If you have any events that need to be placed into our calendar for next year, please drop Lenore a line so it can be included in the calendar for next year.  

Bryan will bring a selection of Rotary Christmas Cakes to our xmas function on the 16th.  These make great gifts for friends or family or to be enjoyed by you. Funds raised help the club and the Rotary Foundation sponsor humanitarian projects.  

Our guest speakers recently were Debra Slogget and Helen Penna from the Rotary Club of Keilor East.  You may recall that they gave a presentation a few years ago on a water and sanitation program in Cambodia at Siem Reap.   

They provided an update on how that was progressing, with many new schools and communities having access to clean water and basic hygiene. 

They spoke of how the students have taken ownership of maintaining these initiatives and training other students with good hygiene habits.   It was pleasing to see the progress that their projects have been making and changing lives in Cambodia.   

Water and sanitation are things we take for granted.  In these countries, that is not so and that is why supporting these initiatves is so important. 

Our International Director Judith Coghill made a presentation to Debra and Helen and that contributioon will be used to fund further projects. 

At a recent meeting, we heard from Les Mather and David Harwood who spoke of the important work that the Westgate Prostrate Cancer Support Group does to support men and their loved ones for those living with prostate cancer. 

They shared their very personal stories about the disease and the importance of getting regular check ups after the age of 4o.   If it is caught early, then the success rate is very high to beat the disease.   

You can help by making a donation and spreading the word about getting regular check ups.   

Our club made a donation to Les and David to continue their great work. 

Thanks to Charlie M who organised our guest speakers.

 

 

The Hobsons Bay Teachers Excellence awards were celebrated at the Kooringal Golf Course function room on Tuesday the 21st of October.   This awards event has been going for 8 years and this year saw a record number of awardees (25) from 4 schools;

• Altona P12 College
• Bayside College
• Emmanuel College 
• Williamstown High School

There were three categories of awards being

 

Encouragement Awards (for new or teachers with limited experience)

Achievement Awards (for more experienced teachers and their portfolios)

Team Award (for groups of teachers involved in a major project or initiative)

Award Recipents were

 

The amazing work these educators do and continue to improve upon was amazing to hear during the citations.

 

Our key note speaker was Rebecca Fry a person who at a young age embraced rotary which enabled her to follow her dreams and provide guidance for many other young people.  Her presentation was inspirational.

Local member for Williamstown, the honourable Melissa Horne also provided a wrap up presentation at the end of the night.   

 

We also would like to thank Biljana Cvetic and the Community Bank of  Altona and Laverton for their ongoing support. 

And a huge thank you to Bryan Goodwin who pulled the whole event together as he has each year the event has run.   He was honoured on the night with an Rotary International Service Award which was presented by Past District Governor Michael Lapina.

 

The AGM was held on Tuesday the 28th of October, 6.30pm Kooringal Golf Course and the following members were nominated and appointed to these roles for 2026 - 2027.   Congratulations to Lenore on being the PE for the next rotary year and all those who have put their hand up to support Lenore.

President Elect	Lenore Thornton
Vice President	Danny Civitico
Secretary	Norm England
Treasurer	Hong Jin
Community Service	Brian Noordenne
International Service	Judith Coghill
New Generations (youth)	Carol Aplin
EarlyAct	Anne Morton
Vocational Service	Bryan Goodwin
Club Service	Lenore Thornton
Sergeant at Arms	Tejas Shah
Public Image	Danny Civitico Bryan Goodwin
Bulletin	Danny Civitico
Membership	Leon Mancini Norm England
Foundation	Anne Morton
Fundraising/ Bunnings Sausage Sizzles Coordination / Charity Golf Day	Danny Civitico Norm England Lenore Thornton All club members
Governance Policy Insurance CAV	Bronwyn Fanning

 

Our latest guest speaker was Lisa Field, the community engagement and partnership specialist with the Community Bank of Altona and Laverton. 

She told of how she wanted to link in with organisations such as ours to undertake community projects that benefit everyone.  She was very keen to have our two brands side by side and building community relationships through her networks and ours. 

