We have had a busy month with several events and activities engaging our members.
I was delighted to induct Chris Richardson as a member at the meeting
on 19 February. Chris has transferred to us from Essendon North; and has already proven to be invaluable at the Op Shop and in supporting Haruka. Chris has served as an Assistant Governor and is on the District NYSF team.
What an inspiring evening meeting we had with Charlotte and Simeon presenting to us about their experiences at NYSF. They were positive ambassadors for the programs and very grateful for Rotary support to undertake the program.
Many thanks to Ching Chan for coming along to support Simeon.
Congratulations to Abdi, Karolina and Nicole who participated in the Rotary Leadership Insttute {RLI} program at Djerring Hub last Sunday. They joined 22 other Rotarians for a day of learning, sharing and networking to extend their Rotary knowledge. Thanks to DGE Peter Shepheard for presenting certificates. READ MORE
Make sure to read the RORP story in Networker, thanks to Shraddha and Peter.
In the coming weeks, there are more opportunities in the calendar, and everyone is encouraged to participate as they are able to.
There are several events on our calendar and all members are encouraged to support as they are able. Remembering the mantra of PDG Neville John: Family 1st, Work 2nd, Rotary 3rd and do what you can, when you can, with what time and skill you have available.
I hope to see you all next Wednesday for breakfast at Mama Bear Cafe.
We welcome Jo back from her trip to New Zealand, Peter back from his driving adventures,
and hope to welcome 2 potential members.
Lesley
NATIONAL YOUTH SCIENCE FORUM:
It was a fabulous endorsement of NYSF as our 2 students
Charlotte and Simeon reported on their experiences at Brisbane and Canberra. respectively They were effusive in their comments, and delighted to have met so many likeminded young people.
Simeon attends Mount Alexander College in Flemington and he went to Canberra.
Charlotte attends Penleigh and Essendon Grammar and she chose to go to Brisbane.
Charlotte and Simeon were both inspired by their experience and have heard of so many STEM options for university of which they were unaware.
Our new member Chris Richardson, a member of the District NYSF team, was delighted to hear from them and see their obvious pleasure at attending NYSF. READ MORE
MOONEE VALLEY FESTIVAL SATURDAY 22 FEBRUARY:
Moonee Valley Festival day was hot!
Thankfully, our location, and marquee was under the shade of some good trees close to Mount Alexander Road.
We had a great team in action for the day: Anwar and Lesley arrived early to bump in and set up the barbecue trailer, tables and displays.
Thanks to our Rotary Community Group leader David Dippie, we had a great display of club, community group and Rotary posters and 3 handouts for those interested.
Thank you to John Sklenar, Deb Ryan, Chris Richardson, Karlina Sevcikova, Nicole Marshall, Peter Cribb, Abdi Hassan, Haruka Tanaka, Kidane, Ching Chan with Quinn, Regina and Levia from MAC.
We were asked to provide a BBQ for the after-school program at the Hub to acknowledge Ramadan. Ilona the Team Leader for families organised sausages and supplies, there are 4 community barbecues and so it was a simple task.
Many thanks to Drew and Jeff for their cooking expertise - assisted by Yen and Hadia we served over 350 sausages in just over 1 hour. There was also a veggie option, lots of onions and of course sauces!! Smiles all around! READ MORE
********************************************************** DATES FOR YOUR DIARY:
Wednesday 5th March: Breakfast at Mama Bear 8am.
Friday 7th March: International Women's Day breakfast with MVCC at the Clocktower. We have 6 students and 2 teachers from MAC attending along with Lesley, Chris, Jo, Beate, Karolina, Barbara, Nicole and Juliet.
Board meeting: Tuesday 11th March 6pm ZOOM.
Saturday 15 March: Preparation for a playground extraction at Aberfeldie Park, Corio Street & The Boulevard, Moonee Ponds. Shraddha is coordinating the coding and marking. Assistance is needed. Contact Shraddha: 0433 244 800 Monday 17 March: Playground extraction. The playground contractors will do the hard work but we need people to load pieces to the truck. 10am RSVP to Peter Cribb: 0410 548 543
Wednesday 19 March: Dinner at Hardiman's Hotel 6pm. Speaker TBC.
RORP and Bob Allardice: Peter has been keeping us updated on the poor health of our friend Bob.
Bob has been undergoing treatment at Peter Mac for a resurgence of the cancer, and had a lengthy operation 2 weeks ago. He was sent back to surgery last week and was in ICU at Royal Melbourne, now transferred back to Peter Mac and now appears to be semi-comfortable. With a very poor prognosis, Bob and his longtime partner Coral were married in the Peter Mac Chapel prior to the 1st major operation.
Our thoughts, prayers and hopes are with Bob as he continues to recover from the surgery, treatment and cancer. I know all members send their very best wishes to him at Peter Mac.
