FELLOWSHIP Meeting WEDNESDAY Evening
Please note this week is an EVENING MEETING at Mid Valleys Restaurant - details and REGISTRATION here
It will NOT available on Zoom this week
Edition 249
Monday, 16th February 2026
Last week’s speaker was Trudi Sheppard, the President of the Board of the Australian Animal Protection Society (AAPS). Trudi spoke about the charity that is based in Keysborough and programs that have been created to provide a revenue stream for the society. These programs are available to the general public and are covered elsewhere in the bulletin. Trudi also spoke about her time as a Rotary exchange student to Canada in 1997.
The club has received acknowledgments for donations to Polio Plus ($756) and Emerge (Women and Children Support Network) for our donation of Lego and cakes.
There was a board meeting last Tuesday week and we passed a number of donations:
RAM ( Rotarians Against Malaria) - $2,000
ROMAC (Rotary Oceania Medical Aid for Children) - $2,000
Mercy Ships - $1,000
Alannah and Madelaine Foundation, Buddy Bag program - $5,000 There will be a vote on this last one at the club meeting on the 25th of February as it exceeds the amount the the board can approve.
There will also be a vote on the new Rotary Constitution at the meeting on the 4th of March. Rotary International periodically reviews the Rotary constitution. Please read the constitution before the meeting. Submit any questions to the secretary before the meeting. The constitution was emailed to all members last week.
At our meeting last week I was very please to receive a bannerette from the RC of Douglas in the Isle of Man. This was presented to our club by Michael Josem who is a member of Douglas and is in the process of transferring his membership to our club. (refer story HERE for more pics)
Finally, just a reminder that this week our meeting is an evening fellowship meeting at Mid Valley Restaurant in Bay Road, Cheltenham. So no breakfast, everyone can sleep in.
Club President, 2025-26,
Grant Perry
BOARD MINUTES
A reminder to members that Board Minutes are available for viewing from the Club's website. Note that you must be logged in as a Member in order to gain access.
Access to all documents including Board Minutes can gained here.
The last published Board Minutes were the meeting of December 8, 2025 - HERE.
Ian Ballantine
Roster for the next 2 weeks
Note Market start time is 6.15am
Click on See all Rosters at right for future weeks. Members click here to see your own roster.
Meetings
Meeting February 18 2026
Fellowship Dinner Mid Valleys Restaurant Details HERE
Wheelchairs for Kids always need blankets/rugs to give away with their wheelchairs.
Member Linda O'Brien is inviting any members or friends of our Club who would like to help in this project.
Please contact Linda for more information.
Alannah & Madeline Foundation
Looking for support to provide Buddy Bags for children who have experienced extreme violence HERE
Link to photos from District Changeover July 2025 here
Link to photos from 2025 Conference here
Link to photos from 2024 Conference here
Market report for Sunday 15/02/2026.
Leader: Julie Reid
BMC: Jim Magee
Moorabbin: Venu Naidoo
Holland Foundation: Ruth Dou and Changwez Chency
Visitors: Larry, Charles, Sam
Cars in the Queue: 2
Overnight Parkers: 1
Pedestrian Count: 1448
Market Report: Sunny and 28 degrees.
Great market. Lots of stallholders and high numbers of customers. Very busy with casual sales. We had Dave turn up early to entertain the customers. We set up a charity stall today to trial the sale of clothing to raise money for Headspace Bentleigh. Limited success.
Julie Reid
Important message to Market Leaders: New Computer
The iPad is NO LONGER. Entry of Market Report and Try Booking access is now done via new computer in the office. The procedure for its use is in the office.
Note there is a separate story about the defib at the Market here.
Rotary and Symbiosis International University have joined forces to launch a new Peace Centre in India, empowering emerging leaders across Asia with advanced training in peacebuilding, conflict transformation and sustainable development.
Applications for Rotary International’s newest Peace Centre, at Symbiosis International University, India, will open on 1 February.
Rotary Projects Timor-Leste East continues to be a critical program, assuring reliable access to water across Timor-Leste since 2010. Rotarian Max Bird has helped lead a shift to make sure the water is also of the safest quality possible, particularly in schools.
