Rob McDonald has made improvements to the lecturn, a new lock and better castors. It was not easy to work on because of its weight, thank you Rob
The joint meeting at St Brigid’s with the Port Fairy Rotary Club was attended by about 30 Rotarians. The talk by Don McDonald about the work done by the Friends of group was very interesting. They have paid of their initial debt of over $300,000 by fundraising and the “Fifteen Minutes of Fame” monthly event. Thank you John for organising that joint meeting.
I received notification that one of our members has made a very generous contribution to the Rotary Foundation. That member’s contribution has elevated the member’s status to Major Donor Level 1, and will be awarded a recognition pins and crystal. That member is Ken Sharpe who has contributed more than US$10,000 over his 20 or so years in Rotary. Congratulations Ken
“The Rotary Foundation cannot operate without the generous support of our Donors. In Australia over 75% of all contributions come from individual donors where once that number was from Clubs. Very few of these donors make it to Major Donor Recognition level and Ken has just achieved that distinction. Nearly all of us give to at least three charities on a regular basis, and Ken has made The Rotary Foundation one of his charities to support. If all Rotarians chose The Rotary Foundation as one of their charities of choice, Imagine how much more we could do under the Rotary brand.
The pin is a a very special Paul Harris pin that recognises Ken as a Major Donor to The Rotary Foundation. The Crystal is our THANK YOU for his continued generosity”
Glenn Brotchie gave members an introduction to the Rotary Foundation. He demonstrated on how to look up the Foundation website and took us through the programs and projects that the Foundation supports. Glenn’s “Dutch Auction” raised over $200 for the Rotary Foundation. Well done Glenn.
The Foundation raised more than US$569 million in 2024-25 alone, exceeding its annual goal by almost US$70 million. More than 478,000 individuals donated, along with over 31,000 Rotary clubs and nearly 1,900 Rotaract clubs.
Thanks to its donors, the Foundation was able to award 1,424 global grants, 468 district grants, and 74 disaster response grants in the past year. A US$2 million Programs of Scale grant will help build peace and economic independence in Colombia. Rotary International also extended its long-standing partnership with the Gates Foundation, announcing a joint commitment of up to US$450 million over three years to support global polio eradication efforts.
The focus on the Rotary calendar for the month of December is Disease Prevention and Treatment.
Polio was endemic in 125 countries in 1988; that’s down to two now. The global effort to eradicate polio has prevented an estimated 20 million cases of paralysis.
Apologies: John Hunt Sarah Wallace, Janet Blackley, Kelly Curran and Greg Lee.
Guests: Kayla Biender
Next Meeting:
Sophie O'Keefe is our guest speaker from the Local Health Services Network
6pm for a 6:15pm start
Warrnambool Bowls Club
Cnr Timor St and Kelp St
If you are now able to attend, please message David Brown via 0438 647 536
Meeting Jobs:
Sergeant:
Svet Lineham
Fellowship:
Robbie Blackmore
Invocation:
David Brown
Property:
John Hunt
If you are not able to complete the upcoming position, please let Leon know via 0439 945 656 or leon.devilliers65@gmail.com
Upcoming Speakers:
December
9th
Sophie O'Keefe
Local Health Services Network
16th
Xmas Break Up Party
January
6th Social night
Youth Exchange students farewell
13th Pregnancy kits assembly night
20th
Tour of the local Japanese Garden
27th
February
3rd
Tour of the Hycel Research Facility at Deakin University
10th
17th
24th
Upcoming Events:
December
January
6th-14th
NYSF
February
March
April
12th-17th
RYLA
Aug '26
10th-11th
Science and Engineering Challenge
Volunteering
Date
Sergeant
Fellowship
Invocation
Property
Dec 9th
Svet Lineham
Robyn Blackmore
Dapinder Singh
John Hunt
Dec 16th
Svet Lineham
Sharon Kenny
Chris Stebbing
Greg Lee
Jan 6th
Svet Lineham
Tony Austin
Brian Trenery
Jan 13th
Svet Lineham
Trevor Williams
Anne Adams
Jan 20th
Svet Lineham
Wendy Gosden
Ann Donaldson
Feb 3rd
Svet Lineham
Alan Bowes
Angela Wheeler
Feb 10th
Svet Lineham
Angela Wheeler
Alan Bowes
Feb 17th
Svet Lineham
Ann Donaldson
Wendy Gosden
Feb 24th
Svet Lineham
Anne Adams
Trevor Williams
Additions to the bulletin...
Please contact Debra or Brooke via debferg61@icloud.com or brookeemmajensen@gmail.com
Wisecrack of the week
from Rotarian John Beks
It’s All Very Funny
It’s rather strange that shoes have tongues, but never seem to talk;
And though a chair has four strong legs, I’ve never seen one walk.
And have you heard a dog-fish growl? Or dandelions roar?
Or seen a tiger-lily prowl, or a cat-fish miaow before?
I think a window must be sad, for it always has a pane, and are
cross-roads always grump? And can a sugarcane?
Although my legs have two fine claves, I’ve never heard them moo,
Nor heard the bark upon a tree go “bow-wow-wow” -HAVE YOU?
An elephant can swing his trunk, but have you seen him pack it?
And would a whiting be a whiting, should you ever chance to black it?
A river always has a bank, but never any money…..
Oh dear, oh dear, it’s all so queer, that things should be so funny.
About Rotary Video
New-ish to Rotary? This 25 minute video goes over the ins and outs of the organisation and is a great way to get your feet planted. Click the button below to take you to youtube to watch the video.
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.
Brooke is cutting her hair again for charity!
Every few years Rotarian Brooke grows out her hair and cuts it off to donate towards making wigs for sick children. It has come to that time! Brooke will be donating to the wig making store in Melbourne which was recently robbed. To help support them, she will donate her hair directly to the shop and fundraising with their linked charity 'MyRoom' which supports kids with cancer. If you feel like donating, you can click the button below. All donations can be claimed through your tax.
