Peter McCall OAM
27th June 1941 – 21st April 2026
Family and friends are warmly invited to celebrate the life of a much-loved husband, father, grandfather, friend, and community member.
A Memorial Service and Celebration of Life will be held on:
Thursday, 28 May 2026
at St Cuthbert's Presbyterian Church 10 Wilson Street, Brighton VIC 3186
Service Commencing: 1.30 pm
Followed by Afternoon Tea 2.45 pm - 5.00 pm
Rotary Melbourne partner, the Melbourne Arboretum is excited to have received 21 Bird boxes, made by the Mernda Men's Shed. These boxes have been well crafted from weather proof marine ply, with specific native bird's needs given to to the Arboretum by Bird Life Australia.
At the Baker Oration last week (wednesday 13 May 26), Rob McGuirk, the Chair of the National Rotary EndTrachoma project outlined how the Baker Foundation enabled Rotary Australia to contribute to a landmark national health achievement: the elimination of trachoma as a public health problem in Australia.
Thank you to Tony Battaini for your reflection on Wednesday 13 May 26.
Membership Anniversary Marg Leser (7), Kevin O’Flaherty (34) – TODAY!, Reg Smith (18), Chris Wang (38).
Happy Birthday Peter Hanlon, Stanley Ho.
Club Guests: John Greenwood (Speaker), Sharon Lewin, Ziggy Switkowski, Elizabeth Delahunty, Kate Metcalf.
Visiting Australian Rotarians: Quentin Parker (RC Kunanarra)
Guests of Members: Carlos Castillo (Mary Barry), Rosemary Syme ( Robin Syme), Vicki Kharucky (Chris Sotiropoulos), Dores Schembri (Deb Yin Foo), Kate Hoy, Anne Johnston, Tom Kay (Gerry Johnston), Thomas Spurling (Jim Barry), Hila Barzilai-Tutsch, Renee Chow, Peter Currie, Nir Eynon, Roger Flynn, Fabrice Jaffre, Bernadette Jones-Freeman, Edwina McGlinn, Meroula Richardson, William Roman, Nathalie Saurat, Jennifer Zenker (Peter Rogers), Alexander Bobik, Anthony Cavanagh, Robert Daly, Megan Douglas, Pierston Hawkins, Melissa Hilton, Millicent Nink, Lloyd Hollenberg, Jane Dinn, Alexandra Griffiths, Baker IDI (Trevor Nink), Prasanna De Silva, Jesus Gary Domingo (Philip Cornish).
On Duty: Sandra Hills, Marg Leser, Marg Leser (Raffle), Karen Kim (MC), Peter Dakin (Reflection), Gerald Ashman (Photographer).
For 34 years, the Rotary Melbourne has conferred Young Achiever Awards to high achieving young people to encourage their career development and endorse their commitment to community service. In our current social media age of ‘selfies’ and ‘self-centeredness’. The 2026 presentation will be made by Nick Pearce following a short address. On the day we will hear from the awardees of their ambitions and hopes for their continuing service to the Community. This year Rotary Melbourne with generous support from Untapped Talent is pleased to announce a supplementary award for Emerging Talent and Future Impact.
This week’s regular Rotary Melbourne meeting took the form of a round-table discussion focusing on Peace, led by our esteemed member Rob McGuirk, who has been involved over the years in a number of peace initiatives both in Rotary and elsewhere.
The Australian Signals Directorate (ASD) has released new guidance with international partners to support the careful adoption of agentic artificial intelligence (AI) systems.
Central Group 1 recently gathered at the Courthouse in North Melbourne for an enjoyable evening of fellowship. Members had the opportunity to connect in a relaxed setting, share insights, and further strengthen relationships across the group.
The 2nd Cynthia’s Gift Awards are being presented on Wednesday 27th May 26 by President Philip to four most worthy Awardees who we will jointly mentor with their respective Sponsor Organisations as they pursue their career goals.