Members may be interested in a documentary I came across on Netflix called "Join or Die". If you don't have Netflix there are several short videos on YouTube about the same subject. It refers to the decline in community involvement through falling membership of Community Clubs. It features a Professor Robert Putnam, who published a book some years ago entitled "Bowling Alone". It refers to what he describes as the decline in Social Capital as a result of less people joining community clubs.
It makes very interesting viewing and I commend it to members.
As I said, if you don't have Netflix just search YouTube for Join of Die.
Ron was our chairperson for today's club meeting at Cilantro. Guests included Bruno Santi, Michael Josem, and Gary Ramage.
PRESIDENT AND CLUB ANNOUNCEMENTS
We received correspondence from Polio Plus thanking us for our club donation of $5,000, and from Emerge for providing Christmas cakes and lego sets.
The following donations were approved by the board at the February board meeting - RAMS $2,000, ROMAC $2,000, Mercy Ships $1,000, and the Alannah and Madeline Foundation $5,000. Members will be asked to vote on the donation for the Alannah and Madeline Foundation at the club meeting on Wednesday 25/2.
Rotary’s flagship inclusion project in New Caledonia is taking flight – literally and figuratively – through Rêves de Gosse (Childhood Dreams), an initiative that brings children of all abilities together for shared learning, friendship and an unforgettable first experience in the air.
WORDS Jean-Michel Blaise Rotary Club Nouméa Ouen Toro
As part of Rotary’s Growth Plan for the French Pacific, the Rêves de Gosse project is strengthening collaboration between clubs while building Rotary’s reputation as a trusted partner in education, inclusion, environmental responsibility and community service.
As a child during Sri Lanka’s 26-year civil war, Pushpi Weerakoon planned to become a lawyer. “I was born into a civil conflict, walked minutes away from bomb blasts, and saw parents of my schoolmates killed,” Weerakoon said. “From a very early stage, I understood the cost of conflict, and I knew I had to do something about it.”
In 1999, with Sri Lanka a member of the British Commonwealth, Weerakoon headed to the University of Buckingham in the UK. There she earned a bachelor of law and a postgraduate diploma in international and commercial law.
Kellie was our chairperson for today's club meeting which was back at Cilantro for the first time this year. Wonderful!.
CLUB ANNOUNCEMENTS
Market Operations - Grant mentioned an issue with our Try booking ticketing system when a stall holder used Google Wallet for payment. One payment processed (as it should), but the confirmation the stall holder receives lists 3 stalls (or something similar). . Hopefully this will be sorted soon.
Words. Joy Gillett OAM CEO, Australian Rotary Health
At the meeting of the ARH Research Committee held in October, more than 100 applications for funding commencing in February 2026 and for up to three years were assessed. The committee selected and recommended to the board of Australian Rotary Health 11 projects to be funded. These projects, all in the area of ‘Improving the Mental Health of 0-12 year olds’ were approved for funding.
As the first former Rotaractor to rise to the role of Rotary International president, Yinka Babalola sparked a powerful conversation with under-45s about shaping Rotary’s future.
WORDS Rebecca Fry. President Rotary Oceania RYLA Alumni Association Rotary Club of Social Impact Network
PHOTOS @rhysmartinphotographer
At the 2025 Rotary Zone 8 Conference, held on the Gold Coast 31 October to 2 November, something truly special happened. Rotary International President-elect Yinka Babalola asked a simple question: “Do you think we can bring all of the under 45s together for a conversation?” Of course, the answer was yes, and less than 24 hours later, around 25 Rotaractors and young Rotarians were in a room with Yinka for an inspiring hour-long conversation.
Once again, because Cilantro is still closed, the Club met for an evening of fellowship at the Bentleigh RSL. About 24 members and guests were in attendance and all enjoyed an excellent meal. I'm sure we will be going there again! Thanks Linda for organising venue.
I'm sorry I forgot to take photos until most had left - we were all enjoying each other's company so much (click Read More for a few pics).
