Jill Forsyth from the Rotary Fair Trade Shop attended the meeting and provided an overview of the good work the Kew shop supports.  She also presented a thank you card and advised a $1,000 donation has been organised to the Club in recognition of the work David Pisterman does each week at the shop.

The Community Service committee have been approached by St Vincent’s Hospital Mental Health Unit to enquire if we are willing to extend our MHU care packs, currently supplied to the Alfred and Box Hill Hospitals, to them as well.  We know the care packs are well received within the current MHU wards; we are looking to include 3-4 other Boroondara or inner-city Clubs in the project to increase the financial support and also the volunteers required to pack and deliver the care packs. We will provide updates on this project as we make progress expanding our MHU Club support network.

Dorothy Gilmour has proposed we hold a Rotary Hawthorn AFL Footy Tipping competition this year and Simon O’Donoghue and Bill Troedel have agreed to assist in organising the comp.  Further details will be provided to members in the near future. 

This week’s meeting was designated as the “Every Rotarian Every Year” meeting to raise funds for the Rotary Foundation.  I am pleased to announce $900 was raised at the meeting and a number of members confirmed they are regular contributors to the Foundation.

Over the past few weeks I have received two very special letters from residents in Rochester expressing their appreciation for the assistance Hawthorn have provided to their community as they recover from the 2022 flooding event.

It is so encouraging to hear how the work done by Rotary Rochester, Sackville Grange and Hawthorn have made a positive impact on this community.

Club Announcements:

Rotary Hawthorn are again the year selling Taverners Sporting Chance Raffle tickets with the major prize a trip for two to London and tickets to the One Day International at Lords, with a $10,000 Harvey Norman voucher as the second prize.  Ticket prices are $5 each and half of the proceeds are given back to Rotary Hawthorn.  Books of tickets will be at the front desk for our next in-person meeting and on-line tickets can be purchased via the link in the flyer below in this week’s Bulletin.

Australian Jazz Museum tour and lunch Tuesday 12^th March.  The Social Committee, with assistance from Noel and Lorraine McInnes, have organised a tour and lunch at the Jazz Museum.  The admission price and lunch is $25 and tickets can be purchased online at https://www.trybooking.com/CPLJY

We encourage members to bring guests along to what will be an entertaining day out. More details are contained in the Forthcoming Events section of the Bulletin.

The inaugural Award for Service to Seniors presentation will be on Tuesday 19^th March. Our guest speaker will be Gerard Mansour, former Commissioner for Seniors.  Gerard is President of Winteringham, a not-for-profit welfare organisation created to address the scourge of elderly homelessness. Once again, we would encourage members to invite family and friends to this very special meeting. Tickets can be booked online at https://www.trybooking.com/CPIEO

Rotary District Conference Bendigo Weekend 12^th – 14th April.   We have been advised accommodation in Bendigo is now very tight over these days. If you are planning to attend the Conference it would be worthwhile locking in your accommodation prior to booking in for the Conference.

The next Club meeting will be via Zoom on Tuesday 27^th February. The guest speaker will be Patrick Moase, CEO of Marine Biomedical, a biotech company dedicated to developing and manufacturing innovative and life-changing medical products sourced from the pristine waters of the Kimberley region in WA.

For anyone who has been to the Kimberley region you would have to think something very special should come out of their waters as well as the crocks and barramundi.

I hope you will be able to join us.

Doug McLean

President 2024-25