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.
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.
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:
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.
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.
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.
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:
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.
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.
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.