We look forward to working closely with Lisa in the future.  

 

SEE BELOW COMMUNITY DAY 

 

The first round of Mock job interviews were conducted at the Bayside College Blenheim Rd Campus on 1/9/25.  In all, 36 year 10 and 11 students submitted resumes and Introduction letters and sat for a mock interview panel. 

The quality of resumes and the verbal interviews were excellent, with students applying for occupations such as Food Technology, Div 2 Nursing, Retails Sales and Graphic Design. 

In some cases these were actually jobs and career paths that some students were aspiring to.   A big thank You to Careers Practitioner / Work Experience Coordinator Marsha Maver - Baxter who did an excellent job co-ordinating the students and interview rooms and materials.   

After the interview, participants were provided with feedback from Rotary Coaches on their performance.

Thanks to all the Rotary and friends of Rotary Interviewers and coaches.

The next round was on 9th September - Williamstown High School

Here's an extract from a letter from Ashley Lubicz VCE VM Coordinator

 

Hi Bryan and panel members,

On behalf of Williamstown High School, I would like to sincerely thank you for running the mock job interviews with our students once again. The opportunity was incredibly valuable and so beneficial in preparing them for future employment experiences.

Your time, professionalism, and encouragement made a real difference. Students not only gained confidence through the process but also appreciated the constructive feedback you provided. This experience has given them practical skills and insights they will carry forward. 

It is so encouraging to see our students with grins from ear to ear as they walk out of the interviews. 

We are very grateful for your continued support of our students and community.

Warm regards,

Ash and Ron

 

 

 

 

We took the opportunity to thank Lenore for her year as president 2024 -25 with a small presentation of a certificate and Past President's Pin. 

During her year, she instigated and managed the club activities with distinction leaving the club in an excellent position going into the future.  Well done Lenore on your very succesful year at the helm. 

DIK celebrated a special morning tea and the presentation of Paul Harris Fellow Sapphire Awards to longest-serving volunteers, Barry Douglas and Rosemary Rogan. These amazing people have been working at DIK, West Footscray for 23 years.

Barry has assembled and packed approximately 18,000 stationery kits that have been distributed to schools in Timor Leste, Cambodia, Sri Lanka and the Pacific Islands.

Barry is now moving to regional Victoria to enjoy his retirement. Rosie will continue at DIK in a reduced capacity.

THANK YOU BOTH FOR YOUR WONDERFUL CONTRIBUTION TO DIK.

Long time friend and devoted rotarian DG Peter Shepheard and his father Neil, joined our meeting where Peter gave an overview of his term as governor as well as an update on major developments.  He took questions from the floor and the opportunity to exchange ideas and information was well received.

We look forward to DG Peter's continuing support of our club. 

Members of the Altona City Rotary Club and the Hobsons Bay Mens Shed combined to assist the local constabulary to landscape the police station front gardens.   The weather was harsh but the hardy crews moved a mountain of mulch to bring back the former glory of the front area of the police station.   There was a morning tea and cakes provided to the workers.   Thanks to Hong who came down to help and the Dave Hopwood from the Hobsons Bay Mens Shed. 

The club changeover was held on Sunday the 22nd of June, where we saw outgoing president Lenore hand the reins over to Bronnie to take on the rotary theme of "Unite for Good"   

The changeover showcased the amazing work that the club had done under Lenore's fabulous leadership.   Now its Bronnie's turn and the club is in great hands. 

 

The night was also an opportunity to recognise the great work done by individual members of the club.  Bryan Goodwin, a club stalwart was recognised for his work in projects such as, Australia Day Celebrations, Time Capsule Project, Mock Job Interviews and Wynspeak.     

 

We also took the opportunity to recognise the tireless work of Brian and Jenny Noordenne with Paul Harris Fellowship recognition. 

 

They have made a significant contribution to the club through the Australia Day celebrations and the use of their marvellous facilities and expertise for club events and projects.   Well done to all.  We now look ahead to an exciting year.