Events

Rotary District Governor Robert Shore will address the Club on Monday . He will discuss membership and the Rotary year ahead. This will be a good opportunity to not only hear Robert's thoughts for the year ahead but to discuss with him issues and questions our members may have about Rotary.

The meeting will be at the Commonwealth Club and remember the usual dress standards apply.

Please register by 10.00 am on Friday so I can advise the Club of numbers attending. It would be good to see a decent turnout for the meeting. 

Rotary Club social get together at the Red Shed, Black Mountain Peninsular.

The Address for the Red Shed is 45 John Cardiff Close, Acton. 

Directions - turn into Garryowen Drive from Lady Denman Drive, then take the second right hand turn into John Cardiff Close.

Come along for a Club social gathering at a lovely venue. 

Please note that you pay your own way for lunch.

Please register by cob Thursday 4 September so we can advise the cafe of numbers on Friday.

As Secretary Helen has advised members, we will be gathering at the Woden Southern Cross Club on Monday 22 September 2025 for a casual social get together. There is free parking either under the building or across the road for 2 hours.

We will have the opportinity to welcome back some of our travelling members and enjoy a relaxed social event.

Please register by noon on Friday 19 September 2025 so we can arrange for a table  to be booked for us. We will book a table on the lower area of the restaurant that overlooks Hindmarsh Drive.

As Secretary Helen has advised members, we will be gathering at the Woden Southern Cross Club on Monday 22 September 2025 for a casual social get together. There is free parking either under the building or across the road for 2 hours.

We will have the opportinity to welcome back some of our travelling members and enjoy a relaxed social event.

Please register by noon on Friday 19 September 2025 so we can arrange for a table  to be booked for us. We will book a table on the lower area of the restaurant that overlooks Hindmarsh Drive.

On Monday 29 September, we will have a fascinating presentation by Club Member Desmond Woods who will speak to the Club on the topic "Polynesian Migration and the Coming of the Maori to New Zealand". The presentation will also address the impacts of colonisation by the Maori on the previously uninhabited islands of New Zealand. Members will recall that Desmond addressed the Club on the history and settlement of Melbourne.These presentations are part of the series of presentations that Desmond provides on cruises to and from New Zealand and are a great source of inforrmation.

The meeting will be at the Commonwealth Club. Could you please register by 10.00 am on Friday 26 September. Lunch will not be provided for those who don't register.

Our guest speaker for Monday's meeting is Admiral Chris Barrie (retired) who will talk to the Club about "Fearless Outreach". Admiral Barrie is co-founder of PTSD Australia New Zealand and Fearless Outreach. Fearless Outreach is able to assist abolut 6 million people in Australia and New Zealand who live with post traumatic stress disorder.

Admiral Barrie had a distinguished naval career and served as Chief of the Defence Force from 4 Ju,y 1998 to 3 July 2002. We encolurge members to attend this meeting as it will address a very important issue in society and what is being done to asist those in the community and in the services who suffer from PTSD.

The meeting will be at the Commonwealth Club and a reminder that appropriate dress wear is required.

Registrations are required by 10.00am on Friday 10 October and a reminder that if members do not register,there will be no provision for a meal.

The Club's guest speaker for Monday's meeting is Professor Peter Leahy. His address to the Club will be on the topic "Headwinds for Australia’s Defence" , a very pertinent subjet at the present time. Professor Leahy will focus on the following:

Overall Australia’s defence and security situation is poor and deteriorating. The Nation is in peril. The warnings are there, the risk is high and the consequences could be catastrophic. What is being done?

Not enough – our defence force would struggle to meet likely tasks and we would have great difficulty in sustaining operations for even a limited amount of time. Current and near future operations are being cannibalized to fund far future expenditure. Without AUKUS there is no Plan B. 

As a Nation we face many headwinds.

•            The consequences of ignoring the risk.

•            How we are not being strategic.

•            A declining social license for defence in Australia.

•            A question about who will fight for Australia.

The meeting will be at the Commonwelth Club and the usual dress requirements apply.

Please register by 10.00am on Friday 24 October and any registrations received after that time won't be catered for unfortunately.

Members

Our next meeting is a joint one with The Rotary Club of Weston on Monday 10 November at 6.00pm for 6.30pm. The venue isthe Irish Club at 6 Parkinson Street Weston (near Coolamon Court). The guest Speaker for the evening  is Bethany the Celebrant.

I have included a message from John Green, the Treasurer of the Weston Rotary Club regarding dinner arrangements and options  to assist you. As you will see the preferred option is to pre-order dinner.

"Good morning Allison, I have included the link the Irish club menu at 6 Parkinson Street Weston.

https://www.irishclub.com.au/site/files/ul/data_text12/6159156.pdf

Pre-ordered meals are paid to the Treasurer via our Tyro EFT "tap and go"

machine at the foyer from 6pm. 

Otherwise, your members, visitors and guests can visit and pay at the Bistro to order their meals to be served along with the pre-ordered meals.

If possible, we prefer pre-ordered meals, either way, numbers are needed for tables etc.

Can you please provide your feedback by replying to both Les Sutton and myself by the Deadline of COB Thurs 6th Nov.

YIR

John Green - Treasurer

Can members planning to attend the meeting please register by 4.00pm on Thursday so I can advise John as he has requested of the number of our members who will be attending.

