Rotary Matters

Remote indigenous communities in Central Australia are 30 times more likely to suffer from kidney disease. Communities are left without elder leadership, families are broken and culture is weakened. But thanks to the efforts of many including Rotarians, the Purple House project was launched providing much needed  support including 18 remote clinics and a mobile dialysis unit called The Purple...

Where do women who go whose lives have been ruined by domestic violence and homelessness? Where can they find a bed, sympathy, food and shelter? We meet Louise McCann, President of the Hornsby Kuring gai Women's Shelter who explains what they do, who they serve, how the facility is managed, and importantly the huge difference it makes to the lives and prospects for women in distress. www.hkws.org....

Now more than ever the community needs to address and deal with the impact of a changing climate. Rotarian Jeremy Wright has convened a Climate and Peace Forum to understand our prospects for coping with future natural disasters including US and Australian bushfires. The forum is by webinar, Tuesday 10 November, featuring Greg Mullins AO, former commissioner for Fire & Rescue NSW, Lucinda Corr...

A home with books as an integral part of the way of life encourages children to read for pleasure and encourages discussion among family members about what they have read thereby providing children with information, vocabulary, imaginative richness, wide horizons and skills for discovery and play. We meet Peter Large, CEO of Books in Homes, a not for profit organisation which has provided over 2.7...

A great way for artists to showcase their talents, for art lovers to browse the gallery and purchase unique art works for their enjoyment or as gifts. We meet Trudy Stevenson from Carlingford Rotary Club in Sydney's northern suburbs who explains how the idea came about, how to enter, the different categories, the prizes and the judging process. Chief judge is celebrated Australian artist and natio...

The mission of Dress for Success it to empower women to achieve economic independence by providing a network of support, professional attire and  development tools to help women thrive in work and in life. We meet Vicki Hartley CEO of Dress for Success, Sydney who explains how it all works,  the role of Rotary, where the garments come from, how funds are raised and the impact that the pr...

Type One diabetes is a form of diabetes in which very little or no insulin is produced by the pancreas. The cause is unknown but is believed to be a combination of genetic and environmental factors. However, insulin therapy delivered through an insulin pump attached to the body, can radically improve the lives of people with Type One diabetes. But these pumps are relatively expensive, so it is hea...

We continue the conversation with Rotarian, Ahmad Elzoghby and learn more about the Cross Egypt Challenge, what riders can experience and the sights they will enjoy.  See www.crossegyptchallenge.com . See also Part One of this program

We meet Ahmad Elzoghby from the Rotary Club of Alexandria Cosmopolitan and learn about the annual Cross Egypt Challenge, a unique opportunity for motor cyclists and scooter riders to experience a ten day guided ride to enjoy  the monuments, the sights and the history of Egypt. Riders stay in 4-5 star hotels and enjoy one night camping in luxury. Everything is included and riders can hire mach...

This week we take a look at the Rotary Club of St Ives, on Sydney's upper north shore. Russell Crofts the President explains how it all started, the way that the club is governed and some of the community projects they support. Di Barnes, PR Director for the club discusses the Pride of Workmanship Award and the successful Tree of Joy project. St Ives is a relatively affluent suburb with good schoo...

https://soundcloud.com/.../books-in-homes-and-beirut... Books in Homes provides free books to remote and disadvantaged communities. We meet Carmel Robinson from Castle Hill Rotary Club who explains how her club supports this initiative and its relationship with a small school in far north west Australia. We also learn about the Club's active response to the recent Beirut disaster, channeling funds...

https://soundcloud.com/user-410080704/mobile-leprosy-clinic-2 Almost 3 million people in India live with leprosy related deformities. Leprosy is a long term infection that causes severe disfiguring skin sores and nerve damage in the arms, legs and skin. The Rotary Club of Hills -Kellyville in Sydney's north western suburbs has raised funds to support a Mobile Leprosy Clinic to alleviate the situat...

