cross section of the community’s interests, vocations and activities. In this way, each member of the club is looked up to as a representative of their own business, profession or industry.

Women are the fastest growing segment of Rotary’s membership - they were first admitted into Rotary on 1987. There are currently more than 1.900 women club presidents

We are a friendly club and we always welcome new members. Visiting Rotarians are especially welcome at our meetings

The Rotary Club of Springwood Inc. meets on Monday evenings and is non political, non religious and open to all cultures.

Come and join in the fellowship and speak to our members. Discover for yourself the wonderful world of Rotary.

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Pocket Pals

POCKET PALS TO TURKEY

– a story of hope, creativity and frustration and friendship. Written by Deborah Wood a Friend of the Rotary Club of Springwood Inc. Blue Mountains

Background: My inspiration for the Pocket Pals was evoked by seeing the heart wrenching footage on the evening news of Mesut Hancer holding the hand of his 15year old daughter Irmak. Irmuk died in February 2023, close to the Quake’s epicentre in the South East corner of Turkey.

This photograph was included in an article of Rotary Down Under (March issue) accompanying the story of Rotary support in the Earthquake region.

I believed that we could energize our distress for the victims of this Earthquake by sending something which may comfort children of this region.

Paramedic Murray Traynor of the Springwood Ambulance Brigade was part of the 72 member Australia’s Disaster and Response Team who flew to Turkey in the C17 from RAAF Richmond on February 13^th. On his return, Murray spoke to the Club of his experiences and this presentation reinforced my belief that we really could do ‘something’ to make a difference.

The concept and my pattern for the Pocket Pals were included in the March 2023 District Newsletter and it caught the attention of Rotary knitters initially. Soon I was receiving Pocket Pals knitted by individuals also members of other Clubs: Rotary Clubs, The Brown Owl Knitting Group of Springwood and the Happy Hookers of Lithgow who contributed crochet Pals. The Wool Inn in Penrith donated yarn. Pals knitted by family members, neighbours, old friends, and new friends were all welcomed. Non-knitters generously donated so yarn and stuffing could be purchased.

Meals from the Heart - Ronald McDonald House - Westmead Children's Hospital - Thursday July 23rd, 2023

We had a chance to go and help cook a meal for the families staying at Ronald McDonald House (RMH) in Westmead, next to the Children's Hospital.

I knew when I first read about this opportunity in Springword it was one I wanted to be involved with. More so because I wanted to find out about Ronald McDonald House. It is a separate business, not linked to McDonalds, even though they are major sponsors with large fund raising promotions like McHappy Day.

We were a small, keen group that gathered mid afternoon Thursday July 23rd, 2023 and were welcomed and inducted into the house with a brief history, before going to the kitchen. I learnt you can be a volunteer and stay overnight.

Linda and I got the royal tour, since we hadn't seen the place before/ recently. Nice touch in the lift seeing the dinner menu displayed along with our name and logo for all to see. These Meals From The Heart occur 3 times a week in the communal kitchen.

I noticed the large spaces and modern feel inside whilst walking around the brightly painted corridors. Many open areas with balconies looking into trees to help provide a peaceful place to sit. There was a mini hairdressing salon located at the end of one wing that opened up to allow views over green spaces. Genius idea to allow people to feel pampered and have a bit of “me time” with a volunteer professional hairdresser. It's all about making people feel as much at home as possible whilst they attend to sick or injured loved ones in the next door hospital.

There is no time limit to how long families can stay in RMH and some had been there for over 6 months, at no cost to them. They stay as long as they need to be supported for their children requiring treatment. It's not just treatment of cancer, or a disease, but could be injury or trauma related. In other words, they open their arms for any families and there is always a waiting list. Priorities are for those living further away and those close by requiring intensive treatment.