A huge and thank you to Jan and Michelle for organising another great evening of Lawn Bowls last Wednesday. I have to admit it did confuse me being Wednesday instead of Tuesday but it was a great evening.
Unfortunately, as most people have heard the Rotary Shed got broken into sometime over the last few days. The annoying perpetrators have jemmied open the lock and took some drinks and a few plastic containers. Paul has taken to the shed and given it some extra security, but otherwise not much else we can do, here is hoping they don’t come back.
We look forward this week to welcoming Sherelle to our meeting and discussing the Boronia Library.
Yours in Rotary
WEEKLY REMINDERS
ATTENDANCE
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If you would like something included on the website, please contact Jim Sly. Content and photos are always welcome — especially of hard-working Rotarians!
10th February - Sherelle Furneaux - Boronia Library
Chairperson - Peter Malden
Cashiers - Helene Kamieth, Jan Malden
Equipment/Greeting - Jane Mifsud
Toast/Greeting - Julienne Hyams
Thanks - Lance Deveson
Raffle - Michele Post
18th February - Committee / Working Group meetings
Chairperson - Gonny Rundell
Cashiers - Ray Siegersma, Vanesschka Seevathean
Equipment/Greeting - Lyn Shepherd
Toast - Jim Sly
Thanks/Greeting - Mark Smith - N/A
Raffle - Stephen Spiers
In these last ten years Rotary has sent off 840kg of coins plus a large number of notes valued at $29,908.60 and with the latest contribution from Essendon we now have 10.3 kg towards our next 60kg shipment. We have had valuable contributions now from five Australian Rotary districts. We also organised for Star Casino to send coins they’d collected which were valued at $4,705 and were credited to us, making our total contribution to UNICEF $34,613.60.
When we first contacted UNICEF back in 2015, the UNICEF Partnerships Manager Eamon Bryant emailed “We see Rotary and UNICEF as a perfect match, a dream fit”. UNICEF works in over 190 countries for the rights and welfare of all children. It supports children’s health needs, clean water and sanitation, quality basic education, and protection from violence, exploitation, and HIV. It has the same ideals as Rotary.
This project contributed over $32,000 to the Rotary Give Every Child a Future centenary project set up in collaboration with UNICEF to immunise 100,000 children in the Pacific which is now completed https://everychildafuture.com
UNICEF pointed out that they partner with very few organisations. They only want their names linked to world class organisations. Qantas and CBA are just about the only ones apart from Rotary.
In summary, this is a NO COST project for Rotary, apart from the effort of all those people who donate the coins and notes. Over 40 Rotary clubs have contributed along with some churches, some branches of the Bendigo Bank where clubs hold their accounts, a Sikh temple, a Hindu temple and of course the many friends of Rotary. The coins and notes are sent in secure courier bags to a company Change Global Exchange Pty Ltd who pay all transport charges. They value them and give A$’s to UNICEF. www.changeglobal.com.au
I just wanted to reach out and thank everyone for the warm and kind reception I experienced on Tuesday night.
It was lovely to learn about Rotary and see the breadth of community involvement that actively being pursued.
We are so grateful for the support, and hope to come share an update this year on what we have been up to and our vision for providing more easily accessible care to children in out of home care.
Special mentions to Bernadette, Michael and Monique who shared lovely stories of their Rotary background with me helping develop my understanding of the NFP space.
My role here is to help make supporting us easier so if there is anything at all that I can do or provide in your fundraising journey and support of our organisation please never hesitate to reach out.
This week at the Men’s Hub saw 9 attendees having a session concerning Creating a life you don’t need to escape from.
Our special guests this week were Zoe and Bec from Community Capacity Building Coordinators
Outer East Melbourne: Knox, Maroondah and Yarra Ranges, who came to review the project and how we are set up to deal with diversity and inclusivity issues. They reviewed all aspects of the project and were pleased with our work and are to write a report on the few items we can improve the way we
The container for Papua New Guinea (Milne Bay - Alotau) was finally fully loaded. Locked and ready to go. It contains school desks, chairs, uniforms and much more needed supplies.
Well done to all concerned and Boronia Heights for recycling their school furniture.
Our Annual Charity Golf Day is almost here, and the excitement is building!
To help make the day even more enjoyable, we’re currently seeking donations of prizes for our Lucky Number Draw, which will be held during lunch once everyone has finished their round. Items such as wine or beer, books, puzzles, glassware, giftware, chocolates, or any other suitable prizes would be very gratefully received. Every donation—big or small—helps add to the fun and boosts our fundraising efforts.
And of course, we’d love to see plenty of golfers out on the course! If you’re interested in playing, or you know someone who’d enjoy a great day of golf for great causes, please add your name to the list and feel free to share the details with friends, family, or colleagues. Let’s make this year’s Charity Golf Day another fantastic success!