Rotaract is a service, leadership, professional and community service organisation for young men and women. The Hornsby Ku-ring-gai  Rotaract Club in the northern suburbs of Sydney started in August 2019. Today we meet the newly elected President Charlotte Weatherall and Vice President Tiana Jarmyn who explain what they've done, how they engage with their demographic and their plans for the f...

Allan Waldon witnessed significant poverty and hardship and  determined to help rebuild a local school which was small, damp and totally lacking in any resources. He raised money to get the project going by collecting donations at his butcher's shop in exchange for dog bones. This led to endorsement by Rotary and has now made a huge difference to the education of children in this remote part...

Thanks to the generous work of Sydney Rotarian Indy Singh OAM, thousands of people with poor sight have attended free eye health care clinics in India, Cambodia, Nepal, Myanmar and Ethiopia. Working with volunteer ophthalmologists this selfless work has changed the lives of people in the developing world. See the charity that Indy founded and consider donating via www.visionbeyondaus.org

Multiple Sclerosis is horrible and there is no cure. Yet, thanks to the generous work of Di Dorney and Pinky McLean a support group on Sydney's upper north shore offers comfort, company and entertainment to MS sufferers and their carers. Run by volunteers the group raises funds through bridge days and is supported by the girls choir from Pymble Ladies College. The group meets at the Wildflower Gar...

The Model United Nations Assembly simulates the workings of the UN. Teams of secondary school students represent different UN countries in debates on matters of world political and social concern. Along the way they forge alliances, they lobby, they make compromises and experience all the diplomatic manoeuvering which are the hall marks of the UN. Bruce Jacob of Epping Rotary Club in Sydney takes...

Each year there is a changing of the guard at Rotary Clubs all over the world. A new Board is elected and in today's episode of Rotary Matters we meet Janelle Speight newly elected President of Wahroonga Rotary Club in Sydney's upper north shore.. Janelle explains how the Club is governed, the areas of focus and priorities for the year ahead.

Virtual Neighbours is a new initiative of the Beecroft Rotary Club in Sydney, meeting a real need to reignite the often overlooked local community feeling of being valued and included during a time of social distancing and isolation. We meet Vinita Deodhar the driver behind this timely and important community service.  

We meet Bob Selinger from Chatswood Sunrise Rotary  in Sydney whose club has paid for 156 Hippo Rollers to be made in Cape Town and sent to Pomfret a disadvantaged township in the north of South Africa. Hippo  Rollers are a 90 litre rigid plastic drum pulled with a handle along the ground, saving countless hours of time and replacing the traditional methods of fetching water in buckets a...

If you travel, own an RV or a motor home then Rotary Nomads may be the club for you. Nomads meet all over Australia and devote their time to a wide range of public service activity supporting communities, raising funds and pursuing a wide range of interests with fellow travellers. It could be delivering meals on wheels, assisting at a festival, or taking part in the Henley on Todd regatta. And muc...

A new network aimed at 20-40 year olds already engaged with Rotary who have not yet found a place in the Rotary family that meets their needs. No weekly meetings, no traditional Rotary rituals. But they make a difference, they meet via Microsoft Teams and they measure the social impact of what they do. Could this be the way of the future for Rotary?  We meet the passionate and persuasive Pres...

Determined to arrest the incidence of youth suicide on the Central Coast of NSW, Lester Pearson OAM and his colleagues from the Rotary Club of Gosford North, set up SOKS a program to help teachers, counsellors, parents and sports coaches to identify signs of suicide and to intervene. Over 658 lives have been saved. This remarkable outcome is due to compassion, hard work and a determination to save...

We meet Paula Nolan who went to France as a Youth Exchange Student over 20 years ago. We learn how she applied, where she went, what she did, where she travelled, who she met and importantly the lifelong leadership and reliability  lessons she learned and can call on today in her position as a senior executive in an Australian bank. A great example of Rotary's investment in talented young peo...

The Congo is a contender for the least lucky country in the world having suffered wars, the Rwandan holocaust,  cholera, ebola and volcanic eruption. But thanks to the humanitarian work of Rotarian Penny Vos, education is now being provided and the colourful buntings made by adults to  raise funds enable the purchase of sewing machines with which they are made. The international language...