Stories

Noel Cox became Australia's newest Rotarian at Rotary Redcliffe Sunrise's Wednesday breakfast meeting on September 2.

Noel is in good company. Yuvraj Khatiwada (Rotary Club of Kathmandu Circle) and Eric Allen and Peter Alexander (Rotary Club of Greenwich) were inducted the same day.

However, Noel is arguably the newest Rotarian in the world given the sun rises earlier in Redcliffe than it does in London or the foothills of the Himalayas.

Helen Bambling — volunteer at the Redcliffe Breakfast Club — was recognised as a Paul Harris Fellow for her 15 years of exemplary community service, which aligned with Rotary ideals. Helen was presented with a commemorative certificate and a lapel pin by sponsor, Monique Betty and President, Colin Scobie at Rotary Redcliffe Sunrise's Wednesday breakfast meeting on September 2. 

Humpybong State School is celebrating its 150-years Anniversiary.  The first provisional school opened on 1 February 1876 on land fronting what is now Duffield Road. It was housed in a small slab-and-shingle structure often described as a bark shanty, measuring just 10 feet by 12 feet. 

Good afternoon members, partners, friends, families and distinguished guests,

It’s been my privilege to serve as Club President for these past two years and I want to thank all members for their support and contribution to an important chapter in my life and the Club’s.

The Rotary year 2025-2026 is a significant year for the Rotary Club of Redcliffe Sunrise — it’s celebrating 60 years of Service to our Communities.

Sixty years ago (1966) the world was a very different place, it was a pivotal year of cultural upheaval, space exploration milestones and monumental music releases.

Magnetic Island sits just offshore from Townsville, a granite-and-eucalypt hump fringed by some of the most accessible fringing coral reefs on the entire Great Barrier Reef.

The island's fringing reefs are not the vast outer-reef walls that draw divers to the northern Great Barrier Reef — they are smaller, shallower, more accessible, and ecologically more contested, sitting as they do at the intersection of coral, mangrove, and seagrass habitats with the human footprint of a major city just across the water. 

What you carry away from a day on Magnetic Island's reefs is the sheer compression of it all. 

Incoming President for the 2026–2027 Rotary year, Colin Scobie endorsed Rotary International's theme, "Create Lasting Impact," during his address at the Rotary Club's annual Changeover Luncheon held at the Moreton Bay Boat Club 0n Thursday, July16.

The event was attended by distinguished guests including the State member for Redcliffe, Kerri-Anne Dooley, the Federal member for Petrie, Emma Comer MP, Rotary District 9620 Governor Ian Hope, Assistant District Governor Monica Fraser, club members and representatives from Rotary clubs across the region.

I was my father Jacob's favorite son, and everyone knew it. He gave me a magnificent coat of many colours, and I wore it proudly. 

I also shared dreams I did not fully understand - dreams in which my brothers bowed before me. Instead of listening, they hated me for it. One day, their jealousy turned cruel. They seized me, tore away my coat, threw me into a pit, and sold me to traders bound for Egypt. Then they let my father believe I was dead.

In Egypt, I became a servant in Potiphar's house. Though I had lost my home and freedom, I worked faithfully. But trouble followed me there too. Potiphar's wife lied about me, and I was thrown into prison for a crime I did not commit. 

Even in that dark place, I refused to give up hope. I believed God had not abandoned me.

While in prison, I discovered that my gift for understanding dreams had a purpose. That gift eventually brought me before Pharaoh himself. When he was troubled by mysterious dreams, I explained that seven years of plenty would be followed by seven years of famine. Pharaoh trusted me to prepare Egypt, and because we stored food wisely, countless lives were saved.

Years later, my brothers came to Egypt begging for grain, not knowing who I was. I could have taken revenge, but I chose mercy. I forgave them. In that moment, I understood that every sorrow I had endured had led me here. My family was restored, my father was found again, and I learned that faith, forgiveness, and hope can turn suffering into blessing.

Ava stepped off the foreshore and into the hush of the mangrove forest, where the world felt half land, half sea, and entirely magic.

The trees stood on tangled roots like dancers balanced on their toes, rising from the mud in twisting loops and arches. Around them, thin breathing spikes poked up from the ground like thousands of little pencils, and Ava imagined the forest whispering through them.

The air smelled of salt and wet earth. Sunlight slipped through the leaves in golden pieces, landing on pools that shimmered with tiny fish. 

A crab, with a claw as bright as a fire-lit topaz, darted sideways into a hole. Ava gasped and crouched low, her knees muddy, watching the hole as if it were a doorway to another world.

Above her, birds called from hidden branches - sharp cries, soft whistles, fluttering wings. She spotted one blue-grey bird lifting into the sky, its reflection wobbling in the water below. Everything seemed alive in more than one way: the mud wriggled, the roots reached, the water glittered with secret movement.

Her grandfather pointed out how the mangroves held the shoreline together and sheltered baby fish from bigger hunters. Ava listened, but mostly she felt it. This forest was not just a place. It was a home, a nursery, a fortress, a feast.

