Schedule of Club Meetings and Special Events

February to June 2023

Version 2, December 2022

Not To Be Missed! Behind the Badge talks are always interesting!

Rebecca hails from the pearl of Africa (Uganda). She identifies as a social entrepreneur and a researcher. As a researcher, Rebecca is pursuing a doctorate research at the University of Melbourne, where she explores– what the social, political and economic dimensions of disability in Uganda's primary education reveal about the country's development and democracy. As a social entrepreneur, Rebecca has founded the Ten Billion Hearts Foundation, which focuses on transferring skills to underserved communities through building diverse partnerships.

M.C.  Katrina Flinn

Members and guests are invited to the first Club meeting for the year at Kooyong on Tuesday 7 February.  The speaker will be our newest member, Rebecca Tamasuza, who will tell us her story in a ‘Member Behind the Badge’ presentation.

Australian Red Cross Lifeblood, simply known as Lifeblood, is a branch of the  Australian Red Cross responsible for the collection nd distribution of blood and biological products in Australia. Lifeblood employs around 3,700 employees across scientific, clinical and support services, processing over half a million blood donations each year.

Elle works with Regional Partnerships, Australian Red Cross Lifeblood

M.C. Dorothy Gilmour

Our guest speaker will be Elle Giles, who will tell us about the work of Australian Red Cross Lifeblood which is responsible for the collection and distribution of blood and blood products in Australia. 

Danyel is a third-generation farmer helping to operate her family’s egg farm, onsite café and deli in Werribee South.

She was elected as VFF Vice-President in late 2020 and holds both an Agriculture Diploma and Bachelor of Business.

The VFF is the leading advocacy body in Victoria providing a voice for farmers and their communities.

Danyel is working towards progressing Victoria’s farming future by leading a number of VFF farmer-led community support and awareness programs. Initiatives include the recently launched ‘Farmy Army’ that aims to coordinate relief and resources in times of crisis and the school-children based ‘Kids to Ag’ are key areas of her passion.

M.C. Charlotte England

Photo: via Melbourne Royal Leaders Group

Danyel is a third-generation farmer helping to operate her family’s egg farm, onsite café and deli in Werribee South.

She was elected as VFF Vice-President in late 2020 and holds both an Agriculture Diploma and Bachelor of Business.

The VFF is the leading advocacy body in Victoria providing a voice for farmers and their communities.

Danyel is working towards progressing Victoria’s farming future by leading a number of VFF farmer-led community support and awareness programs. Initiatives include the recently launched ‘Farmy Army’ that aims to coordinate relief and resources in times of crisis and the school-children based ‘Kids to Ag’ are key areas of her passion.

**BOOKINGS ESSENTIAL** Contact: go to  contact on www.hawthornrotary.org.au

Jillian Graham, International Women's Day
Did Margaret Sutherland achieve more for Australian music than any other composer?
Margaret Sutherland was one of the most innovative and influential Australian composers. In the first half of the twentieth century, her desire to be both serious composer and mother was atypical, and she faced significant challenges - public and private - in blending these roles.

Against the backdrop of an unhappy and unsupportive marriage and a society not yet ready to accept her creative ambitions and strong views on Australia's musical development, she remained admirably steadfast in pursuing her goals.

Sutherland created over two hundred compositions, ceaselessly campaigned on behalf of Australian music and musicians, and led the initial push to construct what is now Arts Centre Melbourne.

M.C. Terry Kitchen

Photo: M.U.P.

Who could this be?

Hint: This is a well regarded, hard working Rotarian...

Who has a lot of amazing, funny and entertaining tales!

Not to Be Missed!

M.C. Noel Halford

The next Club meeting will be at Kooyong on Tuesday 21 March when our speaker will be an experienced ‘Member Behind the Badge’ whose identity is a mystery, although Jill Weeks has hinted that the speaker is ‘a well-regarded, hardworking Rotarian who has a lot of amazing, funny and entertaining tales!' 

Sound like anyone you know?  Find out by joining us on 21 March!

Simon Smith solves real life computer crime and fraud cases.

