Rotary International's monthly theme for July is Maternal and Child Health!
Every day mothers risk their lives giving birth and millions of children die each year from treatable, preventable causes. At least 7 million children under the age of five die each year due to malnutrition, poor health care, and inadequate sanitation. To help reduce this rate, Rotary provides immunizations and antibiotics to babies, improves access to essential medical services, and supports trained health care providers for mothers and their children. Rotary’s projects ensure sustainability by empowering the local community to take ownership of health care training programs.
Maternal and Child Health Care is also recognized as one of Rotary’s Seven Areas of Focus.
PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE
A group of Hawthorn Rotarians and partners attended the District Changeover at Hawthorn Town Hall last Saturday to witness the passing of the baton from DG Peter Shepheard to DGE Graeme Hope as he was inducted as District 9800 Governor 2026-27. It was also an opportunity to celebrate the remarkable work undertaken by clubs and volunteers across our District, and the projects that are making a genuine difference in people’s lives.
Peter’s farewell was unmistakably Peter. Rather than delivering a conventional report, he reflected on his year with a spirited rendition of his own words set to I Did It My Way. It was light-hearted, entertaining and warmly received, but beneath the humour lay the story of a year of dedicated service to Rotary and our District. Congratulations to PDG Peter.
Hisham is a third-year PhD student in the Godfrey-Koay Lab within the Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity at the University of Melbourne. His research focuses on how a specialised group of white blood cells called "MAIT cells" recognise infection and how they can be therapeutically manipulated to treat disease.
Hisham was recently awarded the 2025 Rotary Hawthorn Travel Prize, which funded a 12-week research placement at the Research Centre for Respiratory Diseases in Tours and the Curie Institute in Paris, France. There, he utilised a protein reagent called a nanobody that he developed in Melbourne to study the role of MAIT cells in health and in respiratory infection. Hisham had access to unique preclinical models in France and will present an overview of his research today
M.C. Doug McLean
UPCOMING CALENDAR
7 July: Our Doherty Travel Prize awardee, Hisham Shakir Hussain 14 July: No Meeting 21 July: Assoc. Prof. David Szmulewicz, Device Mediated Solutions for Falls Prevention.
CLUB NEWS
ROTARY HAWTHORN BUSINESS BREAKFAST
The Membership Committee has arranged this event to attract new members to join the club and our Guest Speaker Microsoft’s Anshul Chopra will focus on the use of Artificial Intelligence for businesses.
The Breakfast will be held at Kooyong on Friday 21August from 7:30am to 9:00am and prior registration is essential.
Please see the READ MORE with our Itinerary for the exciting 3 Day Adventures to Portland, Port Fairy, and Lorne with stopovers in Warrnambool and Colac.
Thank you Noel for what will be another terrific Rotary Hawthorn country visit.
PROJECT UPDATES
Rotary SAFE Families has completed the Towards Respectful Relationships program at its first school. Thank you Rotary Hawthorn for sponsoring the Sophia Mundi Steiner School, Abbotsford.
Our Award Giving event was attended by President Ian, Vincent Chen, Min Bell and Dorothy along with PP Ronald Moss, Caroline Springs and a special guest was Ginny Giorgio the creator of TRR Program from Rotary Kingscliff, NSW.
I wish more Hawthorn members could have been part of this amazing successful program. The students were amazing, so respectful and loved the opportunity to create a film that will be used to promote respectful relationships to students at Victorian schools. We had 50 plus parents, teachers, students, Victoria Police Family Violence Community Liaison team, award winning film producer/cameraman Con Fillipidis and Rotarians.
Scotch College has requested the TRR program in Term 1 of 2027. We are in discussions with them. READ MORE
SALVO HAWKS UPDATE
To Hawthorn Rotary Team:
Next Home Game -Wednesday 22 July - Round 8 - Vs Bendigo HOME at Victoria Road Reserve with a 12.00pm Start.
DISTRICT RECOGNITION OF SERVICE TO SENIORS AWARD
Congratulations and thanks to Dorothy Gilmour for driving this project. It would not have happened without her.
CONGRATULATIONS MARK!
Photo shows Mark Eldredge being given a Paul Harris for his outstanding commitment, success and generosity of time as our Director of Membership at Rotary Hawthorn.
Congratulations Mark from Rotary Hawthorn
WHO AM I?
Clue 1: Prisoners were in awe of me!
Clue 2: I don’t play in playgrounds, I dismantle them!
Clue 3: Ok, I’ll make it easy for you – First name is not David but commences with a “D”.
Email or message David Pisterman (pisterman41@gmail.com with your answer to this month’s Quiz. A bottle of the best is waiting for the winner at our lunch meeting on 21 July, donated by the last prize winner. Be afraid! Do not incur the wrath of DP!
DID YOU KNOW?
DAVID RUSH – WAS A GALLOPER EXTRAORDINAIRE?
Here’s David showing Editor his “Hang Ten Glenferrie Gallop Certificate” proving he ran in the Glenferrie Gallop – 9 kilometres in the time of 40 minutes in 1981!
In early club Bulletins, the Treasurer had to make repeated appeals for the annual subscription to be paid. This was 6 Guineas (and $250 in 2022).
Email or message David Pisterman (pisterman41@gmail.com with your answer to this month’s Quiz. A bottle of the best is waiting for the winner at our lunch meeting on 21 July, donated by the last prize winner. 