Don't forget we are back at Cilantro this week - details and registration HERE.
As Editor of the Bulletin and responsible for the Club's website I am asking members to please consider sending me any news about events they may have attended on behalf of the Club or any project that is being undertaken by the Club.
I am very happy to convert your news into a story which will then appear in the Bulletin, but, more importantly, appear on our Website.
This will show any people coming to our Website what our Club is involved in and the projects we support.
So, please take some photographs and put together some words - I will do the rest. Please send me your photos in the highest resolution possible via email or WhatsApp. I will do the cropping etc. Please DO NOT send pics via SMS (MMS). These are next to useless.
Also, don't bother creating the article in Word or similar-just adds work. Just send the words and a few pics. I will do the rest.
This article is intended to help members register themselves and/or a guest to a Club event. Note, your are also expected to register your intention NOT to attend.
If an event is inviting members to register there will be a button with the word: "Members" below "Online Registration". refer image at left.
Note that you need to be already logged in as a member. As venues need to be advised of numbers PRIOR to the event, please register by noon on the day prior unless otherwise stated. If you are not a member, this page will not be of any help. It may still be possible to register for an event as a non member if the event is open to the public.
From the Calendar page here you can subscribe to the Club's event calendar.
This will result in the Club's calendar being added to your existing calendar subscriptions, thus ensuring that as an event is added (or modified) to the Club's calendar, it will appear on your phone, tablet etc. Calendars supported are Outlook, Google and Apple.
Take the link, Subscribe to Calendar, from the Calendar Page.
A point regarding the submission of images for the Bulletin and Website: Members are reminded that images have to meet a minimum size requirement, as has been specified for some time in the section at the bottom of this Bulletin. 820 pixels is the minimum size required with larger being better as this allows for cropping. The submission of images via MMS is NOT preferred as they are too small and of inferior quality. Email or Whatsapp is far superior.
Would any member like to take responsibility for the updating of the Club's Event Calendar? I have created a page of instructions here so it is very easy to take over.
Thank you, Ian Ballantine
I remind members that you are responsible for the information contained in the Club's database. This includes, birthdays, phone numbers, addresses etc etc. Even your own photo. You maintain this via this link.
Additionally, member's birthdays and anniversaries will no longer be listed in the Club Bulletin. This is to protect the privacy of members. This information is still available to members here.
Ian Ballantine
A reminder to members to keep checking the calendar of upcoming events for evening and perhaps, one day, daytime events.
Thank you for being a subscriber to our Weekly Club Bulletin. I try to have it published each week by Tuesday morning.
If you would like to have something included please contact me at editor@rotarybmc.org.au and attach, as separate files, the words and any images (jpg files are fine, minimum width 820 pixels). Please DO NOT send information as pdf files.
Ian Ballantine, Editor.
This Bulletin is sent to:
all current members (both active and honorary) of our Club.
subscribers. If you are a subscriber and wish to unsubscribe, please take the Unsubscibe link at the bottom of this email.
If you have found this Bulletin via the website and are not a subscriber but would like to be, please subscribe below.
Subscribe to Bulletin
Subscribe to our eBulletin and stay up to date on the latest news and events.
There will be a vote on this last one at the club meeting on the 25th of February as it exceeds the amount the the board can approve.
A new hub for peace and development in Asia
Clear water, clear minds: Safe water for Timor-Leste
Members may be interested in a documentary I came across on Netflix called "Join or Die".
Ron was our chairperson for today's club meeting at Cilantro. Guests included Bruno Santi, Michael Josem, and Gary Ramage.
Rêves de Gosse lands in Nouméa
Rotary’s alumni honoree works to transform mindsets in peacebuilding efforts
New research project grants approved
A turning point for Rotary’s future
Once again, because Cilantro is still closed, the Club met for an evening of fellowship at the Bentleigh RSL.
As Editor of the Bulletin and responsible for the Club's website I am asking members to please consider sending me any news about events they may have attended on behalf of the Club or any project that is being undertaken by the Club.