Regards

Alison

Members

Monday's meeting is both the Club's  AGM and a special guest speaker,  Brian Gleeson.

Brian Gleeson is a senior executive leader with over 40 years’ experience both working within the Australian Public Service and the United Nations in executive leadership, strategic management, human resources management, public policy, institutional development, change management, public administration, service delivery and capacity development.

He has had around fifteen years of experience at the United Nations in several senior positions including Director of Human Resources UNRWA, Jordan; Director of the Office of Human Resources United Nations Development Programme; and Resident Coordinator United Nations Libya.

Brian is an expert in change management and has been a Senior Advisor on organisational change to Kofi Annan Secretary General UN, Gro Harland Brundtland Director General WHO, Mark Malloch Brown Administrator UNDP and Michelle Bachelet Executive Director UN Women; in the latter organisation he was responsible for all the human resources aspects of transitioning into the new entity, including leading the selection process for the new ASGs and Directors in UN Women.

Brian’s experience and extensive networks within the Australian Public Service, Indigenous organisations/communities and in the international context, both with the UN and relevant agencies and senior executives of NGO humanitarian response organisations such as ACFID, Oxfam, Save the Children and World Vision, provides a unique opportunity to draw on his lessons learnt from a broad range of contexts and blending international and Indigenous development.

Monday is an important meeting date and President Phil encourages all to attend for both the AGM and to hear our guest speaker.

We are meeting at the Commonwealth Club and you need to register by 10.00am on Friday 14 November at the latest so that numbers for catering can be provided to the Commonwealth Club.

Members

Come and enjoy a social lunchtime get together on Monday 24 November at Poppy's Cafe at the War Memorial. Parking is available underground. Enjoy a delightful cafe and the lovely surroounds and if you feel like it,  you can explore the War Memorial's new additio0ns.

Can you please register if you are coming by COB thisThursday so we can arrange to book a table.

Regards 

Alison

Good morning Members

Our last formal meeting for 2025 will be a lunchtime meeting at the Commonwealth Club on Monday 1 December 2025  We will hear from our outgoing Youth Exchange Student Lily who many of you have met at other meetings. She will be heading off to Brazil for a year in mid January 2026 and will speak about herself, her thoughts about the exchange and what she hopes to achieve.

I encourage members too come along to hear from Lily and to celebrate the end of the year with colleagues.

Venue - Commonwealth Club and as I  advised at the last meeting at the Commonwealth Club members now need to register by COB Thursday 2025. Registration will no longer be available on Friday as the Commonweklth Club has advised it needs to have the numbers to enable Friday for catering purposes.

If anyone has problems registering, please send me an email and I will register you.

Regards

Alison

Dear Members

Our Christmas Party will be on Wednesday 17 December 2025 and this year we are joining with the RC of Murrumbidgee to have a joint celebration at the Hellenic Club in Woden with a cost of just $50 per person. This includes a wonderful meal and you can purchase your own drinks from the bar. Tbi should be a lovely evening and provide the opportunty to join and celebrate Christmas with a fellow Rotary Club.

The Murrumbidgee Club has requested that we register a week berfore the event to facilitate catering arrangements so could you please register by Wednesday 10 December 2025.  Please make you payment to the RCC account so that we can transfer funds to the Murrumbidgee Club before the event.

Regards 

Alison

Secreytary Helen has sent everyone an email regarding our first get together.

Our first gathering for the year will be held on Monday 19 January at 12pm-ish. This will be a casual picnic/BBQ to be held at Nara Park (on the lake shore opposite the Hyatt).

If you are able to come along, look for other members to find where we are, and bring along your food and drink and stories of your holidays. Also a good idea to bring a picnic rug or chairs, and of course a hat.

This is a good time to re-connect with friends, and have some well deserved fellowship.

Can you register by COB Friday so we have n idea of who will be attending

Regrds

Alison

Come and join your fellow members for an informal get together at Poppy's Cafe at the War Memorial on Monday 9 February 2026.

Please register by COB Thursday 2026 so Helen can make a booking for those attending.

Regards

Alison

On Monday 16 February Honorary Associate Professor Peter Taylor will speak to us about the proposal to list Canberra as the first International Wetlands City in Australia. This proposal will protect and publicise the extent of wetlands associated with the city of Canberra as the 'Bush Capital' and provide another important promotional area  for tourism for the city while protecting the environment.

Professor Taylor is attached to the Fenner School at the ANU where he supports students and provides guidance for those interested in a career working in the environment area of the Public Service, or with the environment in general. He was a senior executive in the Australian Pubic Service working in Environment and has since worked with Honours Students with their midterm reviews and the Indigenous Protected Areas through the protected areas in the National Reserve System.

This meeting will be at lunchtime at the Commonwealth Club on Monday 16 February.

Please register as soon as possible (and by COBN Thursday) as numbers will be given to the Commonwealth Club on Friday morning.

Dear Members

Our next meeting will be at the Jamieson Southern Cross Club in Belconnen with guest speaker Peter Kain from the Rotary Club of Belconnen. Peter will talk to the Club about Rotary's involvement with the Jamieson markets. Our Club assists with the markets and this wioll be a good opportunity to hear more about the markets and how we can help further.

Please register by COB THursday 19 February so we can get numbers for booking a table. Members will pay for their own meals at the Club.Thanks in advance to  Paul Street for making the booking arrangement for us.

Regards to all

Alison