Welcome to another Rotary year. I wish to thank each of you for your support and commitment over the past 12 months in making our club not only impactful, but meaningful and valuable to our community. I personally feel we are all very lucky to have our Rotary platform to truly make a difference, and have a connection that can provide help, opportunities and hope to those that need it.
We've got a lot on this year, with a continued focus on mental health, polio eradication, family and domestic violence awareness and prevention, our youth, environment all featuring through fundraising and service opportunities. We will continue to create and nurture valuable partnerships with those in our community that provide services to those in need.
I have personally committed to more multi-club initiatives to increase Rotary's impact in our area, and we will be partnering and promoting events where we see value and alignment to our clubs's goals and objectives. Rotary Geelong West's Mental Health night coming up on 12th August and RC Belmont's 60th anniversary on 26th August are great opportunities to support what will be very special nights and I encourage you to attend. See below for more details.
We also have a number of notable events coming up of own, with Cancer Council Daffodil Day, Footy Colours event, Sheep Dog trials, and our famous Geelong Show. We are also planning something special for the Shine On awards - so watch this space.
I wish you all well and look forward to seeing more of you out and about as the weather gets warmer
Rotary Geelong East is once again supporting Give Where You Live Foundation’s Pitch Up Geelong. OnThursday 5 September, this event will see three organisations - The Outpost, Feed Me Bellarine, and Thread Together - come together and share the need they see in the community and pitch their stories, visions and solutions for creating a fairer future.
This year, the Pitch Up focus will be on supporting initiatives which focus on addressing the ongoing cost of living pressures and impact on the most vulnerable members of our community.
Members are invited to attend and represent RGE at this event, a great night mixing with local businesses and organisations and helping make a difference.
Family Violence and Sexual Assault: Understanding and Responding
This free, evidence informed, entry-level training module is designed specifically for community members and professionals in the Barwon region.
Co-facilitated by an experienced therapeutic practitioner and training specialists, you will be supported to develop skills and confidence in effectively identifying and appropriately responding to disclosures of family violence and sexual assault.
You are invited to join Rotary Club Geelong West for a special event featuring Professor Michael Berk, exploring mental health research, and the link mental health has to family and domestic violence.
Professor Michael Berk is driven by curiosity and a fierce commitment to improve global understanding and treatment of mental health disorders. He is a world authority in psychiatry research, and in 2019 he received Victoria’s highest scientific honour, the Victoria Prize for Science and Innovation. His findings have influenced treatment strategies around the globe.
The Geelong Community Foundation will also provide information based on their Vital Signs report which explores where Rotary Clubs could best target their support. Proceeds from this evening will be donated to Read the Play, a local organisation working with young people through sports clubs aiming to build resilience in young people.
President Stephen Hardiman and the Board of the Rotary Club of Belmont are delighted to announce a 60th birthday celebration! You are cordially invited to join on 26 August at Geelong RSL for dinner, drinks and to hear from guest speaker, Ian Cover.
Event details Venue: Belmont RSL, 50 Barwon Heads Road, Belmont When: Monday 26 August, 6pm for 6.30pm start Dress: Neat casual Cost: $40 per head, two-course meal (drinks at bar prices)
As part of the process of Clubs within Rotary Community Groups working more closely together, sharing information and projects and communicating more efficiently, you are invited to join a (private) Facebook Group named Rotarians of Geelong and Surrounds.
This group was established a few years ago but until now has not been widely used. This is now a new way to connect and communicate with each other quickly. It's a great way to reach out for assistance, promote events and more.
District 9780 will be welcoming a group of seven Inbound Rotary Youth Exchange students from overseas in the next few weeks.
Four clubs have committed to hosting a student for 2024-2025, however hosts clubs are still needed for the remaining students.
District 9780 is seeking help with the following:
Mentor: A Rotarian who can guide and support the student throughout their stay.
Host Families: These families can be Rotarians or non-Rotarians, and they can come from a variety of backgrounds – with or without children, with young or older children. Host families can be found through local schools or community contacts.
School: A local school where the student can attend and be part of the academic community.
If you're able to help or want more info, please contact the Kingsley Dalgleish (District 9780 Youth Exchange Committee Chair) as soon as possible via chairye9780@gmail.com.
Above L-R: President Andrew inducting two new members. Gabrielle Murphy with Rotarian Charmaine Carthew, and Catherine Hallam with her sponsor, Treasurer and PP Judith Parsons PHF. Photo by Deb Furlan.
RGE extends our congratulations to President Andrew Lawson OAM on the successful merger of the two Rotary Clubs, Corio Bay and Geelong, to form the Rotary Club of Greater Geelong!
(In honour of Paris 2024 Olympics) In 2021 three French men, Morgan Niquet, François Robin and Julien Serri, set the record for the most varieties of cheeses on a pizza. They used 834 different types of cheese! Read more.