When the tide began to creep in, the water slowly wrapped the roots in silver. Ava stood very still, as if the forest had invited her in for a moment and she must not break the spell. Then she smiled, knowing she would carry its wonder long after her shoes were clean again.

Our environmental colleagues, the Bribie Island Environmental Protection Association (BIEPA) are hosting the 3rd Annual Yarun EcoFlix Film Festival, which features a selection of independent films about species protection, direct actions, and the wonders of Country.

The festival is more than entertainment. Yarun Ecoflix sits between art and actions. It is a bridge from environmental awareness to involvement.

An Indigenous garden at a Clontarf Beach State High School (CBSHS) is not a soft "nice-to-have" sustainability gesture.

It is one of the highest-leverage investments a school can make.

It simultaneously restores habitat for many of South-east Queensland's 4,500 native plant species, deepens student cognitive and mental health outcomes, provides Indigenous students at CBSHS with named representations in their Country's flora, and stitches the school into a wider community partnership that includes Rotary (Environment Sustainability), the Australian Government and the local Council. 

The benefits of Indigenous gardens at CBSHS span five mutually-reinforcing areas: ecological, educational, cultural, health-related and community. 

Fear and fascination are two sides of the same psychological coin.

While fear triggers our survival instincts, the thrill of facing the unknown safely often morphs into deep curiosity or fascination.

This complex emotion drives everything from how we consume media to how we confront everyday challenges.

At their core, fear and fascination trigger similar physiological responses but are processed differently by the brain.
 

Quote attributable to Rotarian Mike Spice Rotary Club of Redcliffe Sunrise:

"After an incredible day helping run the Sausage Sizzle at the annual raise it for Redcliffe Giving Day, it was most appropriate to celebrate the fantastic news that over $200,000 was raised for Redcliffe Hospital. 

Well done to all volunteers and especially our team who helped achieve this amazing result! "

Initiated by the Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital Foundation, the Raise it for Redcliffe Hospital Giving Day is an annual event designed to bring the community together to support local healthcare. 

The Turtle Expo was another great success on Saturday, May 9, 2026! 

Things got underway at 10 a.m. at Queens Beach North in Scarborough — the same beach where turtle hatchlings emerged from the sand back in February 2010. 

The vibe was fantastic, and everyone who came along made the day even better. 

And of course, the free sausage BBQ didn’t disappoint either!
 

Freshwater ecologist John Gooderham has spent years studying these tiny indicators of water health. 

John co-authored The Waterbug Book, helped launch the National Waterbug Blitz, and played a key role in creating the Waterbug App—a citizen science tool that lets people across Australia collect and share data to help assess the condition of the nation’s rivers.

John was our keynote presenter on April 16 at the Deception Bay Environmental Hub. 

He was “Talking about the state of our rivulets | A waterbugs story”.

Imagine a day where families come together to enjoy fishing, learn about local waterways, and help protect native fish — all at once. That’s what our Fishing Family Fun Day is all about!  

The event combines outdoor fun with environmental education through a Fishing BioBlitz — a hands-on activity where participants help identify and record all the fish species they catch (and release!). 

On 31 March 2026, “Raise it for Redcliffe” Hospital supporters, community partners, hospital staff and guests came together to celebrate the official opening of the Palliative Care Unit’s newly refurbished lounge, garden courtyard and children’s play area.

These upgrades were made possible through the incredible support of our community, past “Raise it for Redcliffe” Hospital Giving Days and the inspiring legacy of individuals such as Karen Wilson, who shared her story and motivation for giving back with those in attendance.

It was a beautiful reminder of what’s possible when a community comes together to raise comfort, raise connection and raise dignity for patients and their families at Redcliffe Hospital.
 

Moreton Bay is an incredibly important area for wildlife and fishing, supporting a wide range of marine and coastal life while also playing a big role in the culture, livelihoods, and everyday experiences of locals and visitors alike. 

Scientific research has been key to helping us better understand and protect this unique coastal environment.

 Science by The Bay is happening from Thursday, March 26 to Sunday, March 29. 

The first two days are just for high school students, and then it opens up to everyone on the last two days so the general public can come along and enjoy it too.

Kerrie-Anne Dooley MP, state member for Redcliffe and Honorary Rotarian dropped in at the Clontarf Beach State High School Bunnings Sausage Sizzle, a fundraiser for the school's EcoClub.

Every day, Redcliffe Hospital nurses, doctors and other dedicated staff serve our community to provide quality healthcare, close to home. They’ve been doing it for 60 years. 

They want to do more – to support locals now and for generations to come. Dr Joel Dulhunty, Director of Research at the Redcliffe Hospital is one of them. 

As he quoted “research is like climbing a mountain to find more research when you get to the top of the current mountain ”. The inspiration of his research team is remarkable!
 

One hundred and fifteen ‘waste warriors’ picked up litter from both banks of Humpybong Creek on Saturday, March 1.

This is the 36th year Clean Up Australia day has been held.

The City of Moreton Bay Councill is offering ‘Green’ grants to organisations to plant Verge Gardens.

