Bulletin 5 August 2026

Highlights

• This Week
• Member News
• Club News
• Last Week's Meeting
• Other News
• Upcoming Events

This Week Wednesday 5 August 2026
Meeting No. 5136 in the Club's 106th Year

Presentation of the 2026 Monash Medal 
Topic: Monash Medal 2026
Wednesday 5th of August 2026
12:45 PM to 2:00 PM
No 35, Sofitel on Collins
Also Online via Zoom

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Event

Lara Olsen has been selected as the 2026 Monash Medalist.

A Rotary Exchange Student to Akita Japan in 1993 and Monash Scholarship winner in 2004.

She has had a career in leading major projects and organisations in Australia's Utilities and Energy Sectors.

A service to commemorate the Battle of Amiens
Join us for this unique opportunity
Places are limited.
Saturday 8th of August 2026
10:15 AM to 11:30 AM
Shrine of Remembrance

NOTE START TIME 10.30am
Contact Rotary Office to Register

Event

Instructions and information for the 2026 0808 Battle of Amiens Shrine Service

NB THE CHANGE IN START TIME

This year's service is being held on Saturday the 8th August 2026 - plan to arrive not later than 10:15 am at the Shrine Visitors Centre - the Service starts in the Sanctuary at 10:30 am sharp.

For details of the full program click on [ Read More ... ]

This Week's Duties - 5 August 26

This week’s duties: Karen Gornalle, Dores Schembri, Chrysanthe Pragastis (Reception), Bruce Davidson (Raffle), Philip Endersbee (MC), Adrian Nelson (Reflection), Joseph Ebbage (Photographer).

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Member News

Membership Anniversary  Bob Fels (42), Colin Honey (23), Abdullah Saeed (17), Ross Scholes-Robertson (40), Yiannis Ventikos (2), Clive Weeks (28) - TODAY!

Happy Birthday  Alberto Balbo (TODAY!), Timothy Conolan, Philip Endersbee, Stephen Lake.

On Wednesday 15th July Cheryl Lacey and past member Clifton Warren presented at the Rotary Club of Bali Seminyak. This year is the club's 25th anniversary. 
Clifton was guest speaker - his title 25 Years of Rotary - Lessons in Leadership Service and Relationships. Through storytelling, Clifton blended his experience as a member of 4 clubs  over 25 years to highlight his 3 key messages.     

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Club News

A group of club members have ridden in the Around the Bay bike ride for the last decade.   This is partly an opportunity to fundraise for the Smith Family's Learning for Life program but also a great fellowship opportunity for bike riding club members.   

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Last Week's Meeting 

Last week's Rotary Melbourne meeting celebrated the induction of new member Ahamed Samsudeen. Members were also encouraged to mark Rotary Membership Month by inviting others to experience Rotary. The afternoon concluded with an engaging presentation from energy specialist David Norman, who explored Australia's energy transition, fuel security and the opportunities presented by the emerging low-carbon economy.

by Adrian Nelson

Thank you to Adrian Nelson for last week's reflection, on Wednesday 5 August 2026.           

Visitors & Guests at Meeting 29 July 26

Club Guests: David Norman (Speaker), Arshad Samsudeen (Inductee).

Visiting Rotarians Madhu Jain (Mumbai Versova, India).

Guests of Members: Daniel Durik (Reg Smith), Laura Taylor (Deb Yin Foo).

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Other News

How do we live well together through a climate of change? RMIT's new free program, Community Leadership for Regenerative Placemaking, invites members into a hands on studio blending live action role play, urban play and design to explore creative placekeeping and regenerative neighbourhoods. Induction is 31 August 26, with sessions through September and an experience day on 3 October. Places are limited, so register soon. Click read more below to register.

Samantha Cristoforetti, a member of the Rotary Club of Cologne am Rhein, is a European Space Agency astronaut, engineer and former Italian Air Force fighter pilot. She has flown two missions to the International Space Station, in 2014 to 2015 and again in 2022, when she served as the first European woman to command the station. On her second mission she also became the first European woman to complete a spacewalk.      

This month's roundup from Rotary International highlights four club projects worldwide:

• United States: The Rotary Club of Sebring, Florida, opened a public restroom near the town circle after a surge in tourism from an HGTV feature, with members donating engineering, construction and electrical work.
• Canada: The Rotary Club of Sarnia Bluewaterland's 25 year running used book sale raised over US$42,000 in January, with leftover books distributed to community groups and a Canadian Armed Forces unit stationed in Latvia.
• United Kingdom: The Rotary Club of Borderlands runs a pet focused fundraising initiative, the PolioPlus Society Kennel Klub, in which members' pets (mostly dogs, plus one sheep) earn a red End Polio Now bandana for a $100+ annual pledge. The club has 100 percent PolioPlus Society membership and donates about $5,500 a year to polio eradication.
• Thailand: The Rotary Club of Chiang Mai International held its sixth annual charity golf ball drop from a tethered hot air balloon, raising about $4,000 for children's projects.

Full story: rotary.org

Fifteen-month-old Michael Rahurou (15 months old) has had initial medical appointments including an assessment at the Pediatric Cardiology registrar at Auckland’s Starship Children’s Hospital.
He has a large ventricular septal defect (VSD), a hole in the wall separating the heart’s lower chambers, which  an allow oxygen-rich blood to flow back into the lungs instead of out to the body. This is complicated by Down syndrome, a genetic disorder which leads to developmental delays.

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Upcoming Events

Rotary District 9800 Governor
Topic: ‘Create Lasting Impact’ – District Priorities for 2026/27
Wednesday 26th of August 2026
12:45 PM to 2:00 PM
No 35, Sofitel on Collins
Also Online via Zoom

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Event

Topic: Winter Masterpieces 2026
Friday 28th of August 2026
5:45 PM to 9:00 PM
National Gallery Victoria
In person only

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Event

AFL Executive General Manager Game Development,
Wednesday 23rd of September 2026
12:45 PM to 2:00 PM
No 35, Sofitel on Collins
Also Online via Zoom

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Event

Consul General of Morocco
Topic: Australia-Morocco Relations
Wednesday 30th of September 2026
12:45 PM to 2:00 PM
No 35, Sofitel on Collins
Also Online via Zoom

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Event

People. Planet. Peace.
Friday 30th of October 2026 to Sunday 1st of November 2026
Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre

CLICK READ MORE TO VIEW CONFERENCE PROGRAM & TO BOOK

Event

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