THREE STUDENTS SPONSORED TO ATTEND NATIONAL SCIENCE FORUM
 
Our club was proud to present funding to three students from The Grange P-12 College in Hoppers Crossing to help them attend the 9-day National Youth Science Forum (NYSF) to be held at the Australian National University in Canberra in January 2026. The forum is a not-for-profit organisation that runs a number of programs to encourage young people in their passion for science. It gives students who are about to start year 12 a broader understanding of study and career options available in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM).
 
Pictured above is President Lyn Fava presenting a certificate to students Ean, Aarna and Alex and their teacher Ben Schimanski. Each student spoke of their aims in attending the forum and their career aspirations. They were also extremely grateful to our club for the funding received. Without it, they would be unable to attend the forum.
 
DANIEL READY TO TAKE OFF AS OUR EXCHANGE STUDENT
 
Pictured above is Werribee Rotary's President Lyn Fava and District 9800 Governor Peter Shepheard with our outgoing Rotary exchange student Daniel Pool. Daniel recently attended a special function, along with fellow exchange students sponsored by other Rotary clubs, where he was presented with his Rotary exchange jacket which he will wear with pride during his 12-month stay in the Czech Republic.
 
In his acceptance speech, Daniel expressed his excitement and appreciation at being chosen to represent our club. He has even commenced learning the Czech language. Daniel will leave in January 2026. We wish him well.
 
2025 COMMUNITY GRANTS RECIPIENTS ANNOUNCED
 
Werribee Rotary held a special evening recently to announce the successful recipients of the third annual Community Grants awards. During the months of August and September, fifty applications were received from a variety of different groups in the local area. Seven were selected as the winners. One hundred people attended a dinner where representatives of the winning groups each received $3,000 to support their specific project. Other guests included Rotarians, partners of Rotarians and guests including guest speaker Inspector Rachel Van Someren from Werribee Police who congratulated our club on offering such an enterprising gift of goodwill.
 
A spokesperson for each group explained what the donation would be used for and expressed their sincere thanks to our club for making the funding available. They all explained that, without this generous contribution, they would not have been able to complete essential projects or activities. 
 
The successful recipients were:
  1. Big Group Hug
  2. Truganina CFA
  3. VJ Academy
  4. Helping Hampers
  5. Mambourin Cricket Club
  6. Williams Scout Group
  7. Wyndham Vale Men's Shed
Club President Lyn Fava said that the club was proud to be able to support local community groups to enable them to continue to run their programs. She said that many clubs and families were suffering hard times and that Werribee Rotary was pleased to be able to do something positive to help them.
 
Click here to see more photos of the evening.
 
A FUN NIGHT RAISES FUNDS FOR FOOD RELIEF
 
Werribee Rotary ran a very successful and enjoyable quiz night recently to raise funds for FoodBank. The brainchild of the event was one of our newest members, Luke Bowden, who was also the Quiz Master. The evening saw tables of friends pitted against each other. With 9 sets of questions and 10 questions in each set, it proved to be a bit of a brain drain. In the end, the worthy winners, by accident or design, was the table consisting of our President, Lyn Fava (seen in the foreground of the photo) and her knowledgeable friends.
 
Thanks to Luke and his happy helpers, Ryan and Andrew, we raised $5,000 for FoodBank. The night received so many complements that we are considering making it an annual event.
 
ADULT BEANIES DELIVERED TO SUNSHINE HOSPITAL
 
The photo above shows Rotarian-partner Micki Hovey (left) handing over a boxful of 107 adult sized beanies to a staff member at the Sunshine Hospital Oncology unit. Staff were absolutely delighted to receive the gift. They said that the beanies are always in high demand to help improve the morale and dignity of their cancer patients who are going through chemotherapy treatment.
 
All beanies were lovingly knitted for Werribee Rotary by the lovely ladies who participate in the weekly Community Bingo competition. They are continuing to knit baby and adult beanies as well as baby blankets.
 
