President Jonas Edner opened the meeting at 6.30 pm.
Tonight we will start our meeting by honouring Nigel Edwin Alexander Johnson. Nigel was a member of our Club for exactly 40 years and one day, he joined on 6 May 1986. Nigel was President of the Club from 2009 to 2010, and he contributed to all aspects of our Club and Rotary life. Until recent months, Nigel was a volunteer at Foodbank regularly. He was a stalwart of the Cans for Christmas programme, offering his home as the collection point. Nigel was the Treasurer of the Dalkeith Rotary Charitable Trust for many years and contributed greatly to the Trust's administration. For his service to Rotary, the Club and the Trust Nigel was awarded three Paul Harris Fellowship pins. We send our thoughts and prayers to Nigel’s children, Andrew, Chris and Fiona.
Let us reflect on our memories of Nigel. At the end of the silence, please remain standing whilst Ann Bray plays Auld Lang Syne on her violin.
Welcome to our guest speaker, Anna Popowicz, and Zsaria Carruthers from the Science and Engineering Challenge, and to our guest Dr Leighton Chadwick.
QUESTION OF THE WEEK:
In the May - June edition of Rotary Down Under, which Rotary Club raises funds by bar keeping at the Landor Races?
Answer: The Rotary Club of Greater Geraldton
Correctly answered by David Ellis.· Anna was born and raised in Newcastle, and her full-time work is as a presenter of the Science and Engineering Challenge around Australia.
FRIENDS AND FAMILY:
· President Jonas gave congratulations to Anita Bourke for being awarded an AM last week at Government House. A well-deserved honour.
· Café des Delices – Philippe of Café des Delices has sold both his Hay Street shop and Something French and is concentrating on Café des Delices as his only business. Boubaka is currently in Senegal visiting his family, and may return to Perth at some stage.
CLUB AND COMMITTEE REPORTS:
• Collectible cans – John Bolto announced that wine bottles will attract a ten-cent refund from 1 July 2026, but whatever you do, DO NOT hoard the bottles between now and then, no, no, no.
ROTARY MOMENTS:
• Science and Engineering Challenge – President Jonas said that he would like to acknowledge the phenomenal amount of work put in by three people this year to make the Challenge happen and run so smoothly in Perth. He asked the members to thank Richard Gorham, Anita Bourke and Ann Bray, who have put in hundreds of hours of work in organising the event. The Perth event has started very strongly with much enthusiasm, and that’s just the volunteers! The students are also having fun.
GUEST SPEAKER:Anna Popowicz - introduced by Richard Gorham
Anna and Zsaria
· Anna was born and raised in Newcastle, and her full-time work is as a presenter of the Science and Engineering Challenge around Australia.
· Anna played a video of the highlights of the Challenge since it started in 2000. Reliable records show that the Challenge had a start in Western Australia before 2006, but the records are sketchy.
· From 2026 to 2025, 14,500 students had participated in the Challenge in Western Australia. Each Challenge these days involves over 1,000 students per week from 40 schools.
· Thanks to Anna and Zsaria for presenting the Challenge and speaking to the Club.
REMINDER OF COMING EVENTS:
Monday 18 May 2026 – Paul Larsen, Life in the DEA
Monday 25 May 2026 – Vocational Awards
Monday 1 June 2026 – no meeting, public holiday
ROSTER:
Monday 18 May 2026
Bruce Jeanes Welcoming members and guests
Craig James Table duty
Russell Hawkins Registrar 1
Richard Gorham Registrar 2
Steve Halbert Introduction of guest speaker
Bruce Fiegert Pass the microphone
THANKS:
Thanks to the Staff of the Nedlands Golf Club, Sean and Joel, for their service tonight and Chef Alvin for dinner.
WE RECOGNISE OUR VERY GENEROUS SPONSORS:
Lizzi Bee - supplier of flowers.
Dry Kirkness Chartered Accountants (Butler Settineri) – Club Auditors.
Accura Accounting & Advisory Services for providing Xero Accounting software and Sharesight Portfolio reporting software to the Charitable Trust.
Dirk Vanderstruyf from Euroz Hartleys.
MEETING CLOSE:
President Jonas closed the meeting by recognising the Rotary International presidential theme for 2025-26, "Unite for Good"
