Clean water, sanitation and good hygiene is a human right. When people, especially children, have access to clean water, sanitation, and hygiene, they lead healthier and more successful lives. We don’t just build wells and walk away. Rotary members integrate water, sanitation, and hygiene into education projects. When children learn about disease transmission and practice good hygiene, they miss less school. And they can take those lessons home to their families, expanding our impact.
Clean water is a basic human right that many are often denied. There are 2.5 billion people in the world that lack access to improved sanitation and 748 million people that don’t have clean drinking water. Nearly 1400 children die each day from diseases caused by lack of sanitation and unsafe water. When people have access to clean water, they live healthier and more productive lives.
President's Report
Hello and welcome to the first edition of the Springword for March. We had a great meeting last week with a Club Assembly, which is an opportunity for the Club members to have free reign with comments, suggestions, and questions. We did have a few members who spoke to general Club matters and their input was certainly appreciated.
At this meeting we also had Jerome Pagitz with us to go over the use of the newly purchased EFT Square. Jerome has been incredibly helpful to the Club in relation to the set-up of the Square and getting it fully functioning. The use of the Square is obviously of interest to members and Jerome fielded a great many questions on it use. So, a very big THANK YOU to Jerome, who seems to now be the Club ‘unofficial IT expert!’.
We also watched the video presentation from Michele Ellery our District Governor, who outlined the status of the Regionalisation Pilot and the part each Club is playing in this. Over the next few months’, we will hear more on this important initiative by Rotary International.
This week we will have a very interesting presentation by Lindsay May OAM, Past District Governor, current District Governor Mentor and District Administration Co-Chair, so as you can see, he is a very busy and committed Rotarian. Interestingly Lindsay will be presenting to us not on Rotary matters, but another of his passions – yachting. Lindsay has had an amazing 50 year association with the Sydney to Hobart Yacht race, and I know his presentation is going to be very interesting and I’m certainly looking forward to it.
On Friday evening, I attended the Blue Mts Youth Hub meeting at Katoomba, and this is always a lively meeting with members of our mountains Clubs who are passionate about our youth being there. At these meeting many ideas about the ways in which we as Rotarians can assist and make some positive impact in young people’s lives are discussed. Our Youth Director Sheryn wasn’t able to attend due to a work commitment, but I know she will bring you all up to date on matters discussed when she receives the minutes of that meeting. The one item I will bring to your attention is the Youth Exchange Program. Norm and Cheryl Kitto were at the meeting and provided some information on the program. Norm and Cheryl can be contacted for more information, but in general terms if you know any young people currently in years 9, 10, or 11 who would like to expand their horizons living and studying overseas please put them in touch with secretary@rotaryyouthexchange.net.au or https://9685.ryea.org.au/
From speaking with our Club members who have been previously involved with this program they tell me just how valuable it is both for the incoming and outgoing students plus the host families here in our area that host these young people for a period of time. So, I would also invite any member who feels they might like to host an incoming overseas student or know someone who might be interested to also use one of the above links.
I know that Al Kellaway will provide a report on the ShelterBox fundraiser held on Saturday at Robin Ingrams, so I won’t steal this thunder here. But I would like to take the opportunity to personally thank and acknowledge a few people.
Firstly Robin, for her initial suggestion to hold this event and then all the time and effort she put into making this event successful – she is a dynamo with endless energy and enthusiasm for supporting good causes and ‘making the world a better place’ our Club continues to be indebted to her. Robin mentioned to me that the set up for the day couldn’t have occurred without – Jerome, Rachel, Deana and Paul Tapuska, so our thanks to them. There were many others who sold tickets, prepared desserts, served on the day and packed up at the conclusion, my thanks go to each and every one of you.
Finally, to Al, it was a big event to pull off and he did so magnificently. The funds raised for ShelterBox will make a real and significant difference to people in far flung places whose lives have been impacted by a life changing disaster, the likes of which we fortunately will most likely never know. For me personally, it was enormously gratifying to see us as a Club come together on this day ‘UNITED FOR GOOD’.
Upcoming events – please think about what you can assist with:
March 6th – Ori Raffle – Bruce and Deborah as always have this covered (our thanks to them both)
March 7th – Buckland Retirement Village BBQ – Johannes reports this roster is filled – so thanks to all!
Fellowship, camaraderie and reminiscences over a cuppa (and maybe a donut) in the food area of the Winmalee Village. Come along and join in. Please arrive at 10.00am, not 11.00am as for previous morning teas.
A fairly uncomplicated event for us because we just have to sell raffle tickets. The proceeds from raffle ticket sales and any donations will be forwarded to our Treasrer. We will only need a few volunteers and we will be doing the same every first Friday of the month.
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.
The Family Fun dance held last evening at The Old Farm, was a great success. In the lovely rural country garden setting, the objectives were to entertain the local families with young kids and raise enough funds to support ShelterBox. For those in attendance, both were done convincingly.
Currently fundraising stands at:
Square raffle $315
Cash raffle $380
cash donations $328
total $1,023 exactly
This is enough to purchase:
family tent
shelter tool kit
kitchen set
a solar light, and
a blanket.