CLUB MEMBERS VISIT THE PHILIPPINES
 
Four members of our club recently visited The Philippines. President Lyn Fava, Rob Fava, Lorry Rowe and Michael Redding spent 10 days mainly in Manila and Cabanatuan City. During that time, they completed the following objectives:
 
  1. Witnessed the plight of homeless children living on the streets of Manila, some of them with serious medical conditions that require surgery.
  2. Provided some small gifts, including baby beanies knitted by generous friends of our club, to the children.
  3. Visited three Rotary clubs including our sister club, the Rotary Club of Cabanantuan City.
  4. Attended the sites of projects that our club has contributed significant funds towards over the past 5 years including:
    1. The Bahay Ni San Jose Orphanage School where we donated new furniture and computer equipment for their newly constructed orphanage.
    2. The Ibona Elementary School, located in a remote region of The Philippines, where our club funded the successful construction of a clean water system as part of Rotary International's WASH (Water, Sanitation, Hygiene) program.
  5. Visited the site of another clean water project which the club is planning to support.
Lorry and Michael have visited The Philippines on many occasions and have paved the way for our club to provide essential support to improve the life and health of various communities.
 
President Lyn said she was proud of Lorry and Michael's fantastic humanitarian endeavours. She also felt a great sense of pride that our projects have generated so much happiness and goodwill within the Filipino community. 
 
Click here to view some photos of the teams trip to The Philippines.
 
MENTAL HEALTH SEMINAR FOR YOUNG WOMEN
 

Our third Mental Health and Wellness Forum for young women was held on Thursday 18th September.

We heard from two inspiring guest speakers who have travelled different journeys through their life but have experienced many challenges and experiences which they shared with the audience.

  1. Brittany Bonnici is a local resident who plays AFLW football with Collingwood. She talked about her personal journey to reach the top of her chosen sport. Some of her key messages were about resilience, managing setbacks and celebrating success in elite sport. She also emphasised the importance of maintaining positive and open communication lines between teammates, friends and family members.
  2. Professor Vasso Apostolopolous is an internationally recognised medical researcher. She is currently the Head of Health and Biomedical Sciences at RMIT University. During her distinguished career, she has contributed significantly to the development of drugs and vaccines, with a focus on improving human health and longevity. She explained that there is a real connection between the gut and the brain. She described what constitutes healthy food and how it has a positive impact on good mental health.
MESSAGE OF THANKS FOR KEEPING THE NEW BORN WARM
 
The image shows photos of two new-born babies at Geelong Hospital, one wearing a beanie and the other covered with a blanket. The items are one of hundreds knitted by the lovely ladies from our Bingo session.
 
The message from the staff at the hospital says it all.
 
MAKING BEANIES FOR OUR HOMELESS
 
In recent years, the ladies who attend our Bingo sessions each week knit beautiful beanies and blankets for new born babies at various hospitals in our area.
 
They have now extended their skill set and generosity to make bigger beanies for the homeless. The items also include scarfs and mittens and will provide some level of comfort and warmth for those who are experiencing severe hardship, particularly during our cold winter months.
 
The photo above shows Rotarian-partner, Micki Hovey, delivering a batch of beanies to Joe from Reclink who will distribute them to the most deserving recipients.
 
YOUNG MEN''S MENTAL HEALTH NIGHT A FANTASTIC SUCCESS
 
Tackling issues like anxiety and depression head-on with real stories and expert guidance is exactly the kind of support that can shift perspectives and save lives.
 
Over the past five years, our club has organised numerous young men's mental health and well-being forums and the latest event, held recently, proved to be the best yet. The audience of 130 people consisted of a diverse range of attendees including Rotarians from local clubs, representatives from various community groups and football players from the under-18 teams at the Werribee Districts and Hoppers Crossing football clubs. Based on recent history, it was identified that these young men are vulnerable to mental health problems including depression and anxiety. Our club wanted to do something to support them by inviting speakers with either professional or life experiences to convey messages of hope and how to take positive action when the pressures of life seem to be too much to handle.
 
The keynote speaker was former AFL footballer, Peter "Spida" Everett who relayed stories of his challenges as a young teenager and as a professional footballer and how he dealt with any problems along the way. His very clear message was that when you are experiencing some dark or doubtful moments, you should speak to someone. Sometimes the effort to openly express your concerns lifts your spirits just as much as the advice you might receive from whoever you consult with.
 
