Bulletin 26 August 2026

Highlights

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

This Week Wednesday 26 August 2026
Meeting No. 5138 in the Club's 106th Year

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

CLICK READ MORE TO BOOK

Event

This Week's Duties - 26 August 26

This week’s duties: Bob Glindemann, Trevor Nink (Reception), John Saunders (Raffle), Richard Dent (MC), Robert Fisher (Reflection), John Peberdy (Photographer).

Back to top

Member News

Membership Anniversary Stewart Stribling (25), Antonio Pajovic (11), Stephen Rando (5).

Happy Birthday  Bruce Livett, Sue Smith, Chris Wang, Clive Weeks, Dean McIntyre.                

Back to top

Club News

Step inside one of Melbourne's hidden treasures! Rotary Melbourne members and friends are invited to a special private visit to Villa Alba Museum in Kew on Saturday 17 October. Hosted by the Arts Committee, this exclusive afternoon offers a rare opportunity to explore the beauty, artistry and fascinating history of this remarkable Melbourne treasure through a guided tour, followed by afternoon tea.

Places are strictly limited - click read more to secure yours.

A reminder to everyone planning to join the Around the Bay bike ride: you need to register directly on the official website. The ride organisers also offer helpful training tips and resources to help you prepare.

Back to top

Last Week's Meeting

After welcoming all to Rotary Melbourne’s 7th Meeting of the new Rotary Year and our 5137th Club meeting in our one hundred and sixth year,  President Carol made special mention of Guest Speaker, Tony Aloisio, CEO, Australian Flexible Pavements Association, as well as Mr. Ryusuke Yokoyama, President of the Tokyo Stock Exchange, and formerly of the Rotary Club of Osaka.

Thank you to Tony Battaini for last week's reflection, on Wednesday 19 August 2026.           

Visitors & Guests at Meeting 26 August 26

Club Guests Graeme Hope (Speaker) Sue Hope, Robin Whyte (Inductee), Cecelia Nahm.

Visiting Rotarians Michael Jordan (Knoxville Volunteer Club, Tennessee USA), Shinji Higuchi (Osaka, Japan).

Guests of Members Melanie Nahm (Carol Bond).

Back to top

Other News

Balwyn Rotary is excited to invite you to celebrate 50 years of the Camberwell Sunday Market strengthening communities locally, across Australia and around the world. None of this would be possible without the dedication of volunteers, stallholders, community partners and visitors. As we look to the future, the mission remains the same: to turn community participation into lasting community impact.

Join the celebration on 6pm Tuesday 22 September at Green Acres Golf Club, 51 Elm Grove, Kew East. Tickets are $65 for light entertainment, table wine and a two course meal, and a touch of gold is encouraged. RSVP by Friday 18 September.

RIMERN Turns Five — And Keeps Growing
RIMERN celebrated its 5th Birthday on 3 July, marking half a decade of turning donated furniture into fresh starts. The numbers tell the story: 2,815 people supported, 76,462 items delivered and $2.4 million in homewares donated since 2021. Launch Housing CEO Sherri Bruinhout gave the keynote at the birthday celebration, reminding volunteers that homelessness is "a big problem but winnable." Read the full Issue 20 newsletter for client stories, corporate donor shoutouts and this year's growth figures.

In Topeka, Kansas, the Rotary Club of Community Action Against Human Trafficking runs Intersection to Care, a reentry program born from a hard truth: traffickers were waiting in the jail parking lot for women being released, ready to exploit their vulnerability. Since 2022, the program has grown from care kits and mentorship into technology and health classes, art therapy, supportive housing and doula services, assisting over 1,000 women along the way. Read the full story on rotary.org for how one formerly incarcerated woman, now a paid staff member, meets women at the gate and drives them to safety instead of a trafficker.

Solutions journalism, which delves beyond “bad news” to examine what people are trying to do about it, can be traced back to a 2010 column in The New York Times called “Fixes.” The column, co-written by Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Tina Rosenberg, investigated solutions to social problems, covering what worked and what didn’t. Chicago journalist Mark Caro sits down with Rosenberg, who co-founded the Solutions Journalism Network in 2013, to discuss how this approach can help address systemic issues, and how Rotary clubs can benefit from following its best practices. Click on read more to listen to the latest podcast of "Rotary Voices".

Rotary International asked members to prioritise four initiatives to help clubs develop and deliver successful international projects. There was no runaway winner. Support was spread quite evenly across the board:

1. Launch an online project matching register – 29%
2. Establish a District International Service Support Network – 27%
3. Create an online International Service reference library – 23%
4. Hold an International Service Workshop – 22%

The message is clear. Clubs aren't looking for just one form of assistance. They want connections, expertise, practical information and opportunities to exchange ideas. 

Back to top

Upcoming Events

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

CLICK READ MORE TO BOOK

Event

CEO Benetas
Topic: Ageing in Place
Wednesday 16th of September 2026
12:45 PM to 2:00 PM
No 35, Sofitel on Collins
Also Online via Zoom

CLICK READ MORE TO BOOK

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

CLICK READ MORE TO BOOK

Event

Past Director, Reserve Bank of Australia and Dean, Melbourne Business School
Topic: Australia's Economic Development
Wednesday 30th of September 2026
12:45 PM to 2:00 PM
No 35, Sofitel on Collins
Also Online via Zoom

CLICK READ MORE TO BOOK

Event

Join our Arts Committee on a guided tour and afternoon tea
Saturday 17th of October 2026
3:00 PM to 4:30 PM
Villa Alba
In person only
NUMBERS ARE LIMITED

CLICK READ MORE TO BOOK

Event

CEO Medibank
Topic: 
Wednesday 28th of October 2026
12:45 PM to 2:00 PM
No 35, Sofitel on Collins
Also Online via Zoom

CLICK READ MORE TO BOOK

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

Back to top