Honorary Member Consul-General Tokuro Furuya kindly invited a number of Melbourne Rotarians to attend a reception at his home on 17 February to celebrate the Emperor's 66th birthday. It provided an opportunity to engage in conversation, and share experiences, with many people from multiple cultures, backgrounds and professions.
Only a few sleeps until the start of the AFL season on Thursday March 5 between Sydney and Carlton! If you haven’t already now is the time to enrol for the 2026 season by transferring $50 to Rotary and raise money for club projects.
Open to colleagues, friends, family – the more the merrier.
If you have previously participated on the ESPN platform, all you need to do is transfer funds, as you will be automatically re-instated.
Join us to hear Professor Jeremy Oats AM, Honorary Fellow at the Melbourne School of Population and Global Health, and our longstanding club member, present Freebirthing: Pros and Cons. As former Chair of the Victorian Consultative Council on Obstetric and Paediatric Mortality and Morbidity and adviser to the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, he has helped shape understanding of pregnancy outcomes nationwide.
Drawing on decades in clinical care, research and national maternity review, Jeremy will explore safety, autonomy and how maternity services can better respond to women’s experiences and expectations.
This Sunday’s SecondBite collection at Prahran Market was another special experience. Robert Fisher and Trevor Nink providing hands on assistance collecting surplus food from the Market’s generous vendors for delivery to the Salvation Army at 69 Bourke Street, Melbourne.
Rotary Melbourne Honorary member Dr Alan Finkel AC was honoured on 11 February 26 with a Monash building named after him at their Clayton Campus. Monash University Vice-Chancellor and President Professor Sharon Pickering today announced the Alan Finkel Building for Technology and Design as the new name of Building 94, alongside Chancellor Megan Clark AC at an unveiling on the Clayton campus.
Rotary Peace Center at Symbiosis International University will train peace and development professionals from across Asia. Leaders of Rotary International and Symbiosis International University gathered in Pune, India, to inaugurate a new Rotary Peace Center at the university. Supported through The Rotary Foundation, the center will provide experienced peacebuilders from across Asia with one-year professional development certificate fellowships to study subjects such as conflict transformation, sustainable development, and social change.
Kate Datson, St John Emergency Services Project Lead, PNG Snakebite Partnership, addressed members at the 4 February lunch. Kate spoke about the challenges faced in delivering effective prevention and treatment services in a country with limited infrastructure and one of the highest mortality rates from snakebite globally.
As the start of the 2026 footy season approaches quickly, we turn our mInds to all things AFL. If you're lucky enough to barrack for the mighty Magpies but are not yet a member of the GO PIES group/team please reach out to Branko on email to be added to this mighty team. If you don't barrack for Collingwood, consider setting up your own coterie group.....
Last Wednesday 11 February was our annual Picnic at Rotary Melbourne Peace Park, South Yarra. We had a wonderful crowd, including visitors from Japan, representatives of the City of Melbourne and the Botanical Gardens, and many members and some prospective members. After a few glasses of bubbles, the heavens opened and most retreated to the Botanical Hotel to continue a very social evening inside!
Membership Anniversary Joe Balci (19).
Happy Birthday George Giamadakis, Jeremy Oats, Rob Medcalf.
Visiting Rotarians: Ian Knight (Werribee), Pam Dittmer, Shinji Higuchi (Osaka).
Guests of Members: Andrew Laidlaw (Rob McGuirk), Nick, Kimberley Pierzchalski (Peter Berg), Jane Wang (Chris Wang), Myra Fisher (Robert Fisher), Srita Das, Caroline Pilot, Louise Nelson (Adrian Nelson).
The Rotary Peace Fellowships were inaugurated in 2002 between Rotary International and prestigious universities around the world. Each year, 170 fully funded fellowships are awarded to encourage master’s level students to dedicate their lives to peace and humanitarian service.
Rotary Melbourne’s partnership with the Cambodian Rural Student Trust is creating lasting change through education, service, and leadership. Carol Bond shares how dedicated students and Rotary support are helping rural Cambodian communities break the cycle of poverty - seen first hand during a recent visit to Siem Reap.
Thank you to Robert Fisher for your reflection on Wednesday 4 February 26.
This month the District 9800: Environment and Sustainability News February 2026 features articles tfrom around District 9800. Click here to read.
Sambun Sambath, a Cambodian scholar supported by Rotary Melbourne and Member of Rotaract Club of Siem Reap, has provided a January 26 update on learning Chinese. He also expressed his warm and sincere gratitude for the trust, love, care and support to make his life goals come true via the support of Rotary Melbourne.
Iqbal advised that one of our long-standing members, Colin Honey, has been unwell and is currently admitted at Epworth Hospital in Richmond. Iqbal visited Colin on 1 February 26, and he shared that he is awaiting a heart bypass procedure prior to undergoing knee and hip replacement surgeries. While he appeared a little weak, he was in good spirits.
Rotary Melbourne member John Peberdy and Vanessa Hall visited (in early February 26) the Rotary Club of Waikīkī is one of three in Honolulu. Whilst there is relationship at an individual level, they were very impressed when I told them 22 clubs were members of RIMERN. Their slogan is “the friendly club” and that was our experience. We were introduced to many members including the President and President-elect.
Last week’s meeting highlighted the annual Vocational Panel, showcasing how members use their professional talents to serve society. Insightful reflections from our panellists sparked strong discussion on manufacturing, creativity, and the challenges and rewards of building purpose-driven careers in Australia.
On Duty: Rosemary Nixon, Bob Glindemann (reception), Stephen Mandie (Raffle), Rosemary Nixon (MC), Peter Dakin (Reflection), Gerald Ashman (Photos).
Guests of the Club: Chrysanthe Pragastis (Inductee), Christina Pragastis, Jack Howes, Mamum Haque.
Visiting Rotarians: Andy Rajapakse (Burleigh Heads - Gold Coast), Christine Zavod (Toorak), James Allen (Sydney).
Guests of Members: Emerie Agunwah (Mimmie Watts), Kate Datson (Tony Battaini), Penne Ebbage (Joseph Ebbage), Janet Huynh (Deb Yin Foo).
Membership Anniversary Rob Helme (29), Ron Cullen (43), Philip Endersbee (32), Peter McCall (24), Rodney Smith (42).
Happy Birthday Bob Burgess, Steph Hunt, John Shaw.
Join Rotarians and friends for a casual evening of friendship. BYO Picnic and seating. It's a great opportunity to visit our very own Rotary Melbourne Peace Park, celebrate its history and ring the beautiful Peace Bells.
Please note there are plenty of options to buy drinks and food nearby if you just want to bring a rug.
Also note you can continue from 7.30 a free concert at the Sidney Myer Music Bowl nearby is on featuring the Australian Youth Orchestra more information at: 2026 Sidney Myer Free Concerts | Melbourne Symphony Orchestra
On Duty: Karen Gornalle (Reception), Bruce Davidson (Raffle), Tony Battaini (MC), Robert Fisher (Reflection), Joseph Ebbage (Photos).
Following our earlier notices, plans for the Rotary Melbourne On to Conference (OTC) Road Trip to Horsham in March 2026 are now well underway, and there’s still time to join us. The trip runs from Wednesday 25 to Friday 27 March via Ballarat and Stawell, with flexible options to take part in all or part of the journey or simply meet the group for the Friday night club dinner in Horsham.
