Another Bunnings BBQ

Volunteering at the fun run

Exchanging club banners

Community tree planting

Some of our happy members

Golf Day 2021

LIFTING THE LID TO SUPPORT MENTAL HEALTH RESEARCH

Being in lockdown and having to meet virtually doesn't stop members of our club getting into the spirit of supporting a good cause. On this occasion, we donned various forms of headwear during a recent meeting to acknowledge the good work being done by Australian Rotary Health on mental health research. The campaign is called Lift the Lid on Mental Illness and, on October 12, they have their annual Hat Day which is designed to promote the importance of the campaign and to raise funds for on-going research.

WE WELCOME ANDI AS OUR NEWEST MEMBER

Andi Barnfield has become our latest member and we warmly welcome her. She was inducted at a recent Club online meeting.

Ever since Andi joined us as a guest, she has shown a high level of interest in Rotary and has been very keen to join our club to help in some of our community projects.

There's no doubt she will be an active and dedicated member.

Welcome Andi.

CREATING BEANIES FOR NEW-BORN BABES

We are now the proud holders of 174 beanies that have been knitted for new-born babies thanks to the hard work and dedication of a Friend of Rotary. Helen Shaw is a sister of one of our members and she has spent much of her spare time over the past 12 months knitting the little caps. The plan is to donate them to the local hospital for distribution to parents of new arrivals. Each beanie will include a small message "KNITTED WITH LOVE. PLEASE TAKE ME HOME". It will also include our Rotary branding.

MICHAEL HANDS OVER REINS TO GRAHAM

On 6th July, our club held it's annual changeover dinner. While it was a low-key affair, there was some formality including the hand over of the chain of presidential office from our outgoing leader, Michael Redding, to his successor, Graham Roper.

In his final speech as President, Michael expressed his sincere thanks to all members of the club who have supported him throughout the 2020-21 Rotary year. He highlighted a number of significant achievements during his year including:

Introducing the concept of having project leaders instead of directors
The celebration of the Centenary of Rotary in Australia
The Rotary Golf Day that raised $24,000 for Very Special Kids
The inductions of two new members, Vasileios Samaltanos and Jerestene Saher, and two members who have been issued with honorary status, Geoff Smith and Lou Dowling.

Michael also presented two hard-working Rotary partners, Barbara Purdy and Elizabeth Ross, with the ultimate recognition of a Paul Harris Fellow. They were very surprised to receive the award but accepted it with gratitude and pride.

Graham is taking the reins as President for the third time. In his inaugural speech, he said he would like the club to focus on the following activities during his year:

Homelessness in the Wyndham Community
Forming a Family Violence partnership with Victoria Police
Raising awareness of Youth Mental Health. The plan is to hold an under-18 football game between two local sides who would be playing for the Beyond Blue Cup
Provide support to the Karen and Sudanese communities
Continue supporting to our Interact Club with their projects

Graham's other goal is to increase our membership. He believes we need to be more proactive with the way we promote our club. It is everybody’s responsibility to try and recruit new members to our club.

JERESTENE JOINS OUR CLUB

At our meeting on 29th June, we welcomed Jerestene Saher as our newest member. President Michael Redding formally inducted Jerestene (better known as Jess).

Jess runs her own catering business and specialises in making quality chocolates under the name of Sugar and Spice Gourmet Chocolates. They are delicious.

Jess has joined our club because she wants to do more to help her community. She is also a member of BNI.

We hope she has a long and fruitful membership with the club.

CLUB DONATES FUNDS FOR WORTHY CAUSES

At a recent meeting, club president, Michael Redding, proudly presented cheques to two worthy organizations:

$24,000 was presented to the CEO of Very Special Kids, Michael Wasley, which were the net proceeds of Werribee Rotary's great golf day held in March. Michael expressed his sincere thanks to the club for the generous donation. The funds will be used to pay for the employment of a Western Region Support Officer who provides a variety of care services for the families of children who have life-threatening conditions or have passed away. Michael said it is an important role that is very much appreciated by the families.
$1,500 was presented to John Forrester and Lisa Field from the Werribee River Association. The funds will be used to promote awareness of the importance of the Werribee River in our community and to ensure its long-term sustainability.

