This is not a time to just focus on restoring peace to war torn countries but to think about how we bring peace and avoid conflict in our everyday lives – in our homes, schools, work places and in our Rotary Clubs. Rotary’s goal is to create environments where peace can be built and maintained through sustainable and measurable activities in communities worldwide. Peacebuilding remains a cornerstone of our mission as a humanitarian service organization.
President's Report
Hello, and welcome to the first edition of the Springword for February.
We had a fantastic Rotary community fund raising event on Friday evening at Buckland Aged Care Services. The Club was asked to assist in the 90th anniversary celebration of Buckland by undertaking the serving of food and drinks throughout the evening.
We had a wonderful turn out of members, with more than half the Club membership being on hand. It really was fantastic to be at Buckland and learn more about that organisations’ 90 years of serving the aged care community and for us as a Club to assist them in celebrating and acknowledging their significant achievements.
I’m prone to drawing comparisons and as I looked around those at Buckland on the Friday evening and saw the Buckland staff there is significant numbers and fellow Rotarians, I saw so many people linked together in the service of others.
It has often been said that we gain much more from giving than we do from receiving and I genuinely felt that on this occasion. There really is little to compare with the satisfaction that is felt from knowing the work we undertake is assisting others, and in many ways improving their lives. The funds raised by Club members assisting at this event will be utilised in making a difference to those in need, and that is something we can rightfully be gratified by.
As mentioned in last week’s Springword, the Club will welcome four new members on Monday evening - Joe Merceria, Susette Fleming, Donna Hildon and Belinda Erich. Each of them has had a previous linkage with Rotary in some way and it speaks volumes when those that have seen the work of Rotary from ‘the outside’ recognise the worth of being a Rotarian and joining the ranks to contribute to undertaking service to benefit others. I’d love to see as many members as possible, and friends of the Club, join us on Monday in welcoming these new members.
The Board will meet next Monday 9 February and there is already lots on the agenda to discuss. This is not a regular meeting of members, but as always, any member that wishes to attend and see the committee in action is more than welcome.
As previously noted, I’d like members and friends to think about the fund raising events they can assist with, and I list upcoming ones below. I know our calendars do get busy, but I hope in providing some forward advice, that you might earmark some of these as fundraisers you can assist with.
February 13th – Ellison Road Public School back to school breakfast (nice early one just for a couple of hours)
February 21st – Bunnings BBQ
February 28th – Family Fun Dance - ShelterBox fundraiser
March 7th – Buckland Retirement Village BBQ
March 8th – Wellness Day at The Old Farm, Yellow Rock
March 21st – Bunning BBQ
We also have the first Friday of each month Ori raffle managed by Bruce Wood
Also, can I ask members and friends to put the word out for the FAMILY FUN DANCE on SATURDAY 28th FEBRUARY. It is going to be a great day of fun and food and importantly a SHELTERBOX FUNDRAISER. Tickets can be purchased via the QR code located below.
Also, don’t forget a very easy way to put a few dollars into the Club coffers is via the recycling Return and Earn program. You can either do this by using the barcode provided in this newsletter, or as I do just collect the vouchers that the machine issues and then forward these dollars to the Club bank account, with a text or email to Bill advising him of the deposit. Also, I’m more than happy to collect the bottles and cans from you and process them, you can either bring them to a meeting or ask me to collect them.
Cheers Liz
Liz Roberts
President 2025-2026
The Rotary Club of Springwood
LATEST NEWS …
1. DATES TO LOOK FORWARD TO (IN ADDITION TO THOSE LISTED ABOVE)...
Monday, 2nd February - General Club Meeting. Normal meetings in weeks 1, 3, 4, (and 5 if relevant) will follow from this date.
Monday, 9th February - Club Board Meeting.
Friday, 13th February - 2026 Welcome Back to Ellison Rd PS Breakfast BBQ
2. 2026 WELCOME BACK TO SCHOOL BREAKFAST BBQ
The 2026 Welcome Back to School Breakfast BBQ is locked in for Friday, 13 February 2026, running from 8:00am to 9:30am. As always, this is a great event—lots of happy kids, plenty of energy, and teachers bravely coming to terms with being back at work after the holidays.
It’s a short and sharp BBQ. If we can get six volunteers available from 7:30am to 10:00am, we will be more than covered. Good fun, good cause, and guaranteed smiles (mostly from the kids). Please let Johannes Brockhaus jbrockhaus@buckland-rv.com.au
(RYLA stands for the Rotary Youth Leadrship Awards.)
Happenings in the Youth Portfolio for the month of January included the return of our Youth Exchange student, Addy Quicke, on Sat 10th Jan. The Welcome Home dinner for the district's Youth Exchange students will be held on Friday 6th Feb & Bronwyn will be representing our club, thanks Bronwyn. We will also organise a time for Addy to speak to the club about her Youth Exchange experience & we look forward to hearing all about it.
January also saw the occurrence of the 2026 RYLA (Rotary Youth Leaderships Awards) program at Knox Grammar from Sun 11th to Sat 17th. This year our club sponsored Grace Marcer and we look forward to hearing about how the program has benefited her. Geoffrey & myself attended the RYLA dinner on Tuesday 13th at Magpies Waitara and had a thoroughly enjoyable evening.
