It was another enjoyable and well-attended Rotary meeting this week, with members coming together for fellowship, club updates and an engaging guest presentation. We were pleased to welcome guests Barb, Janine, Tammy, Joan and Linda, along with our guest speaker, Tyson from Loved & Shared.
Apologies were received from Chris, Leon, Margaret, Peter, David and Greg.
Members are reminded that the club is still seeking a member to lead our Environmental projects. Anyone interested in taking on this role is encouraged to put their hand up and help guide our club’s environmental initiatives.
Neil Porter Legacy are also seeking volunteers, and members are encouraged to consider supporting this valuable community program if they are available to do so.
Please also keep an eye out in the bulletin for the “Weekly Roundup” District News, which will help members stay informed about updates and activities across the wider Rotary district.
Tyson from Loved & Shared gave a very informative presentation about the organisation and the important work it is doing in our community. Loved & Shared provides new and pre-loved nursery and children’s essentials to families through trusted community partners, while also helping reduce the amount of quality goods going to landfill in the region. The presentation was enjoyed by all members present, and we extend our thanks to Tyson for his presentation,
Thank you also to everyone who brought along a donation to contribute. It was wonderful to see such generous support from members, and we hope there may be opportunities for the club to support the Loved & Shared program further in the future.
Guest Speaker: Glenn will be presenting a talk on his recent walk to Italy
Chairperson: Ann Donaldson
6pm for a 6:15pm start.
Warrnambool Bowls Club
Timor St. Warrnambool
Apologies please to
David Brown
04438647536
dljb3280@gmail.com
Meeting Jobs:
Sergeant:
Rob McDonald, Kelly Curran or Greg
Fellowship:
Terry O'Neill
Invocation:
Sarah Wallace
Property:
Greg Lee
If you are not able to complete the upcoming position, please let Ann D know via 0428 189 375 or
periwinklepatchwork@bigpond.com
Next Week's Jobs:
August 4th Fellowship: Leon De Villiers
Invocation: Sarah Wallace
Property: Terry O'Neill
Upcoming Speakers:
July
28: Glenn Brotchie talking about their walking tour of Tuscany and Lazio in Italy
August
September
Welcome Ann Donaldson who will be planning the '26/'27 year.
Please see:
Kayla, (k.berends@live.com.au)
or
Svet, (svet62@hotmail.com) if you have ideas for program/speakers
Upcoming Events:
July 25th
Social morning @ Lady Bay
11:00am
August
1st
Monthly Booksale
(volunteer opportunity)
10th-11th
Science and Engineering Challenge
Volunteering
(volunteer opportunity)
September
5th Monthly Booksale
(volunteer opportunity)
7th-9th
RYDA Session #2
(volunteer Opportunity)
RCW BOARD MEETING AND GENERAL NOTES
The Board requested that these items be included in the Bulletin:
Neil Porter Legacy
The Neil Porter Legacy is looking for volunteers to help at the Corangamite Maths & Science Work Day
When: Tuesday 18 August 2026 – 10:00AM to 2:00PM
Where: Cobden Technical School
What: Businesses will showcase how maths and science are used in their industry in 30-minute workshops delivered to groups of students. Groups of students will attend 4 workshops over the day.
We are looking for volunteers to assist supervising groups - just taking them between activities.
Environmental Champion
The club is looking for an Environmental Champion. If you have an interest in the area, please let one of the Board Members know.
Thank you
Leon de Villiers
Secretary
Roytary Club of Warrnambool
M: 0439 945 656
SOCIAL GATHERINGS
We will be meeting for coffee and cake at Lady Bay, 11:00am, on Saturday, 25th July.
"Be there or be square"
Additions to the bulletin...
Please contact Glenn via brotchieg@gmail.com
Dear Rotary Club of Warrnambool,
I'm writing with some news about Lift the Lid walks, and I want to share it with you directly, because you have been the heart of this program from the very beginning.
After seven years, Australian Rotary Health will be bringing the management of Lift the Lid walks in-house. This is a change we have thought about carefully, and it comes with enormous respect for how far this program has come.
None of that journey would have been possible without Kara Geyer and The Media Hut. For seven years Kara has poured care, energy and heart into Lift the Lid walks, and into every one of you who has hosted a walk, rallied a club, and helped raise awareness for mental health across the country. What she has worked side-by-side with you to build is remarkable, and the warmth and community around this program are a direct reflection of your combined efforts. We are deeply grateful, and we want to acknowledge her contribution properly rather than let a change like this pass quietly.
