As of 1 May, the Rotary shop will be available on a new platform. We may experience some downtime during the transition and apologize for any inconvenience. If you have any questions, please contact us at shop.rotary@rotary.org or at 847-866-4600.
After a series of three earthquakes -- two in Japan and one in Ecuador -- killed hundreds of people, injured thousands, and caused billions of dollars in damage late last week, Rotary members in those regions have created disaster relief funds to help survivors.
In Ecuador, the powerful 7.8-magnitude quake that struck Saturday night has killed more than 400 people, with 2,500 injured. Those figures are expected to rise.
Rotary District 4400 established a service fund to raise money for relief efforts. Contact District Governor Manuel A. Nieto Jijon for information on how to donate.
In Japan,...
Get live updates and vote totals from the Council on Legislation on Rotary.org beginning on 11 April.
Representatives from Rotary clubs worldwide will gather in Chicago 10-15 April to consider changes to the policies that guide Rotary International and its member clubs.
Many of this year’s proposed changes are designed to increase membership by giving clubs greater flexibility in the timing and the nature of their meetings. Other proposals would amend membership requirements.
The Rotary Foundation and UNESCO-IHE Institute for Water Education are offering up to 10 scholarships for graduate study at UNESCO-IHE's Delft campus in the Netherlands. The aim is to increase the number of trained professionals who can devise, plan, and implement water and sanitation solutions in developing areas. The scholarships also are designed to promote long-term relationships between Rotary members and skilled water and sanitation professionals.
Scholars will receive a Master of Science degree in urban water and sanitation, water management, or water science and engineering. The...
Interact clubs are making a positive difference in schools and communities around the world. Leaders of sponsor Rotary clubs and districts should make sure their Interact clubs get the recognition they deserve by verifying that they qualify for a Presidential Citation.
First, ensure that the Interact club status is active in Rotary's database by checking the Listing of Club-Sponsored Organizations report in Rotary Club Central. If a sponsored club is not listed, submit the Interact Club Certification Form by 1 March.
Then, verify by 15 April that your Interact clubs have qualified for the...
Club Information
Welcome to our Club!
Service Above Self
We meet Tuesdays at 6:15 PM
Warrnambool Football Club
Cramer Street
Warrnambool,
Victoria 3280 Australia
President Steve Giddens welcomed everyone to the meeting, including guests Russ Goodear, Jeremy Keogh, Visiting Rotarian Shane Keogh, Alice Keogh, Sharon Haberfield, Lizzie Smith from Rotaract, Outbound student Carly McDonald and her father Ross, Outbound student Sarah Forbes and her parents Paul and Michelle.
Outbound students Sarah and Carly will be spending the weekend at Halls Gap with other outbound students.
Steve advised that this year RCW will be hosting three Exchange Students, one full time with two shared between RC Central, RC East and RC Daybreak.
Steve thanked those who attended the District Assembly which provided some useful information and special thanks to John Harris who drove the bus.
Our changeover will be lunch on Sunday 3 July, so mark your diaries. Our District Governor Jane Cox will be attending. Further details to follow.
A bottle of Dr Jurd's Jungle Juice was auctioned by Ron Rauert who promised the buyer they would look 10 years younger after drinking a bottle and John Stuckey was provided as an example! Apparently Mabel Wobbly (103 years old) swears by it and is still going strong. The recipe was formulated in 1791 and if you click on the link above, you can find out more information.
The lucky bidder for this strongly fought over bottle of rot gut jungle juice was unsuspecting guest Paul Forbes. Well done Paul.
In two weeks time RCW will be holding its regular meeting at the new fire station. This will be catered for by Thai & Grill and a menu was passed around to pre-order meals. This will be available again next week if you missed out on filling it in. Remember, if you order and don't turn up, you will need to pay.
Pride of Workmanship Award
John Harris encouraged members to think about someone they think would be worthy of this award. Below is a brief description of what the Pride of Workmanship Award is about.
Pride of Workmanship - the sense of responsibility to do a job well, is one of the greatest intangible assets in our community. The Objective of Pride of Workmanship
To promote Vocational Service;
To encourage Pride of Workmanship in all vocations;
To provide employers with an opportunity to recognise employees who display the qualities worthy of an award;
To encourage favourable employer - employee relationships and a sense of community pride in individual achievement;
To provide an opportunity for Rotary to be involved in the community, particularly the business community.
What is the Pride of Workmanship Award Scheme?
As part of the campaign to encourage the "Pride of Workmanship" theme, Rotary would like, through employers, to give recognition to employees where it is considered due. This is the purpose of the Award Scheme, and with the help of businesses the "Pride of Workmanship" theme can be spread amongst their employees and further.
Camp Quality Lunch - Sunday 8 May
John Harris advised that the Camp Quality Lunch for 42 cyclists on Sunday was well attended and he thanked Rotarians Louise Keogh, Rob and Veronica Cuzens, Di and Richard Hawker, Svet Lineham, Ian Sharman, Jules Trelfall-Ryan, Karla and student Rhonda Sutcliffe for their help. Thanks also to the Warrnambool City Council for the camp kitchen.