Another participant our club has worked with through MYST is Javi Strudwick, who was sponsored by The Rotary Club of Greater Blue Mountains. I attended the RYLA graduation on Saturday 17th where both Grace & Javi were presented with their RYLA certificates, along with approximately 60 other "RYLArians". Both Grace & Javi were exhausted, but buzzing, after a very full week of personal development and I'm sure they both fell into bed after I dropped them home!
I have yet to hear what is happening with Breakfast Club for Term 1 but will let you know once I have some details,
Sheryn Phillips
4. FAMILY FUN DANCE
Following, you will find the flier for this exciting fundraising event, all details are there.
It is being held on Saturday 28th February at 5.00 to 8.00 in the evening at the Old Farm, 35 Purvine Rd, Yellow Rock. Please share the information with all of your friends, relatives and neighbours. Let's make this a big occasion for our Club.
For this event to be successful we will require a team of our trusty helpers for the evening in the following areas:
parking attendants 3 people 4.45pm - 7.45pm
front gate registration checking, raffle ticket selling 3 people 4.45pm-7.45pm
BBQ trailer cooking, serving and sale 5 people 5-7pm
Dessert server 1 person 6.30-7pm
Dam watcher (kids) 1 person 4.45-7.45pm
ShelterBox support for their display team 1 person 5-7pm
Kindly contact Al Kellway to indicate where you are able to help, so a roster will be prepared.
Village resident will run a talent and art show - they expect it to be a busy day. They invited us to run a BBQ - all proceeds to go to Rotary and $350 set up fee to be paid by Buckland for the service - won’t need a trailer as a fixed BBQ is onsite. Would need a maximum of 6 volunteers, but 4 would also be sufficient.
STORIES FROM ROTARY...
1. EPIC DAY OF SERVICE
2. PLANETARY HEALTH WELLNESS WEEKEND
Message from PDG Mina Howard
Hi everyone, just wanted to share this event with you so you can tell your members. It promises to be very good. This is the first project from our new Spoke - Rotarians for Planetary Health. We have 3 new members, two of which are the brains behind the wellness weekend. It was great that the board gave them $1000 to seed the project. Ian Scott also managed $1000 from Bendigo. BMCC are funding some of it as well.
It’s not a fundraiser but hopefully getting our brand out there and also an encouragement for new members to keep engaging. Please click on the following link to view more information:
The Rotary Oceania Medical Aid for Children is pleased to announce its new website www.romac.life, replacing www.romac.org.au. The URL www.romac.life reflects what we do - we provide the hope of a better life for children in Oceania who need surgery they can’t get in their home countries. The new website is rich with features and its look is soft, warm and modern but based on the familiar colours ROMAC uses to identify itself. We have updated our logo to reflect these changes too.
We wanted our website to reflect what we feel we are:
Compassionate: We approach every child's story with empathy and understanding
Transparent: Every dollar donated goes directly to patient care - no hidden costs
Collaborative: We unite volunteers, medical professionals, and communities across Oceania
Dedicated: Our 200+ volunteers give their time freely because we believe every child deserves a chance
Impactful: We don't just facilitate medical care - we transform families and communities
There are new website pages to provide up-to-date news, events and donations. Patient stories are featured prominently. Our team is there as well.
You will find our forms for referrals and donations are updated as well. They are simpler and more user friendly, making them easier to complete.
Behind the scenes, we have implemented a new IT environment to simplify the work our volunteers do and to improve workflow. New systems integrate our data and we can now provide a much better service to our families, Rotary Club members and Districts, medical professionals, hospitals and donors through accurate, speedier information.
4. FRIDAY, 20th TO SUNDAY, 21st MARCH - 2026 ROTARY DISTRICT'S 9660 AND 9685 CONFERENCE
Rotary Unites for Good: 2026 Districts 9660 and 9685 Conference Set for Newcastle on the 20th & 21st March 2026
In 2026, Rotary Districts 9660 and 9685 will come together for a joint conference in the vibrant city of Newcastle, NSW.
This special event will celebrate Rotary’s impact, strengthen connections across districts, and inspire Rotarians and friends through shared learning, collaboration, and fellowship. Register now!
Rotarians from Districts 9660 and 9685 are invited to unite in Newcastle, NSW, on Friday, 20 and Saturday, 21 March 2026, for the “Together for Tomorrow” conference—a dynamic event designed to inspire, connect, and empower Rotary members across both districts.
Event Highlights
Connect: Forge meaningful relationships with fellow Rotarians and changemakers.
Learn: Gain insights from visionary speakers and enjoy a musical extravaganza.
Act: Discover new ways to make a lasting impact in your community and beyond.
THOUGHT FOR THE WEEK...
Peacebuilding: "Tolerance implies no lack of commitment to one’s own beliefs. Rather, it condemns the oppression or persecution of others" — John F. Kennedy.
Acknowledgement of Country
We would like to acknowledge the Gundungurra and Dharug peoples past, present and emerging as the traditional owners of the land where our Club resides and pay our respects to them.