This is a fantastic effort and we should be proud of our ability to rally and support the cause. The donation will make a huge difference to a family internationally in need of shelter and basic aid. Its use will be allocated at the discretion of ShelterBox UK.
Many dedicated people helped to pull this fundraising event together (you know who you are). Thank you to the helpers, rotarians and friends, giving up your precious time on a Saturday night to refresh your knowledge on an international project activity, and support our club. I trust having the equipment there on display assisted in understanding exactly what the aid is and how durable the items are.
We were lucky to have the ShelterBox expert present, Paris Erickson to share the knowledge in his easy going style.
The music, dancing, dress up, kids drawing activities, and dessert all in close proximity, enhanced the fun.
I saw a small community united last night, proud to belong to Springwood rotary because of the good we do that has impact.
Until next time
Regards
Al Kellaway
LAST CLUB MEETING, MONDAY 23rd FEBRUARY
Our last meeting was a Club Assembly. Along with Club issues, a trainig session on the use of new portable payment machine. Sue to some technical iisseues with leads, we were unable to see the PowerPoint. However, with many thanks to Jerome Pagitz, here it is (left click on the image below):
WE also viewed a report on Regionalisation from our District Governor, Michelle Ellery. Here it is (left click on the image below):
LATEST NEWS …
1. DATES TO LOOK FORWARD TO (IN ADDITION TO THOSE LISTED ABOVE)...
Monday, 2nd March - Guest speaker Past District Governor Londsay May OAM
Wednesday, 4th March - Men's Morning Tea, Winmalee
Rotary Garden Care for March - Bill Bowler
2. ROTARY GARDEN AT BUTTENSHAW PARK
Update on the gardens. Alan and Pat Ainslie have been working there today. Pat thought you would like to see the difference on the photos before and after.
The chair that was donated by Rotary has been moved and the picnic table couldn’t stay under the liquid amber tree because some branches became unsafe, but they are still in the park and well used
Cheers, Pat Ainslie
We sincerely thank Pat and Alan for their amazing efforts.
3. TEA PARTY FUNDRAISER FOR GRACE'S PLACE TO BE HELD AT THE SINGH'S
This is a great event to raise funds for Grace's Place. The goal is to raise funds to purchase a ride-on mower. Grace’s Place is a residential trauma centre for children and young people affected by homicide. To say we were overwhelmed by the facility itself and the incredible work undertaken there would be an understatement. I don’t feel anyone could visit this centre and see and hear the work undertaken and not be impressed by the selfless service performed on a daily basis. Martha Jabour OAM, is the Executive Director and CEO of
Grace’s Place and was named the NSW 2025 Local Hero; so, it’s not surprising that Martha is also a proud member of the Rotary Club of Carlingford – Rotarians are certainly a force to be reckoned with.
STORIES FROM ROTARY...
1. NANOTECHNOLOGY DESTROYS CONTAMINANTS IN WATER
Filters used in a clean water project in India have a distinctive feature that water and sanitation enthusiasts will want to know about. The filtration machines, which work with gravity-fed water pressure and no electricity, integrate a form of nanotechnology that targets contaminants. Click HERE to read more.
2. SHELTERBOX REPORT
As disasters continue to strike around the world, ShelterBox is working hard to ensure families have the emergency shelter and support they need to recover. Over the past weeks, Cyclone Gezani has devastated communities in Madagascar and the ongoing crises in Mozambique and Syria have intensified. Our teams are on the ground, partnering with trusted organisations and drawing on our experience to deliver practical, life‑saving assistance where it’s needed most. more on that below. There's also a report from our deployment to Afghanistan.
At the same time, we’re looking to strengthen our ability to respond quickly across the Pacific through the launch of our Pacific Preparedness Campaign. We're inviting supporters to help us build a more resilient future for Pacific neighbours facing disaster.
3. ROTARY OCEANIA MEDICAL AID FOR CHILDREN (ROMAC) UPDATE
The ROMAC website has a whole new look. Now it’s time for the newsletter to get the same treatment. Both have been designed to work together.
Each month the newsletter email will bring you a summary of the latest news, with links directly to more detailed items on the website. Each item has a button to click (or tap on a mobile device).
This issue includes:
A toddler from Vanuatu now in recovery after life-saving heart surgery just this week
A 15-year-old from Timor-Leste who injured the same eye twice in four years has his sight back . . . and his mother gives her heart-felt thanks
Also from Timor-Leste, a baby’s life has been saved by heart surgery in a case showing the value of co-ordination between medical experts, volunteers, translators, pastoral workers and community organisations. That's Maximus (above) with mum Lilina, Dr Jason Wildschut (left) and ROMAC Northern Region Chair Wayne Litherland
We welcome our new HR Coordinator
There’s final message from our Chair, Glenys Parton.
Happy 121st Birthday, Rotary International! On 23rd February 2026, we paused to mark a truly remarkable milestone — 121 years since Paul Harris and three colleagues gathered in Chicago and laid the foundation for what would become one of the greatest humanitarian organisations the world has ever seen.
THOUGHT FOR THE WEEK...
A powerful thought for this week, reflecting Rotary's core mission of service, is: "Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has." — Margaret Mead. This highlights that dedicated, local action creates lasting global impact.
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.
Springwood Sports Club