BBQ Fundraisers
Tony Austin advised that recent BBQ fundraisers for Sariri raised $770 and the Club BBQ at Bunnings last weekend raised $535.50. He thanked Keith McLeod, Robbie Blackmore, Judy Ross, Richard Hawker, Anne Adams, Jane Chislett, Rob and Veronica Cuzens, Joan Austin, Karina Wood, Judy Ross, Phillip Ross, Ravi Ganeshalingam, Dallas and Kylie Armistead, Ron Rauert, Michael Boyd, Sharon Stark, Andrea Sampson and Duncan Stalker for helping out. And the Club would like to thank Tony for all his hard work organising these BBQ's.
Eisteddfod
Tony Austin is needing people to fill last minute spots on the roster for the Eisteddfod commencing next week. Please let him know if you can help out.
Oxfam Walk
John Nisbet advised that he had received a letter from Oxfam thanking RCW for supporting their "Walking for Water" fundraiser on 10 April. A total of $2,251 was raised which will be forwarded to Oxfam Australia for water projects in Niger, one of the poorest countries in the world. The program provides access to clean water through supply, hand washing stations, laundries, latrines and hygiene training.
John Stuckey spoke about this Rotary fundraiser which occurs on the Queen's Birthday weekend from 11 - 12 June and how this major fundraiser for the Echuca Moama Rotary Club raised approximately $124,000 last year. For more information, click on the heading for a link to the web site.
Guest Russ Goodear spoke to members about the terrible consequences the drug ICE has on the health our youth and the community in general. He invited everyone to a fundraising dinner being held by Rotary East and Rotary Daybreak in support of The Great South Coast Ice Challenge.
This will be held on 19 May 2016 at 6:30 pm at the Warrnambool Football Netball Club. Guest speakers are: Geoff Munro - National Policy Manager, Australian Drug Foundation and Michael P - Crystal Meth Anonymous.
Bookings are essential by 11 May. Phone Jan Read on 0418 529 729.
Cost is $25 per head which includes a 2 course meal. Drinks at bar prices and there will be door prizes.
Jeremy Keogh was introduced by Karen Marsh. Since returning from his exchange year in France, Jeremy has finished Year 12 at Emmanuel College. He then moved to Melbourne to work at Donovan's in St Kilda as a Chef de Partie. He then moved to Mt Buller where he took on the position of Jr Sous Chef of the Mt Buller Challet. Jeremy fell in love with skiing and decided to chase snow seasons in Canada and Australia, moving to Canada to work at the ski fields, where he was promoted to the role of Executive Chef of the 6 Degrees Bistro, where he has worked for the last 3 years.
Jeremy provided some interesting insight into what it is like being an exchange student, from leaving home, arriving in a strange airport, knowing nobody, to being accepted as a member of 5 different families and being involved in their daily lives, as well as making so many life-long friends. The reason he wanted to go on Rotary exchange was to see the world. He described how he met an awesome group of people and saw another aspect to life on the other side of the world. His host family introduced him to skiing and he hasn't looked back since, completely catching the skiing bug. Another positive to his exchange experience was the relationships he developed with his peers and the families and then the reconnecting with these people again later on when they visited him in Canada at Christmas for two weeks. He did say that it was sad to leave.
His exchange experience has provided him with confidence and he is now so much better at public speaking.
Jeremy thanked Rotary for providing him with this wonderful experience which has provided him with so many great memories and many world-wide connections. He stated that he will have a relationship with Rotary for the rest of his life.
His advice to Outbound students Sarah and Carly is to keep calm, be yourselves, and have an open mind. The world is huge with so many great experiences to offer.
Alice Keogh, who also went on Exchange in France and travelled to other European countries. When she returned to Australia, she went back a year to Year 11 which was a good decision for her because she met new people and made a new group of friends.
Carla briefly described her Safari trip and thanked Rotary (and Terry) for providing her with the experience. She will provide a more detailed report and photos next week.
Astrid sent us this little update on what she's been up to since her year with us:
I came home the 7 of July last year in the middle of the Danish summer holidays, so you can imagine how pleased I was. Two weeks after I came back to Denmark I went to Finland for a week with 4H (like young farmers), it was a lovely trip and I meet a lot of people and saw some of the beautiful sights of Finland. The 10th of August I started school with 16 other students in my class. I have some lovely teachers and my class is very lovely too. And I thank exchange for that too, because after I came back I have really gained a great interest in learning which is very lovely, now I really enjoy going to school, although doing homework still isn't my favourite thing to do. Not a lot have happened through the year, because most of the time I'm just busy with school and work. I work as an assistant in a company where I help with whatever is needed twice a week and I'm very happy with my job. Patrick Purcell who has been a guest speaker in the club last year came and visited me in Denmark from the 11th to the 27th of February, we went sightseeing in Denmark and we also went to Sweden one day, it was lovely spending time together and listening to a Aussie accent again. I miss Australia and everyone I got to know in Australia every single day. And talking about Australia, I'm happy to tell that I'm coming to Australia again the 14th of July to the 16th of August, so of course I'll come and visit the club and I'm looking forward to my stay.
Remember to book your tables with Robyn. If you don't have the numbers for a full table, Robin will organise a spot for you. 
