Take a look at the progress made on our two Dandenong projects!
Earlier this year, Launch began construction on Dandelion and Cumulus – major social housing projects in Dandenong.
What’s happening across District 9800
RIMERN: Providing Household Items for New Lives
Seventy-two microwave ovens, ninety-two floor mops, forty-two kettles and thirty toasters – what do they have in common? A Rotary project providing household items for families, refugees or people who had been incarcerated starting new lives in secure accommodation. read on.
Club Guests: Lara Olsen (Medallist), Nicolas Frances-Gilley, Rob Webster, Jeffrey Rosenfeld, Graeme Hope.
Visiting Rotarians: Peter Shepheard (Altona).
Guests of Members: Jim Barry (Stephen Lake), Andrea May (Pam Hargreaves), Michael Headberry & Peter Darvall (Peter Rogers), Jonathan Anazodo (Deb Yin Foo), Bec Dash & Misha Coleman (Andrew Morrice), Andrew Eddy (Anthony Austin), Rafael Camillo, Beverley McArthur, Michael Bennett, David Polonsky, John Vansetten, Ross Youngman, Janine Shearer, Chuan Tan, Karen McConalogue (Visitors), Jerry Andrews, Kriston Symons, Kate Kennedy, Margaret Jollands, Vinay Subrahmanya, Keith Sharp, Yew Chin Koay, Bec Lin, Justine Paragreen, Tim Ellis (Visitors - Engineers Australia).
The focus of this meeting was Award of the 2026 Monash Medal, and distinguished members the Spirit of Australia Foundation, Representatives of Engineers Australia, past recipients of the Award and the current and immediate past District 9800 Governors were present.
A number of Rotary Melbourne members attended the 0808 Battle of Amiens Service at the Shrine on Saturday 8 August 2026. The service commemorated the 108th Anniversary of the Australian Victory at the Battle of Amiens, 8 August 1918 by the Australian Army Corps led by Sir John Monash, Lieutenant-General, Commander Australian Corps.
On Friday 7 August 2026, the Spirit of Australia Foundation celebrated the Monash Commemorative Service at the Legislative Assembly Chamber, Parliament House hosting a broad collection of Victorian secondary schools, politians, senior members of the Victorian community and Rotarians from Rotary Melbourne to share in celebrating the legacy and ongoing impact of General Sir John Monash GCMG KCB VD.
Membership Anniversary Mary Barry (20), Peter Doherty (22), Kevin Sheehan (30).
Happy Birthday Robert Fisher, Garry Fowler, John Levi, Ramona Martinovici, Caroline Pilot.
In 1922, US Rotarians ran an attendance contest with an unusual condition: the losing clubs would join together to give the winning club a prize. The Rotary Club of New York City won, and Immediate Past President Arthur Chadwick of the Rotary Club of London presented them with a bell.
The bell carried real history. During WWI it served on the auxiliary warship Patrol No. 20, mounted on a frame built from oak salvaged from Admiral Nelson's HMS Victory.
Chadwick hoped the bell would sound a clear note of goodwill in its new home and stand as a symbol of the friendship between London and New York Rotarians. Accepting on behalf of New York, Past President Raymond Knoeppel described how the bell's soft tinkling on its final ocean crossing had been cheered as a message of true Rotary brotherhood.
The bell has represented something else since: order, discipline, and the steady rhythm that guides members through their weekly meetings, much as it once did at sea.
A small change in your grocery shop from today until 1 September 26 can help us make a big difference for people struggling to put food on the table.
Demand for food relief continues to grow as people all around Australia are facing hardship this winter due to the high cost-of-living.
You can support SecondBite and Foodbank Australia through the Coles Community Food Relief Appeal and help us provide more food to people in need through our national network of charity partners.
Rotary Melbourne proudly awards the 2026 Monash Medal to Ms Lara Olsen, honouring her lifetime of leadership, integrity and service through a career dedicated to Australia's clean energy and water sectors. She led strategy at the Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) and CitiPower Powercor. Lara’s work in actively mentoring the next generation through gender equity and diversity programs in engineering and technology reflects the enduring spirit of Sir John Monash.
BREAKING NEWS: After 15 years, Branko has finally won the wine raffle!
Thank you to Adrian Nelson for last week's reflection, on Wednesday 5 August 2026.
Rotary SAFE Families' Towards Respectful Relationships program is helping Year 10 students across Melbourne explore healthy relationships through mentorship and filmmaking, working alongside Victoria Police and industry professionals. Free for schools and funded by Rotary clubs.
Owen Parnaby's book Australia's First Rotary Club tells the story of Rotary Melbourne since our 1921 foundation, its influential members, and the projects that shaped Victoria. It has long been part of the new member joining pack, giving every new Rotarian a direct line to the Club's history and figures such as General Sir John Monash.
Copies have now run out. A reprint would take time and come at real cost.
If you have a copy at home, please bring it along to a lunch or drop it at the office. Your donation helps ensure new members can still discover the story that connects us all.
