President’s Report 06/09/26

(Read more about the Whales in Editors comments)

It was great to see everyone this week.  There was our monthly book sale last weekend which raised over $2000 – well done to everyone involved.

Our program was club planning which saw the club members divide into 4 working groups to discuss/plan some of the clubs’ projects

·         Street Library

·         DV Safe Phone

·         Wish Collective

·         Book Sales.

A short report on each project was given at the end of the meeting.

It would be great to see people show up and support the Light the way event at the Civic Green on Thursday 15^th October.

Rotary Multi District conference to be held in Warrnambool April 2027.  Lots of ways to get involved and help out if you are interested (please see Rachel) - otherwise I would recommend attending the conference – a great way to experience a conference without the travel. See conference website for more details and to register

https://www.rotaryimpactsummit.org/

Dear Rotarians and Friends

I’m reaching out on behalf of the team organising the 2026 Warrnambool Multicultural Festival at the Civic Green on Saturday November 7. 

Did you know that one in four people in Warrnambool were either born overseas or had a parent born overseas? In recognition of this we hope to make this year's festival even bigger and more diverse than ever!

As a valued member of our local community, we are seeking your assistance to reach the members of our diverse regional community and have your members and their families and friends get involved in one of our region’s most vibrant annual celebrations.

This year’s festival will welcome over 4,000 attendees and showcase 40+ local cultures celebrating cultural diversity through music, dance, storytelling, art and craft, food, and workshops. The festival creates a vibrant and inclusive space for the community to connect, share stories and experience the richness of cultures that make South West Victoria unique, and is 100% free to attend.

And this we have an exciting new surprise act that will be announced on our socials this week - a K-Pop band from Melbourne that will not only perform but will hold a fabulous competition that we hope our local youth will enjoy being part of!

We would be grateful for your support in helping us reach the broader community by spreading the word through your organisation newsletter, website, or social media channels. To assist with this we provide the following:

* An e'flyer which can be used in whatever manner works in your communication channels, plus a link to the festival website.

Come celebrate the many cultures, stories, flavours and talents that make our community so vibrant!

Join us for a FREE day of music, dance, food, culture, hands-on activities and community connection at the Warrnambool Multicultural Festival.

- Saturday 7 November 2026

- 10am–3pm

- Civic Green & Lighthouse Theatre, Warrnambool

- FREE ENTRY

*we are still accepting volunteers to help out on the day, so we would be grateful if you could share the link to our volunteer application form. Volunteers are welcome for an hour or all day, and its a fabulous and fun way to meet and mingle with our multicultural community!

And finally we encourage you and your community to keep updated about the festival and other events, and to receive important information in our support for our multicultural community by subscribing to our newsletter.

Thank you so much for supporting our local multicultural community and we look forward to welcoming you to the Civic Green!

Jan Drew

(Hon) Secretary

Warrnambool Multicultural Association

Tel (Aust) +61491751674 

Whatsapp +60172740077