On 10th April Robyn and Deb attended a fabulous Eatup sandwich making session at Ballarat Grammar.

Eatup Founder Lyndon Galea was there, with two other Eatup staff, Alex and Ben and together we facilitated a session for 160 participants who made 2082 cheese sandwiches in 20 minutes!

The International part is that the participants - school students from years 8, 9, 10 and 11 and accompanying staff represented schools from all states of Australia and overseas.

Alfies joined with family and friends to enjoy a wonderful night hosted by Malcolm at the Canberra Hotel.

Great food, great company - what more could you want.

Huge thanks to Malcolm for opening the hotel for us and with Jill for preparing the lovely meal.

Thank you to all the family and friends who attended and made it such a special evening.

Special shout out to Massimo for exemplary waiting and bussing duties!

We don't usually have speakers at our meetings, but Lise and Laura from CAFS were warmly thanked for their very interesting description of the work done by CAFS in our community. The Foster Care program is constantly in need of families who could welcome a child or young person into their home. Laura pointed out that the remuneration is low, so families need to be financially secure and the process to become a carer is understandably extensive to ensure the safety of children and the preparedness of host family members.
Those in the room and zooming in had plenty of questions and suggestions of possible ways we could assist CAFS and we look forward to carrying some of those ideas forward.
It was also enlightening to note how well Rotary's motto of Service Above Self resonates with others of like minds.

Thanks again to Lise and Laura for sharing their knowledge and motivation with us.

Our Environment leader Dan, reminded us that May 22nd is the International Day for Biological Diversity. The theme for 2026 is "Acting Locally for Global Impact" .

There are many ways to achieve this, but our thoughts have centred around the creation of Bee Hotels and Wildlife Nesting Boxes, to provide shelter for our native insects and animals to counter the habitat loss due to urbanisation, broadscale farming practices and deforestation.

There are numerous websites with 'how to' information including, for insects- Building a Pollinator Nest, a Junior Landcare learning activity - Creating a Bee Hotel, and for birds and animals- How to Build a Wildlife Nest Box, Build a Nest Box

So why not have a go this May - by yourself, with friends, family or neighbours - and watch the wildlife return. 

Increase your impact by sending photos of your projects to Deb or Dan, so we can spread the news to inspire/encourage others.

Volunteers and attendees are needed for the Science & Engineering Challenge again this year.

 

1. Volunteers to set up the spaces at Fed Uni - Wednesday afternoon, 29 July.

2. Attendees for the SEC Dinner, Ballarat Golf Club, Wednesday night, 29 July.

3. Volunteers to run activities, pack up activities or provide food for other volunteers and staff - Thursday 30 July

 

Please put the dates in your calendar and let Kay know if you are available to be added to the volunteer roster.

 

The annual fundraising lunch for Sidinda will be held on 8 May. $90 head, with $40 being donated to Sidinda Health Clinic Inc. (SHC)

 

SHC supports communities in Zimbabwe as they develop economic strategies, educational opportunities and health facilities.

This aligns strongly with Rotary's Areas of Focus - disease prevention and treatment; water, sanitation, and hygiene; maternal and child health; basic education and literacy; supporting the environment; and community economic development.

 

If you are unable to attend, or miss out on a seat, we encourage you to support the amazing work being done by Sidinda  and their partners by donating or buying a ticket in the online raffle.

 

Bookings, donations and raffle tickets available via the qr code or Trybooking here

The CCCB is utilising the Community Assistance Raffle, in order to raise funds for its own community assistance - a neat link up.

Use the QR code or this link to buy your tickets.