The MC for the weekly meeting was Karen Kim and reflection on behalf of Ruth Carlos Matinez was delivered by Trevor Nink.
Other distinguished guests included Roland Jabour, Consult General of Morocco, Auditor Greg McCluskey, and Club Accountant, Angelo Sirriani and colleague Cory Mihocic from Colledges Accountancy. Ivers and Lynn Samuel, visitors from Thionu, France exchanged banners with Rotary Melbourne.
At approximately 1:20pm and having confirmed that a quorum of members were present, President Philip then adjourned the meeting to conduct the Club’s 104th Annual General Meeting.
The following Office Bearers for 2026-27 were confirmed to serve from 1 July 2026:
President: Carol Bond
Immediate Past President: Philip Cornish
President Elect: Branko Panich
Vice Presidents: John Peberdy (Club Service) & Peter David ( Humanitarian Service)
Honorary Secretary: Sue Smith
Treasurer: Anthony Battaini
Assistant Secretary: TBA
Assistant Treasurer: TBA
The following Directors for 2026-27 were confirmedto serve from 1 July 2026:
Newly Elected Director: Joseph Ebbage (Youth & Vocational Service)
TBA (Events)
Re-Elected Director: Deb Yin Foo (Membership)
Continuing Directors: Robert Fisher (International)
Rosemary Nixon (Community Service)
John Saunders (Sustainability & Governance)
Yidan Xi (Communication & Partnership)
President Philip thanked the retiring Directors and Office Bearers Robert Anthony, Mary Barry, Catherine Baxter, Sana Malik, Iqbal Reta.
Trevor Nink delivered a brief reminder to buy tickets in the Smith Family 2025 Bike Raffle. See the Raffle article in this bulletin.
President Philip noted the prospective gathering of members at an evening meeting on Wednesday 3 December 2025, and the annual Festive Lunch scheduled for Wednesday 10 December 2025.
Will Abdo then stepped up as Chairman to introduce our guest speaker – Consult General of France for Victoria, South Australia and Tasmania, Ms Paule Igantio, to address the Club on the Australia – France relationship. In her informative address, Ms Igantio highlighted the strength and diversity of the France–Victoria relationship, noting that Victoria is France’s second-largest trading partner in Australia and home to nearly 160 French company subsidiaries employing around 20,000 people. Cooperation is expanding in clean energy, sustainable transport, innovation, and research, supported by a 2023 Letter of Intent and major French involvement in Victorian infrastructure, including tram operations, the Metro Tunnel, train manufacturing, and large-scale renewable energy projects.
Scientific links are growing through the French National Centre for Scientific Research Oceania office and a new International Research Laboratory with the University of Melbourne. Recent joint initiatives have included the Climate Tech Summit and the Energy Transition & Innovation Tour reflecting shared priorities on decarbonisation and technology.
Cultural and linguistic ties remain strong: French is Australia’s third most-studied language, the Alliance Française de Melbourne has expanded significantly, and bilingual schools now serve 4,500 students. Community events such as the Bastille Day French Festival attract major participation.
Historical bonds—particularly Australian wartime service in France—continue to underpin goodwill. Both countries also cooperate closely in the Indo-Pacific, focusing on maritime security, humanitarian assistance, and climate action. A new Victorian Parliamentary Friends of France Group aims to deepen collaboration across culture, education, and the energy transition.
The meeting ended with Chairman Will Abdo thanking visitors, and guest for attending, and the set up team for their preparatory work. He reminded members that next week’s meeting will be the 2025 presentation of the Rotary Melbourne Sir John Reid Community Service Award.
At the speaker’s request this meeting was not recorded.