Cynthia’s Gift will offer annual funding of up to $10,000 to empower women and girls from underprivileged backgrounds to transform their lives by providing the necessary support to unlock opportunities in critical areas such as education, employment, and financial independence. This will equip recipients with the tools and resources to build a brighter and more secure future.
Rotary Melbourne’s annual Vocational Service Award recognises significant vocational service of community leaders in the community who have achieved distinction in their chosen career and have demonstrably used their vocational skills to selflessly make significant contributions to the community. Nominations for the 2026 Award close on Friday 5 June 2026.
Club Guests: Rob McGuirk (Speaker), Reggie Chan.
Guests of Members: Carlos Castillo (Mary Barry).
Membership Anniversary Timothy Conolan (6), Mev Connell (39) - (Today), Russell Board (13), Dean McIntyre (13), Suresh Marcandan (7), Luke Belfield (1), Trevor Neroy (1), Ian Riseley (3), Nicholas Batrouney (9), Chad Brendish (9), Arjang Taylor (9).
Happy Birthday Stewart Stribling (TODAY!), Rob McGuirk.
President Philip welcomed members and guests, highlighting Guest Speaker Alan Oster who would later be introduced by Vice President Branko Panich, and Visiting International Rotarians: Chris Gasteier (D6600, Northwest Ohio, USA) ,Dores Schembri (Kensington & Chelsea UK).
Across rural Cambodia, Rotary clubs and community partners are delivering lasting change by combining clean water, safe housing and human connection to transform lives one village at a time.
A Rotary collaboration supporting displaced Karen State students
A chance conversation sparked a powerful Rotary partnership bringing dignity, education and opportunity to displaced Karen State communities through locally led, sustainable action.
How UNICEF Australia and Rotary are supporting communities in Kiribati to protect girls from cervical cancer. In Kiribati – a Pacific island nation just north of Samoa – a simple vaccine is helping to protect girls from cervical cancer and safeguard their futures.
A Real-World Example: “The Urgent Payment” Scam:
A Rotary member receives an email that appears to come from a colleague, asking for urgent payment of an invoice before a deadline. The tone is familiar, the signature looks correct, and the request feels time-sensitive.
Rotary Arts Committee Chair Maestro David Kram and singers Molly Ryan, Michelle Cook and James Egglestone captivated 100 guests at the 24th annual MTO-GAOG Dinner, held on Saturday, 2nd of May.
The May 2026 ESRAG newsletter covers a busy month for Rotary's environmental arm. Chair Michael Terrelonge reflects on Hurricane Melissa — the most powerful Atlantic storm on record — and the lesson it carries: communities must build for a new climate reality, not just recover from the last one. May's three biodiversity observances (World Migratory Bird Day, World Bee Day, and International Day for Biological Diversity) add urgency to that message. Elsewhere in the issue: ESRAG's presence at EarthX, a Philippine reforestation model that replaces one-day planting events with year-round community systems, new research on the vulnerable mangroves of the Galápagos, and Rotary's preparation for the International Convention in Taipei this June. Click ESRAG_Issue_6,_Volume_15.pdf
Caroline was inducted on the 22nd of April 2026. Welcome, Caroline.
ROMAC provides surgical treatment for children in Australia and New Zealand from developing countries from our Pacific Region in the form of Life Giving and/or dignity restoring surgery not accessible to them in their home country.
If you would like to read the latest ROMAC Chairman's Message and articles on successful medical cases for April 2026 please click read more below.
Club Guests: Alan Oster (Speaker).
Visiting Australian Rotarians: Quentin Parker (Kununurra, WA), Robyn Angus, Mary Wait (Ivanhoe), Aviv Palti, Jennie Franklin, Maria Hicks (Passport Melbourne), Vipin Bhatia, Aravind Rengarajan (Ailesh Dupate), Aron Perenyi (Carlton).
Guests of Members: Jessica Ziersch (Joseph Ebbage).