He is an independent cyber expert witness who has successfully appeared in most major courts both hired in defence of the prosecution and in all civil matters involving e Crime, software, social media, e-defamation, cyberstalking, Deepfaking 

and the darkweb

With over 21 years experience he is  a cyberware and cyber security computer forensic investigator and independent expert witness.

He is well known for his special abilities as an expert witness in data breaches.

Simon  has given evidence in many complex cases.

Cybersecurity is much more than information security.

M.C.: TBA

Photo: Sora Shimazaki

Download flyer for this event - Computer Crime with guest speaker Simon Smith

Ahmed was awarded the Ambassador for Peace award in 2018 by the Universal Peace Federation and is a Member of Rotary Melbourne.

Ahmed Tohow is based in Australia from Somalia origin, he has completed a Master of Terrorism and Security Studies as well as Master and bachelor degree of International Development Studies from Charles Sturt, RMIT and Latrobe university respectively.

Ahmed is a founder and a Director of East Africa Security and Policy Forum EASPF which aims to promote the values of peace, stability and security in East Africa.

Ahmed Tohow is the Deputy Chair of the Board of Directors of the Global Somali Diaspora gsd.org.uk

Prior to his professional career, Ahmed worked for several aid agencies, UNITAF and UNISOM’s peacekeeping mission in Somalia in 1990s. He also worked with UNISOM, Red Cross, UNHCR and IOM in Africa. He specialises in peace building, countering violent extremism, conflict resolution and community development. Ahmed has more than 15 years experience in the areas of civil war, particularly on Horn of Africa.

Rotary Melbourne awarded Ahmed the SENIORS AWARD in 2020-21:

Mr. Tohow has been actively engaging with the elders residing in City of Banyule and surrounding areas, leveraging local government and charitable programs to bridge the cultural divide and provide a positive outlook for the elders and their families. 

M.C. Dorothy Gilmour

Photo Credit: Supplied

In 1916, two teams of Australian soldiers put on an exhibition match of football in London. Most of them were gifted athletes who had put their football on hold to enlist.

Six weeks after the match, the men were on the Western Front, some of them never to return home.

This is the story of the footballers who became soldiers, the game they played and the fate they met amid the carnage of World War I. ​

“In 1916 some of the country's finest Australian Rules footballers stepped onto the grounds of Queen's Club, in London, for an exhibition match. They were soldiers, and it was political football. Nick Richardson's engaging and extensively researched study puts the match in context, emphasising the convergence of sport and politics, and the extraordinary pressure put on elite players to enlist – to patriotically forsake the game for the greater game of war.’’   
The Age/Sydney Morning Herald. 

M.C. David Rush

Peter is the owner and principal optometrist of Pezzimenti Nixon Optometrists.  Prior to joining Pezzimenti Nixon Optometrists in 2013, he was the Lead Optometrist of Children’s Services at the Australian College of Optometry. Peter has a strong interest in children’s vision, development and welfare.

He has managed projects working with disadvantaged primary school children as well as students from a specialised deaf school. He also has extensive experience in contact lens fitting, in particular, for keratoconus, corneal grafts and aphakic children.

Peter volunteers as an optometrist in Nepal with Rotary International every year, working in remote villages under the shadow of the Himalayan Mountains. He finds working with people of all ages to be a fun and enjoyable experience, with enormous satisfaction achieved when vision improvement is found. He strives for excellence and a holistic approach to optometry practice.

M.C.:  Pam Crockett

Photo: Couresy of Pezzimenti Nixon Optometrists

The team from Cambodia is very inspirational and will speak about their journey from poverty to empowerment and inspiration as they lead hands-on projects which now reach 20,000 (!!) beneficiaries annually.

Quite incredible for a group of university students and a real credit to the Rotary family.

Rotary Passport Melbourne are closely involved as mentors for the Rotaract Club of Siem Reap. We will have 5 young, inspirational speakers from this club, including the President, arriving prior to the International Conference. They are enthusiastic and motivated to serve. Also, they have extensive experience in project work on many levels.

Natalie Johnson

M.C., David McNamara

Photo Credit: 

free ats

free ats

Not to be missed!

Come and hear the very interesting story of President Doug, his background on growing up in Canada, his journey to Melbourne 

and much more!

M.C. TBA

More to come

M.C.:  TBA