Last Sunday provided a great example of what makes this club what it is.
Craig M and Alistair W put together an excellent Observation Drive, taking us through Flagstone and the back blocks of Clifton before delivering us to a pub lunch at the Wheatsheaf Hotel in Greenmount. The route took us down roads some of us had never travelled, following clues, ticking off landmarks, and occasionally wondering where on earth the organisers were taking us.
One of the highlights was a stop at The Barn. Many of us were expecting a shed with a few interesting bits and pieces. What we found instead was a remarkable collection of cars and motoring memorabilia. If you have not visited, I recommend it.
The drive achieved exactly what it was meant to. It got people together for no other reason than friendship. The was plenty of banter and laughter and guests got to see the club outside the formality of a Thursday meeting. A few hours spent talking, laughing, solving quiz questions, and sharing a meal is time well spent.
Fellowship is one of the ingredients that keeps people engaged in Rotary, and I suspect we are guilty of hiding ours under a bushel when we should be talking it up. A regular gathering of good people, shared purpose, and genuine friendship is, for many men, exactly what they need and often don’t know how to seek out.
On Saturday, Gili C and Sue R hosted the final Wives and Partners gathering for the Rotary year at a local restaurant. These events bring people together, maintain friendships, and keep connected a number of wives and partners of former members who remain part of our extended Rotary family. This is important to the Club.
This Thursday is our Community Awards meeting, when we recognise those who have quietly gone about making Toowoomba a better place, usually away from the spotlight and without expectation of recognition. Thursday gives us the chance to say thank you.
A fee will apply to any member late with an apology regardless of whether the number attending on the meeting day of the meeting is over, under or equal to what the Club Secretary submitted to the Downs Club. This fee will only apply to meetings at the Downs Club or any other club meeting where attendance numbers have to be stipulated prior to the meeting.
A Club member will be charged a meal fee of $20 if they
fail to submit any apology before 11am on Tuesday for the meeting the following Thursday (48 hrs later)
need to submit a late apology due to changed circumstance.
Fail to show up after indicating they would be present.
The members owing a fee of $20 will notified by the Club Secretary and Club Treasurer via an emailed
Late apology fee notice.
The fee can be paid by direct credit into the RCTE Club account or by adding $20 to the $35 meal fee at the next club meeting
Rotary Club of Toowoomba East
Apologies 11.06.2026
Wayne Barnett, Dave Birrell, Ron Bowden, Rod Brilliant, Rod Brown, Jim Charlton, Steve Davis, Lex Franks, Dave Groves, Andrew Kratzmann, John Liley, Conor Martin, Jeff Martin, Craig Mathieson, Brett Motton, Peter McLoughlin, Mark Redmond, Gav Roberts, Toby Sandell, Doc Smith, Ross Watt, Alistair Webb
Apologies 18.06.2026
Wayne Barnett, Dave Birrell, Rod Brown, Jim Charlton, Col Davidson, Phil Gillam, Andrew Kratzmann, Russell Manns, Conor Martin, Jeff Martin, Caig Mathieson, Brett Motton, Peter McLoughlin, Mark Redmond, Toby Sandell, Allan Schefe, Doc Smith, Matt Wentzel