The Ride for Medical Research is organised by the Rotary District 9815 Ride for Medical Research Team. Over the past 40 years, Rotary Districts 9810 and 9820 have raised an incredible $2,476,285 for Australian Rotary Health, supporting vital medical research across the country.
The next annual ride will be held 22–27 March 2026, marking 40 years of dedication to funding life-changing research. Riders will cover approximately 578 km, setting out each day from the Bendigo base and spending six days exploring the surrounding countryside.
PICTURED: Chris Finley, of the Rotary Club of Balwyn; Delaram Kermani, of the Rotary Club of Balwyn; President-elect Julie Mulhauser; Deputy Chair Club Service Bo Cui; Chair Community Service Marc Mirams; Landscape Architect Jen Martin; and Murray Wilkinson, of the Rotary Club of Balwyn, replanting nature strips in Surrey Hills, Vic.
WORDS Julie Mulhauser President-elect, Rotary Club of Balwyn, Vic
The Rotary Club of Balwyn is putting the ‘nature’ back in nature strips by connecting people, place and purpose.
The Rotary Club of Balwyn, Vic, is helping property owners in Boroondara beautify their nature strips by replacing the grass (and weeds!) with flowering native shrubs, grasses and groundcovers to attract bees, birds and butterflies.
Verge gardens or biodiverse nature strips connect people, place and purpose for multiple benefits.
These benefits include improved street tree health, direct support for biodiversity – in particular pollinators – create biodiverse corridors and ‘stepping stones’, connect people to nature and strengthen neighbourhood social connections.
More than a third of public green space in Melbourne is nature strips. This offers a tremendous opportunity to nurture the social and natural ecosystems nature strips (verges) inhabit.
Murray Wilkinson, a 43 year member of the Rotary Club of Balwyn, was inspired to commence the Balwyn Rotary Biodiverse Nature Strips project after attending the Rotarians for Bees event ‘Bring Back the Buzz’, organised by Rotary Club of Canterbury, Vic, member John McCaskill in March 2022.
Since then, a small team of Balwyn Rotary members has tackled more than 60 nature strip transformations.
PICTURED: Clockwise from top left: Rotary Club of Balwyn members Marc Mirams, Bo Cui and Chris Finley; Club members Murray Wilkinson and Marc Mirams; Landscape Architect Jen Martin, with Balwyn member Delaram Kermani and President-elect Julie Mulhauser; Club Members Chris Finley, Marc Mirams, Murray Wilkinson, Bo Cui, Julie Mulhauser and Delaram Kermani.
While households are permitted by Boroondara Council to transform their own nature strips, in practice there are significant knowledge barriers to overcome.
This is where the team from the Rotary Club of Balwyn comes in.
In return for a small donation to the club, the team helps with the council permit, site preparation, mulch, advice on plant selection and a professional garden design. Households can then be confident that what at first seems a daunting task, is achievable.
A survey of households identified support for biodiversity was a top priority (100% of respondents) followed by wanting to reduce mowing (60%) and lower water use (42%).
Homeowner Cathy explains that she was motivated to make the switch from grass and weeds to a biodiverse nature strip because “there are better things to do with this patch of dirt”.
Cathy’s new nature strip softens the look of the street, improves street tree health by reducing soil compaction and contributes much needed support for bees, lizards and birds.
The regular chore of mowing and edging the nature strip has been replaced by removing the occasional emergent weeds.
The project has largely spread through word of mouth and the ‘What’s Happening Here’ tree signs on completed nature strips.
The aim is to not only increase the number of biodiverse nature strips locally, but to build partnerships with other community groups and experts to both learn from others and share knowledge and experience.
The Rotary Club of Balwyn has also helped the Rotary Club of Highton, Vic, launch their pilot program, organised a roundtable with invitees including other community groups, council officers and experts, and supported the launch of a Friends of Belmont Park group.
The project highlights Balwyn Rotary’s active role in a civic ecosystem that enables collaboration to achieve much more than can be done alone.
Importantly, the project sparks conversations that identify opportunities and keeps hope alive in the face of what can feel like overwhelmingly complex problems.
It is a project that, while the details are location-specific, the model is replicable.
Our community (Group 4) leader is Guz Rozycki (Belgrave) and our fellow community clubs are
Belgrave
Bunyip Garfield
Emerald & District
Ferntree Gully
Healesville
Koo Wee Rup Lang Lang
Lilydale
Monbulk & District
Pakenham
Upper Yarra
Wandin
REMINDERS
If members are unable to attend Tuesday night's meeting, please decline on ClubRunner by 5pm the Monday before. This is important for Knox Club staff and catering purposes.
You can update or find information on this website or contact Monique Smith to register or update your details. *Please remember to list Rotary Club of Boronia as a place you volunteer.
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Riders will cover approximately 578 km, setting out each day from the Bendigo base and spending six days exploring the surrounding countryside.