As Wayne Jenkins, RORP Coordinator District 9820 said:
"all he needs is a toolbox and he'll be happy!"
Jarriban Hospital - the container has been cleared from port at Bosasso and is awaiting a truck to transport to Jarriban. Customs/Duty clearance was obtained from the Government thanks to Dr Sayad at the hospital. This project has incurred additional costs due to the shipping change, which we had no control over. Abdi will update us next week.
Nepal Education and teacher training:
The 3rd progress meeting was held last week.
Training of facilitators has been completed to enable them to best approach and manage students who have been out of school for some time. Three bridging classes have commenced in Triyuga Municipality, with a total of 60 children participating.
At Lahan, classes have started in three centers across three sites, with a focus on
facilitating school enrollment. The number of students enrolled slightly exceeds the planned capacity of 60. Many of the children enrolled were school dropouts.
An approval had been needed from the Social Welfare Council before funds could be released, and IPP Sunil Sun Shakya, confirmed that the agreement process has been successfully completed. Although the approval process took a considerable amount of time, the Rotary Club is now able to mobilize the Global Grant project funds in alignment with the agreement made with the partner organization. PP Shraddha is coordinating a delegation to visit mid September. Please advise Shraddha if you are interested in this trip.
The Fundraising APP is in progress. Peter and Shraddha are working with Darryll Chappell at Sputnik. This has been made possible by a grant from Bendigo Bank.
Books to Somalia: Following the very successful Books to the Maldives project, Abdi requested assistance for a similar project to be coordinated by his friend Abdihakim Kediye Ali. Abdi2 as we refer to him is a graduate of VU with a Masters Degree in Environmental Science working with the Ministry of Environment and Tourism in Kismayo, Somalia.
These books will establish libraries in schools in Kismayo. A container has been organised and is in place in St Albans where a large quantity of books were delivered by Peter Cribb, Abdi and friends 2 weeks ago. These were collected from our connection Robert Akeroyd, who supplied the books for the Maldives.
Books have also been organised through Donations in Kind, and from the op Shop.
Our contribution is in people, books and school stationary and a small financial contribution towards shipping. Thanks to Peter and Abdiwahid for their work.
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OP SHOP REPORT AND ROSTER:
2025 has seen a change at the shop with the retirement of Melina.
The shop is now managed by Rotarians on duty each day with assistance from our wonderful volunteers.
There have been changes to parking in Clarence Street - I have negotiated for us to be able to park in the Industrie Carpark.
Hours are Wednesday, Thursday and Friday 11am to 4pm, Saturday 10am to 2pm
WEDNESDAY; Lesley, Deborah, Vinh and Rui, Chris
THURSDAY: Deborah, Vinh and Rui, Barbara, Laura
FRIDAY: Shraddha, Jo, Vinh and Rui, Nahla
SATURDAY: Chris, Karolina, Nahla
Closed Sunday, Monday and Tuesday.
Volunteers are needed. Please allocate a few hours a month to OUR hands on project!
Haruka's update:
Haruka now living in a sharehouse in Brunswick and is happy there.
She has commenced an Internship at Hotham Mission who operate the homework club where she has been volunteering for the last 18months.
Thanks to Chris and Jo who have been assisting her over summer.
She is keen to see more of Victoria and has limited availability once uni resumes. Just 1 semester to go!!!
ROTARY YOUTH EXCHANGE Jay Tatulaschwili Jay has started to settle in tohis homestay with Tabita Ottensen his host mum.
The Rotary Club of Odder has just celebrated their 75th anniversary with a party and visit from their District Governor Claus Skovbjerg.
Did you know that you can recycle your medication blister packs
through Chemist Warehouse?
They are collected through a partnership with Pharmacycle and
recycled into component parts. Reducing landfill!!
DO YOU KNOW ABOUT ESRAG?
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LOOKING FOR WORK:
Anwar Alishek, honorary member, a good friend of many members is seeking work.
Anwar has done home handyman and maintenance jobs for many of us and previously assisted Ted Frank on maintenance of his rental properties. He lives in St Albans and has an ABN. He is skilled at:
- carpentry
- painting
- general home repairs
- gardening
- home handyman type jobs
Contact Anwar on 0401 372 713
Peter Cribb, Allan Bruno, Lesley McCarthy and Anne Dynon can provide references.
For the 16th consecutive year, The Rotary Foundation has received the highest rating — four stars — from Charity Navigator, an independent evaluator of charities in the U.S.
The Foundation earned the recognition for adhering to sector best practices and executing its mission in a financially efficient way, demonstrating both strong financial health and commitment to accountability and transparency.
This our Foundation, where Rotarians donate their $
b to acknowledge Ramadan. Ilona the Team Leader for families organised sausages and supplies, there are 4 community barbecues and so it was a simple task.
Jay has started to settle in tohis homestay with Tabita Ottensen his host mum. 
s and has an ABN. He is skilled at:
the U.S.
