Indigenous Projects

Rotary Melbourne has a rich history of caring for and supporting indigenous communities across Australia from Melbourne to Arnhem Land, including health, education and community development.

 

WHO declares Australia has eliminated trachoma as a public health problem

An article from PDG Murray Verso, Rotary Club of Williamstown

On 29 April 2026, the World Health Organization (WHO) validated Australia for eliminating trachoma as a public health problem, marking a significant milestone in the health of indigenous peoples. Trachoma, the world’s leading infectious cause of blindness, no longer represents a public health problem in this country.    

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Rotary, the Baker Foundation and the EndTrachoma Achievement

At the Baker Oration last week (wednesday 13 May 26), Rob McGuirk, the Chair of the National Rotary EndTrachoma project outlined how the Baker Foundation enabled Rotary Australia to contribute to a landmark national health achievement: the elimination of trachoma as a public health problem in Australia.    

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Eliminating Trachoma Indigenous Communities

Did you see our project in Rotary Down UnderRotary Melbourne's End Trachoma initiative - featured in the June 2025 issue - continues working with Monash University and partners to eliminate trachoma in remote Indigenous communities through innovative water trailers and health education. Click below to read the article.

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End Trachoma by 2020

Led by the Rotary Club of Melbourne, the EndTrachoma by 2020 project unites Rotary clubs across Australia, to work towards eliminating trachoma by preventing the spread of infection that causes this avoidable blindness.  

 

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Trachoma Interactive Water Trailer

Our interactive water trailer of the Rotary Club of Melbourne as part of Rotary’s EndTrachoma by 2020 project. We partnered with Monash University, GHD and Telstra to deliver this Rotary Melbourne Centenary project, one of many different ways Clubs are working together to solve the problem of trachoma in indigenous Australia. 

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Donydji Community Development Project

When club member Barry White brought along his brother Neville to a Rotary Melbourne meeting in 2003, who knew what would inspire a multi-year, multi-million dollar commitment to build a community centre and school, train teachers, and give support to the remote homeland community of Donydji in North East Arnhem Land, Northern Territory.

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Healthy Eating in Indigenous communities

Rotary Melbourne in partnership with the Rotary Clubs of Albert Park, Docklands and Brighton North developed a product called “Footy Nuts” - a 30 gram pack of dry roasted Australian almonds - introduced to indigenous children in an effort to move their diet away from snack foods with low nutritional value.

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