I also want to reassure you about what this means right now, which is very little. Kara will continue to manage the Lift the Lid walks through to the end of October, including all the walks already planned until then. She remains your point of contact, nothing changes for the events you have coming up, and the program you know and love carries on exactly as it is.
A few words from Kara
"I am very proud to have been able to help such a wonderful army of Rotary volunteers to make a real difference in their local communities. What started out as a wonderful idea that Vicki had has become a true legacy and I am very grateful to have played a role in helping to build that, but most grateful for the opportunity to meet and work with so many incredibly generous human beings along the way."
Over the months ahead, ARH will gently refresh Lift the Lid events. We will share more as our work takes shape, and we will bring you along with us every step of the way. Our commitment is to honour everything this program stands for, and everything Kara has built, as we carry it forward.
Thank you for being part of Lift the Lid - and for continuing to walk beside us for what comes next. We could not be prouder to stand alongside this community.
To accept sudden, surprising outbursts of affection,
And not to be upset by a few scratches.
(Will Stanton)
Love at first sight is easy to understand:
It’s when two people have been looking at each other for a lifetime
That it becomes a miracle.
(Amy Bloom)
For two people in a marriage to live together day after day
Is unquestionably the one miracle
The Vatican has overlooked
(Bill Cosby)
It is not the lack of love,
But a lack of friendship that makes unhappy marriages.
(Friedrich Nietzsche)
Love is blind
But marriage restores its sight
(Georg C. Lichtenberg)
There is nothing nobler or more admirable
Than when two people, who live eye to eye,
Keep house as man and wife,
Confounding their enemies and delighting their friends.
(Homer)
Marriage is not just a spiritual communion,
It is also remembering to take out the trash.
(Joyce Brothers)
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Families flocked to the gardens to say hi to these little garden friends, while enjoying live entertainment, children’s activities and a special appearance by Costa Georgiadis from Gardening Australia.
David Clark, of the E Club of Australian Rotary Nomads, is the proud owner of the more than 2,500 gnomes – one of the largest privately owned collections in Australia – and organises the event each year to raise funds for polio eradication.
“It all starts early Easter Friday, when we pack up and box all the gnomes into two trailers and Utes and transport them from my home in Lithgow down to the Rhododendron Gardens in Blackheath, which boasts the largest collection of Rhododendrons in one garden in the world,” said David. “With the help of garden volunteers, we spend the next eight hours unpacking and setting up our little friends for the thousands of men, women and children who pour through the gates over Easter Saturday and Sunday.
“Costa always drops in and entertains the children and adults alike, who all want a picture with the ‘Big Garden Gnome’. We also had buskers, face painting, pony rides, kids painting their own gnomes to take home, Costa selling and signing his books, and the Lithgow Pipe Band playing among the gnomes.”
To raise extra funds this year, one of David’s fellow club members suggested he shave his beard off at the end of the convention and ask members to pay $10 to go towards the PolioPlus campaign.
“I thought that was a great idea as I do it anyway to start growing it again for the next year’s convention,” said David.
During the club’s first meeting after Easter, convention attendees joined club members via Zoom to watch David shave off his beard live on 15 April.
In addition to the $1,000 raised at the convention, an extra $360 was raised for PolioPlus.
“It is not a huge fundraising project as we run the event as a community activity to bring a smile and laughter to everyone who wanders through the gnomes,” said David. “We only get donations from the public putting money in our gnome wishing wells, strategically placed throughout the area.”
So, if you ever find yourself in Blackheath over the Easter weekend, make sure you check out the Great Australian Gnome Convention!
Big Broadway Moments is a high-energy concert-style celebration of musical theatre’s greatest songs.
Featuring a full orchestra, vocal ensemble, dynamic choreography and iconic showstopping numbers, this spectacular production delivers the thrill, emotion and excitement of Broadway in one unforgettable event.
ORLANDO
WTC main 2026 Production
Date: September 12th to 19th 2026 (6 Shows)
Venue: Lighthouse Theatre
Bold, funny, beautiful and unlike anything else on our season, Orlando is a theatrical adaptation of Virginia Woolf’s genre-defying novel Orlando: A Biography by playwright, Neil Bartlett.
The enthusiasm for this show and the quality of the auditions were outstanding and we want to thank everyone who auditioned for putting themselves forward and participating in the process.
We are thrilled to announce the cast that will bring Orlando to life!
Reminder! We are collecting 10c bottles for our projects. This is a really easy way of earning 100% profit for out club. You can utilise the app, or Brooke has business cards with the barcode on it. All you need to do is scan the barcode at the machine, then put the bottles in.
Alternatively, you can put your bottles in the bucket at each Rotary meeting, or drop them to Brooke and George's house on Kelp St.
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