Rotary Melbourne members honoured the 106th Anniversary of the Battle of Amiens at the 0808@0800 service, joining dignitaries to lay wreaths at the Shrine of Remembrance in tribute to Sir John Monash and the Australians who served.
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Rotary Melbourne has again achieved carbon neutrality, reducing annual emissions to 11.979 tonnes CO₂e and offsetting these with 12 certified Carbon Social credits from the WithOneSeed community forestry program in Timor-Leste - supporting both sustainability and stronger regional communities.
Rotary Melbourne proudly recognised Charlotte Arndt of Beaconhills College with the 2025 Student Community Service Award. Celebrated for her inspiring and sustainable Play It Forward Vic initiative, Charlotte has transformed a simple idea into a project bringing joy, opportunity, and connection to young athletes in Fiji and now Samoa.
Did you see the story about BioEYES on WIN News? This Rotary Melbourne-supported project is an innovative school science program using Zebrafish to teach students about biology and genetics. BioEYES is expanding to regional and remote schools. Click on read more to watch the video.
Olayinka Hakeem Babalola, a member of the Rotary Club of Trans Amadi, Nigeria, has been selected by the Board of Directors to become Rotary International’s president for 2026-27. His term will begin on 1 July 2026.
This month, Rotary shines a light on one of our core causes: supporting education and literacy around the world. More than 775 million people worldwide over the age of 15 still cannot read or write. Rotary believes that literacy is not just about reading books – it’s about unlocking opportunity, breaking cycles of poverty, and empowering individuals to build better futures.
September is Rotary International Education & Literacy Month, and our unstoppable Ruth Carlos-Martinez has just pulled off another inspiring mission. She personally collected 18 boxes of books from Brighton Library to be sent to Dangan, Philippines.
Our Community Welfare Committee created and implemented the 2025 Cynthia’s Gift Mentoring Awards through partner organisations. The Inaugural Cynthia’s Gift presentation 20th August 2025 was led by PP Kevin Sheehan,
President José Ramos-Horta, Nobel Peace Laureate and President of Timor-Leste, spoke last week at at the Australasian Emission Reduction Summit in Melbourne. His message on courage, youth leadership and reforestation featured Rotary Melbourne’s burgeoning new partnership with Foundation Rai Matak and the Rotary Foundation - upscaling the proven WithOneSeed model to now grow 10 million trees in 10 years - helping 20,000 farming families and their communities plant trees, grow livelihoods through the sale of carbon credits, and shape a hopeful future in Timor-Leste.
Rotary Down Under is offering two $10,000 scholarships for budding journalists in the name of RDU founder Paul Henningham and his successor Bob Aitken.
Dubai has been officially selected to host the Rotary International Convention in 2027. It will be a convention focused on excellence and innovation. What's more, our club's own Amanda Wendt has been appointed Vice Chair of the Convention Committee. Save the date in your diaries now: 5-9 June 2027.
Larry A. Lunsford, a member of the Rotary Club of Kansas City-Plaza, Missouri, USA, is the selection of the nominating committee to become Rotary International’s President for 2027-28. Larry visited our club in 2022 as a Trustee of the Rotary Foundation, and met up with us again during the Rotary International Convention in Melbourne in 2023.
Rotarians, we need your nominations. Let’s find an outstanding volunteer worthy of the Sir John Reid Community Service Award. We all hear about or come across wonderful volunteers who fly under the radar, who don’t receive due recognition, despite years of dedicated effort.
Rotary Melbourne's Make A House a Home project (MAHAH) delivered a further 10 sets (20 tea-chest boxes) of new homewares to Launch Housing’s front line offices in Dandenong and Southbank.
Rotary Melbourne proudly congratulates the 2025 Young Achiever Award recipients - Billy Chen, Pailene Lim, and Mursal Rezai — who were honoured by Her Excellency Professor the Honourable Margaret Gardner AC, Governor of Victoria, at a special ceremony held on 23 July at the Sofitel on Collins. These inspiring young leaders are already making a significant impact in their fields and communities, continuing the strong legacy of the Award.
Tony Battaini was awarded the 2025 Axle Award presented by President Philip Cornish at our meeting on Wednesday 16 July 24. Congratulations Tony.
Club Member Amanda Wendt reflects on her unforgettable time at last month's Rotary International Convention in Calgary - cowgirl boots and all! From leading global teams to sharing fresh membership insights, she found connection, inspiration, and plenty of reasons to be excited for Rotary’s future.
July is Maternal and Child Health Month — Rotary Melbourne supports life-changing projects including immunisations across the Pacific (Give Every Child A Future), training midwives in Timor Leste, mental health research, and abuse prevention through SAFE Families. [Click on Read more below →]
Rotary Melbourne, in partnership with STEM Sisters, is working with regional and rural Rotary Clubs to help deliver Future Me - an engaging comic book series introducing STEM careers to young children, especially in underrepresented and disadvantaged communities.
Rotary Melbourne’s support is driving impact in PNG, funding Dr Arabella Koliwan’s community awareness campaign and Kate Datson’s clinical training in Central Province. St John’s next goal - supported by Rotary Melbourne - is a dedicated retrieval ambulance to deliver antivenom to remote areas.
This weekend, Rotary Melbourne was presented with a special International Service Recognition by District 9800 Governor Michael Lapina for our ongoing work on our Papua New Guinea Snakebite Project. Project Champion Tony Battaini was on hand to accept this special presentation.
A powerful international Rotary collaboration including Rotary Melbourne and the Rotary Passport Club of Melbourne has brought education, menstrual health kits, and solar lights to displaced the indigenous Karen students in the hills of Thailand and Myanmar.
The 2025 Changeover on 25 June was a vibrant celebration of Rotary Melbourne’s achievements and a warm welcome to incoming President Philip Cornish. Highlights included musical performances by our inaugural Music Scholarship winners, the induction of three new members, recognition awards, and inspiring reflections from outgoing President Catherine Baxter.
At last week's Rotary International Convention in Calgary, Canada, Rotary announced US$2 million Programs of Scale grant to foster peace in Colombia. The Pathways to Peace and Prosperity in Colombia program involves Rotary partnering with the United Nations World Food Programme on initiatives that enhance people’s ability to resolve conflicts peacefully and equip local leaders with tools for economic self-reliance.