Rotary Redcliffe Sunrise has submitted a Our healthy environments grant request.

If you want your verge “Nativised” please reach out. 

The opportunity to “Bring Back the Buzz” between your boundary fence and the foot path has arrived.

Council has shared a Verge Garden Gallery featuring three locations where community verge gardens have been established.

Every day, Redcliffe Hospital nurses, doctors and other dedicated staff serve our community to provide quality healthcare, close to home. They’ve been doing it for 60 years. They want to do more – to support locals now and for generations to come. Dr Joel is one of them. 

Queensland is a world-leading adopter of household solar energy with installations in the state exceeding more than 1.1 million homes. This represents approximately 50% of all homes in Queensland and rooftop solar installations are continuing to grow rapidly (e.g. an additional 75,000 systems were added in 2023). The installation of 1.1 million homes are estimated to represent 17.6 million individual solar panels - using 16 panels per household installed. Planning for the disposal of these panels is important. 

Queensland Household Solar  Panel Recovery Pilot – Final Report

Rotarians Peter Row (Youth Liaison) and Colin Scobie (Vice President) attended the Redcliffe State High School Student Investiture on Tuesday, February 10 at the Western Campus Hall. 
 

Rotarians and Environmental Sustainability Rotary Action Group (ESRAG) members Colin Scobie and Peter Row met with City of Moreton Bay Council CEO Scott Waters at the Strathpine Council Chambers on 5 February 2026.

Colin and Peter usually catch up with Scott every six months to share updates on recent Rotary–ESRAG environmental projects and to give him a preview of what’s coming up in the ESRAG Playbook over the next six months.

In 2016 Sea Shepherd started a nationwide campaign to clean up Australia's waterways and beaches. Since then, passionate volunteers have removed over seven million pieces of trash from polluting our ocean.   This February celebrates 10 years of this ‘Marine Debris’ campaign with events across Australia, including one at Kings Beach, Caloundra on Saturday, February  21 and another at Kangaroo Point, Brisbane on Sunday, February 22.

Sea Shepherd is committed to promoting and facilitating family friendly coastal and river clean-up activities and inspiring the community, businesses and industry to take action in support of the protection and conservation of local marine environments. 

Sea Shepherd is undertaking remote marine debris collections with Indigenous rangers in the Northern Territory.

Rotarian and Environmental Sustainability Rotary Action Group (ESRAG) Member, Peter Row met with local State member, Kerrie-Anne Dooley MP at her electoral office in Bluewater Square on 19 January 2026.

Ms Dooley has been a member of Parliament’s Health, Environment and Innovation Committee since 28 Nov 2024. 

With this in mind Mr Row shared an overview of the Rotary Club of Redcliffe Sunrise’s ongoing funding support for local community services, including those focused on health and the assistance of individuals experiencing homelessness. 

The meeting also provided an opportunity to explore potential future partnerships and initiatives to further support the local community.

Mr Row provided an update on ESRAG's promotion of monthly environmental-sustainability community awareness forums and annual signature events including family fun days which encourage community participation.

ESRAG members believe that environmental-sustainability advocacy can make a difference. 

Accordingly, Mr Row also took the opportunity to comment on several topical issues on which he believed the State government could be more environmentally effective.

Colin Scobie, Chair of ESRAG Oceania and Peter Row, ESRAG Member and Media Director for the Rotary Club of Redcliffe Sunrise club met with Kerri-Anne Dooley MP, the then new elected representative for Redcliffe on 9 January 2025. 

The meeting's aim was to foster collaboration and share Rotary’s ambitious environmental-sustainability plans for 2025.

Thanks for the Qld Government's support of ESRAG.

Video recording of proceedings 

Rotary Rises to Environmental Challenges

On 26 October 2024, Queenslanders ushered in a new government, heralding a fresh chapter in state leadership. 

For Rotary, an apolitical organisation, this change necessitated re-establishing crucial environmental connections with local politicians regarding the organisation's Environmental Sustainability Rotary Action Group (ESRAG) projects. Accepting the challenge Colin Scobie, Chair of ESRAG Oceania and Peter Row, ESRAG Member and Media Director for the Rotary Redcliffe Sunrise club took swift action. They met with Kerri-Anne Dooley MP, the new elected representative for Redcliffe on 9 January 2025. The meeting's aim was to foster collaboration and share Rotary’s ambitious plans for 2025 and beyond.

3rd and 4th May 2025 was again a milestone in turtle awareness on the edge of Moreton Bay Marine Park [MBMP] Queensland.

This year the turtle environmental awareness stretched out to a two day event - not only incorporating the Queens Beach North location Scarborough, where turtle previously hatched - but the second day featured guest speakers the likes of Prof Col Limpus - who set up Mon Repos Turtle Rookery at Bargara - nearby Bundaberg. 

The second day was held at the Komo Hotel Redcliffe where we had the local MP -Kerrie Anne Dooley open the second day turtle symposium on behalf of the QLD Environment Minister Hon Andrew Powell MP.