Rotary’s 7th area of focus was established to prioritise care for the environment and is the foundation for Rotary’s other 6 areas of focus. In celebration of World Environment Day, you are most warmly invited to join Rotarians from around the District and the Region for a luncheon, on 17th May at the Sofitel on Collins, highlighting a very special environmental theme: the Circular Economy.
Rotary District 9560 hosted a group of 14 Timor-Leste midwives and nurses in a Vocational Training Team that attended a 5-week Maternal and Child Health Course at Central Queensland University Mackay Campus.
Funded by a Rotary Foundation Global Grant, with assistance from the Mackay/Whitsunday area Rotary clubs, the course was especially organised to present different procedures and knowledge not readily available to the group in Timor-Leste.
In early 2020, with the onset of Covid 19, where countries were closing their borders to travellers, I received a request from friends in Cambodia advising that they needed help to support Cambodians who were facing starvation due to lack of income. Young people who worked in the cities of Phnom Penh and Siem Reap had lost their jobs due to lack of tourism and the closure of businesses involved in the garment industries, and therefore, they could not send funds back home to support their families as they normally would. 
The Rotary Club of Bendigo South has been supporting Projects in Cambodia and assisting the Rotary Club of Phnom Penh for many years. Our latest Project was to raise sufficient funds to assist the Club with the purchase of bicycles for poor families and libraries for school communities.
Five months ago our Victorian regions were subjected to huge flooding with the town of Rochester was particularly impacted. Rochie is now ready for us to provide assistance so it’s time to head over there, roll up our sleeves and do some serious volunteering. While many people are still not able to return to their homes, continuing to live in caravans or with family and friends, the rains have created much growth in the gardens and this is where they are requesting assistance.
You don’t need to have green thumbs to help – just a willingness to spend a few hours tidying up the gardens, lawns, community spaces mowing lawns, whipper snippering, weeding and general garden pruning. The last thing we need is overgrowth, particularly during hot weather times.
In many parts of the world it is a common experience for girls to miss school for up to six days per month during menstruation because of poor sanitation and hygiene, stigmatisation and infection.In 2018, Rotary Central Melbourne member Mawien Ariik saw an opportunity to identify vital community needs in his home village of Lou Ariik and founded South Sudanese Health Matters Inc. These needs included basic healthcare, education, clean water and sanitation, and access to improved women’s hygiene.
The South Sudan Menstrual Hygiene and Education project was established and recently helped 800 schoolgirls through the distribution of re-usable menstrual hygiene kits (sourced from Days For Girls Uganda). By distributing the kits along with menstrual hygiene education the project is empowering girls, addressing the stigma and traditional cultural mores of menstruation in a sensitive way, and helping to reduce infection rates.
Congratulations to Mawien Arrik and Rotary Central Melbourne for bringing lasting change to the lives of these girls by connecting project partners including Rotarians, The Rotary Foundation, volunteers from South Sudanese Health Matters; The Chagai Foundation and the village Chieftains.
Together we connect, we are #peopleofaction
Rotary clubs often lose track of potential youth leaders once they graduate from youth projects. The Rotary club of Hoppers Crossing has found a way to retain these links through the introduction of a young people’s networking group: Rotary Youth Projects Alumni, or RYPA.
Through RYPA young people over eighteen and up to twenty-five years who progress through Rotary endorsed Youth programs can stay in contact with each other and their sponsor Rotary club. They can gain through networking opportunities; Rotary mentoring; and by running a major humanitarian service project themselves once per year.
Pictured: Rotary Hoppers Crossing RYPA Group
The Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity is conducting a study of an experimental influenza (flu) vaccine using new mRNA technology and is seeking healthy adults 65 years and older.
Rotary’s Council on Resolutions and Council on Legislation give Rotary members a voice in how our organisation is governed.
The deadline for submission of resolutions to the 2022 Council on Resolutions is 30 June.
To meet the 30 June deadline for submission, clubs wishing to submit a resolution should let me know at least six weeks beforehand to enable time for a vote of the district’s clubs to be arranged.
“I want to say how honoured, humbled and extremely excited I am to have been appointed as District Governor Nominee Designate for Rotary D9800.
Really pleased that as my club Rotary Altona celebrates its 60th anniversary my gift to the members and partners is that the club will be Home of the District Governor in 25/26.
Looking forward to learning from current DG Amanda Wendt, DGE Ron Payne and DGN Michael Lapina and hoping to make proud all the PDGs I have had the pleasure to work with over my almost 20 years in Rotary. Let the adventure begin!"
- DGND Peter Shepheard
Known for his reassuring and supportive approach, and being a great mate to many, our District is in terrific hands during 2025-2026. Congratulations Peter, enjoy the ride!
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