Our club’s Board members for the 2026/27 Rotary year were presented at the Changeover Dinner on July 1. Our gratitude was expressed to Jo Davie, retiring President, for her dedicated work on behalf of the club, and also to Pam Hall for her seemingly tireless contribution as Treasurer.
Our new President, Kaye Aitchison, was presented with the chain of office and Kaye then outlined her personal and work history and her hopes for the future of our club.
President Kaye and member Jude Draper
Pam Hall and Jo Davie
The 26/27 Board
RYLA Report
Our Club's RYLA candidate, Osten Byrne (Jo Davie’s stepgrandson) had a wonderful time at the RYLA camp last week. He found the camaraderie, support and care quite overwhelming and he came away as a visibly changed person. The Team Leaders do a wonderful job each year, putting in so much of their time and effort to make all candidates feel part of a special group and hats off to the organizers too. It is a wonderful opportunity for many young people (18-30) to help find their voice, their aspirations and their strengths. There were over 60 who attended.
Osten will give the Club a presentation as soon as an opportunity presents itself (probably August sometime as Jo will be in Queensland soon for several weeks).
Osten wishes to pass on his huge thanks to the Club for sponsoring his time there, as does Jo.
Youth
Youth Chair, Julia Bickers, and Judy Seager visited Mornington Park Primary School Breakfast Club at 8:15am on Tuesday to present 4 NutriBullet blenders. These will enable the students to enjoy healthy and delicious smoothies on Fridays. Principal Kath Lord welcomed our club’s support, and it was wonderful to see the beaming smiles of the children who appeared as word spread about the availability of banana and raspberry smoothies.
Our thanks to The Good Guys of Mornington for their support.
All Mornington Rotary Club members and Friends of Rotary are invited to volunteer their time to assist with the planting of 39 tube stock natives in 3 reserves located in town. These reserves will be the second stage in The Mornington Rotary Greenway, and run in a line between Cook Street and Gateway Park, Mornington.
Date: 26th June
Time: 9 am (unless previously agreed with individual volunteers)
Location: Cook Street Reserve, access via corner Esplanade and Cook Street, Mornington.
Rotary International President-elect Olayinka Babalola unveiled the 2026–27 Presidential Theme, “Create Lasting Impact.”
Addressing members, he stated, “As Rotarians, we share a collective vision of a better future. To turn this vision into reality, we must recognize and unlock the power of change within ourselves. Our focus should extend beyond achieving results to creating meaningful and lasting impact.”
50 Years of Deadly.
ARH highlights NAIDOC week and also has a lead story about our indigenous student, Talia Cooke whom you may remember came to our Christmas function to talk about her studies. She really is an inspiring young woman. Again, it reinforces why we do what we do as a Club with our fundraising and projects.
Yvonne Keane, CEO of Aust. Rotary Health reported on Tahlia.
This year she is doing her placements in the community that raised her, including at an Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation and in psychiatry and paediatrics at Latrobe Regional Hospital. Next year she becomes a doctor.
“Just because they don't see Indigenous doctors, doesn't mean we can't be Indigenous doctors. If I can inspire just one student to pursue a career in healthcare, that has the power to improve Indigenous health.”
Important health information for us all.
Balance classesare crucial for reducing fall risks by up to 40%. They strengthen the core, improve body awareness, and maintain long-term mobility. These workouts support joint health, posture, and brain health by building neural pathways that aid memory and focus.
Ken Bilham notified us that the Mornington Yacht Club will soon be holding classes that are available to all interested residents.
There is a $20.00 joining fee, then $5.00 per session after that. Classes start on Tuesday, 21st July, upstairs at the MYC. There is a total participant number of 40. Participants can take weights to use and obviously dress in appropriate gym gear.
Ken said people interested can also drop into the office at MYC and register interest and pay the joining fee there.
The 26/27 Board