KEEPING THE WERRIBEE RIVER VIBRANT AND HEALTHY

Rotarians and family members of our club joined forces with the Friends of Werribee River Park recently to support the Werribee River Association's on-going strategy to plant trees and other native plants along the banks of the river. In this exercise, the trees were planted adjacent to the Werribee Park Mansion grounds in Werribee South.

The main aims of the Werribee River Association are to:

Protect water quality in the river and in other waterways flowing into Port Phillip Bay
Re-establish natural habitats for wildlife
Provide attractive natural places for people to access and enjoy
Provide educational programs about environmentally sustainable practices to a growing and diverse population in the community

The working group eagerly embraced the challenge to plant hundreds of small saplings and other plants. Tasks included taking the plant out of its sleeve, placing it in a pre-drilled hole, packing it with soil and applying water. To finish it off, each plant was encased with a plastic sheet to protect it from animals and strong winds.

It was an enjoyable environmental experience.

Click here to view more photos of the day.

CELEBRATING ANOTHER SUCCESSFUL GOLF DAY

Werribee Rotary is celebrating the success of another annual charity golf day. In a first, the event was held in the morning and, despite the early tee-off time, it proved to be a popular change because a maximum field of 132 players competed in perfect weather conditions and 146 people attended the luncheon. This enabled the club to achieve net proceeds of $25,000 which have been donated to a very special cause, Very Special Kids.

Very Special Kids (VSK) is a not-for-profit organisation that provides hospice and other special care needs for children with life-threatening conditions and their families. All sponsors and golf-day participants were extremely generous in donating funds which will be used to support the good work of VSK.

It was a tremendous team effort by members and friends of the club who generously donated their time on the day to make it such a success.

Click on the links below to see some photos of the day:

OLD WERRIBEE PHOTOS ON SALE

Thanks to the generosity of one of our members, Brian Ahmed, a number of framed photos are now on sale to the public. These photos were originally displayed in Brian's restaurant, Wyndham Cache, but, due to renovations, he is now offering them for sale. All proceeds will go to the Rotary Club of Werribee to fund community projects.

Most of the images depict Werribee in the olden days. In particular, there are a number of photos that identify the agricultural activities in the Werribee South area over the years.

The size of each frame is 47cm x 35cm.

The minimum price for each image has been set at $50 but, if purchasers wish to offer more, they are very welcome to do so.

Click here to view the photos (Volume 1).

Click here to view the photos (Volume 2).

In addition to the 80 images shown, there is also another set of framed prints for sale. These show modern designer artwork. The size of these prints is 83cm x 68cm and the minimum price for each one is $100.

If you are interested in purchasing any of the images, please contact Brian on 0412 558 152 or by email.

CLUB RECEIVES CITATION

At a recent Zoom meeting, the 2019-20 District Governor, Grant Hocking, presented a Rotary Citation and Platinum Distinction award to our club.

Grant mentioned that, in completing the information required for a Rotary Citation, he was reminded of the wide variety of activities in which Werribee Rotary has been involved to "connect the world". In response to Grant's presentation, Past President Brian Ahmed said, during his 12 months as President, the club was very active in initiating and supporting many local and international projects. Brian said he was proud to accept the award on behalf of the club.

https://www.facebook.com/RotaryClubOfWerribee

The club meets every Tuesday evening at the Italian Sports Club, 601 Heaths Rd, Werribee.

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

Due to the current COVID restrictions, we are currently holding virtual meetings.

If guest Rotarians, or anyone interested in learning more about Rotary, would like to join us via Zoom on a Tuesday at 6:30pm (Australian Eastern Standard Time), they should send an email to our club administrator requesting access.