Other speakers included Jake Lohman (Werribee Football Club player and mental health counsellor to high school students), Rhan Harris (Sport Coordinator at Reclink) and Simone Webbey (Youth Advocate at headspace).
 
Congratulations to our member Peter Sandlant for taking the lead role in organising this important forum.
 
Click here to view some photos of the evening.
 
INTERACT CLUB COMPLETES SUCCESSFUL PROJECT
 
The Interact club at Wyndham Central College, sponsored by Werribee Rotary, has just completed a successful fund-raising project. They organised a raffle at the school as part of refugee week which involved selling tickets to students and teachers outside the canteen. The first prize was a wonderful painting produced by Interact President Sofia pictured above. The painting depicts a special scene in Myanmar.
 
The Interact students raised an amazing $1140 which will go towards supporting Myanmar refugees. Rotary club members Kim Deneys and Graham Roper who provide support for the Interactors expressed their pride in the students. Kim said "The club is very active and they work together so well to achieve some wonderful results for our local and international communities."
 
Click here to view a few more photos of the special day.
 
WATER PROJECT IN PHILIPPINES COMPLETED SUCCESSFULLY
 

In our second major project in The Philippines, Werribee Rotary has once again joined forces with the Rotary Club of Cabanatuan City to construct a clean water system for the Ibona Elementary School. Ibona is located in a remote region where the water quality is poor. Under the banner of Rotary International's WASH program, Werribee Rotary provided funding for the construction of a water tank, drinking fountains and toilets to improve the water quality for drinking, sanitation and hygiene for the children at the school. 

Several years ago, our club donated funds towards the purchase of furniture and IT equipment at the newly constructed Bahay Ni San Jose Orphanage in Papaya, Luzon, Philippines.

One of the members of our club, Michael Redding, has been the key driver behind both projects. Without his efforts and perseverance, these projects would never have happened. He was ably supported by former member Lorry Rowe.

We are proud of supporting needy communities in The Philippines.

Click here to view more photos of the WASH project.

INTERACT CLUB RAISES MONEY FOR STORY DOGS
 
Students in our sponsored Interact club at Wyndham Central College school have been active in supporting the Story Dogs program.
 
Recently, they ran a fundraiser at school. They sold dog biscuits and key fobs at the school to raise money to sponsor another Story Dog for one of the college's feeder schools, Manor Lakes Primary.  The day was called 'A Splash of Orange' and anyone who wore something orange gave a gold coin donation.
 
The Story Dogs program is designed to assist young children to improve their literacy skills and their self-confidence by reading to the dog. The accepting, loving nature of dogs gives this program its magic and helps children relax, open up, try harder and have fun while reading to a friendly, calm dog.
 
Pictured in the photo are dog owners Esthee and Sue with their wonderful story dogs Daisy and Ellie.
 
Well done Interactors. A very special project.
 
BREAKFAST CLUB HELPS HUNGRY KIDS
 

Sadly, many children at local school Wyndham Park Primary arrive in the morning without having had anything to eat. For many years, members of Werribee Rotary and friends of the club have been supporting the school by visiting every morning to provide the students with some nourishment before they attend classes. Known as the Breakfast Club, the menu consists mainly of toast and fruit and the kids love it.

The school is also very grateful for the service we provide. Before the breakfasts were available, the young children would lose concentration in class and exhibit anti-social behaviour. Now they are much more attentive and engaged which makes the teachers' job a more productive one.

 

 
MEETING INFORMATION

The club meets on the 1st, 3rd and 4th Tuesday evenings of each month at the Bridge Hotel, 197 Watton St, Werribee.

The meeting commences at 6:30pm and ends at 8:15pm.

 

MEETING & EVENT CALENDAR

December 2025

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ROTARY LINKS

 
CLUB DIRECTORS
President
Lyn Fava
OnTo Conference
Luke Bowden
President
Lyn Fava
Membership
Lyn Fava
President Elect
Luke Bowden
Vice President
Ross Conley
Bulletin
Ross Conley
Immediate Past President
Rob Fava
Secretary
Ross Smith
Treasurer
Kim Deneys
Other
Ian Hovey
Other
Ravi Chaudhary
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