Tuesday lunch remains our standard meeting time however check Upcoming Events & Rotary News for variations & booking links. The Club meets at various Sydney venues, virtually & has a wide range of social events. Contact us: office@sydneyrotary.com
Past District Governor and Past President Garry Browne appointed as Chair of the Australian War Memorial ANZAC Foundation
It is with great pleasure that we share the news of the appointment of Garry Browne AM as Chair for the Australian War Memorial Anzac Foundation, which connects leadership with the legacy of Australia's military history and ANZAC spirit.
The role is focused on:
preserving the legacy of those who served in the Australian and New Zealand armed forces
the importance of safeguarding the memorial’s traditions
advancing remembrance initiatives, and
securing funds to maintain the memorial’s role in national consciousness.
An important part of the role is guiding fundraising efforts, vital to maintaining and expanding the foundation’s programs.
This includes engaging with corporate sponsors, philanthropists, and the public to support the Memorial's exhibitions, educational outreach, and veteran support programs.
Ensuring that future generations connect with the ANZAC legacy through digital platforms, outreach and events are a key focus, as is fostering ongoing support for veterans and their families.
The responsibility extends beyond commemoration and involves securing resources to keep the Memorial vibrant and relevant for generations to come.
Let us all congratulate Garry on this prestigious appointment and pledge ourselves to supporting Garry and the goals and values of the Foundation.
The Rotary Club of Sydney is proud to have such notable Business and Community Leaders as members of our club.
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Celebrating Our Members
Member Birthdays
Kuldeep Thombre
November 10
Iurie Brinister
November 19
Join Date
Alex Shaw OAM
November 1, 1991
33 years
Col Westman
November 1, 1989
35 years
Jeff Mansfield
November 1, 1991
33 years
Ned Boyce
November 1, 1983
41 years
Paul St. Clair
November 1, 1990
34 years
Anthony Le Marchant
November 8, 2011
13 years
John Stark
November 13, 2012
12 years
Roni Corne
November 19, 2003
21 years
Ulrike Straka
November 24, 2023
1 year
James Allen
November 25, 2003
21 years
Happy birthday to all members.
Congratulations on your Rotary anniversary and thank you for the work you do in Rotary and in your community.
Rotary Club of Sydney Newsletter - 1st October 2024
September kicked of with the MS Megaswim 2024. Held at the Olympic Aquatic Centre at Homebush and supported in and out of the water by Sydney Rotary. Our thanks to those members that helped out in support of a wonderful cause. Special mentions to Sydney Rotarians Garry Browne, Roni Corne, Mark Dyer, Iurie Brinister, and Ned Boyce.
We held two lunch events at The Castlereagh Hotel.
On the 3rd September we inducted the CEO of PCYC Ben Hobby as an Honorary member, awarded a Paul Harris Fellow Awards and celebrated our long partnership with PCYC NSW.
On the 17th September our Peace Building Group hosted a special lunch event where a number of Rotary Peace Scholars and Rotary Peace Activators shared their stories with us.
Unfortunately, attendance was lower than expected and yet our Club Survey, for those who responded, tells us that Lunch Events are popular. Go figure?
Maybe it is the "Catch 22", people will not attend unless we have a prominent speaker and yet we cannot attract prominent speakers unless we can be assured of good attendances.
The solution is simple I ask all members to show up regardless of the speaker or topic. By showing up and supporting your Club we can build up our numbers and start to attract even more prominent speakers. The solution is in your hands!
Make sure you regularly visit our website at www.sydneyrotary.com, look up the plethora of events we have lined up for you over the coming months and register. That includes the Rotary NSW Police Officer of the Year Awards 2024.
On November 1st is the Rotary NSW Police Officer of the Year Awards. The Rotary Club of Sydney through the tireless work of P.P. John Given have been key to organising this event since 2010. John, as you would know, is battling lung cancer. Let's make this event a special one by turning up in numbers. Book now and show your appreciation for the terrific people that make up NSW Police and the work they do. Proceeds go to Police Legacy and our Benevolent Fund.
Lets have a great night out, do not forget to enter Rotary Club of Sydney into the organisation field so we can all be sat together on the night! Book here.
Another important event and one we ask members to put their full support behind is the
The Vision Beyond AUS Indian Dinner
You are exclusively invited to the fundraising and fellowship dinner for Vision Beyond AUS on Friday 25 October 2024.
We look forward to strong support from our Sydney Rotary members and friends of this annual fundraising and social event. Our club helped establish Vision Beyond AUS.
Please join us to experience 3 delicious courses of authentic delights of South Indian cuisine, created by Head Chef, Vijayan Ramasamy, whose experience spans over 24 years worldwide.
Vision Beyond AUS works in India, Myanmar, Cambodia and Nepal to provide operations and train local people.
Each operation costs just $35.00, with every dollar going to operations and training – no money is deducted for administration. All administration is done by Fiducian Group Ltd, a Sydney Rotary sponsor, free of charge.
Eye surgeons from Australia regularly travel to the four countries and pay all their own accommodation and travel expenses – again, so that all funds pay for operations and training.
More than 90% of people living with visual impairment cannot work and either totally rely on their families to support them or are discarded, to live and beg on the streets. Their life expectancy drops to one-third of the average for their age group.
Whilst Vision Beyond AUS is now an independent charity the support it receives from Sydney Rotary continues.
Thank you and have a great month. Regards Glenn
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1st Sept 2024, MS Megaswim 2024
Congratulations to all the MS Mega Swim participants. And thank you to the wonderful Rotarians from Padstow and Strathfield clubs who joined us at the annual MS MEGA SWIM fundraiser held at the Sydney Olympic Park Aquatic Centre.
MS affects 33 thousand Australians. Funds raised on the day go to MS 'Go for Gold' scholarships one-off grants open to people living with multiple sclerosis who wish to follow a dream.
The Rotary Tumble Turns Team powered by Fiducian smash their target!
Our Rotary Tumble Turns , powered by our platinum supporter Fiducian has so far raised over $5,700, well ahead of their target of $4,000, well done Garry Brown, Mark Dyer and Roni Corne.
Get out your credit cards and add to their total, they put in a marathon effort and have done Rotary proud by putting "Service above Self". Let's do them proud! Donate here. Don't be that Sydney Rotary member that didn't donate!
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21st and 22nd September Boxing NSW State Titles
Over the weekend of 21st and 22nd of September I attended the Boxing NSW State Finals at PCYC South Sydney. This could be the last major event held at the current PCYC Club premises in the heart of Redfern as the building is due to be demolished later this year to make way for a multipurpose building with space dedicated to a new PCYC Club premise.
The picture is of Marlon Sevehon of PCYC Woolloomooloo after he won the semi-final on the Saturday. Marlon went on to win the Final on the Sunday.
Overall the PCYC Woolloomooloo Boxing Team won 5 Gold and 2 Silver medals. An outstanding performance.
These are the same people that have provided volunteers to help out at our ANZAC Day BBQ for the last few years!
We send our heartfelt congratulations to Tom Tefler, Club Manager, and everyone in the Boxing Team. A respectful and dedicated group of boys and girls we can be proud of.
For those who don't know. In 1937 Sydney Rotary helped fund the build of the very first PCYC Club in Woolloomooloo. The PCYC NSW City of Sydney Club still stands stands on the same site today.
If you are not a member of one of our Committees then why not consider the Youth Committee, find out more about the great work they do with PCYC, the Youth Enrichment Scholarships, RYLA, RYPEN and many other worthy causes that we support. If you care about our youth this is your opportunity to make a positive impact. Contact Kaila Cruz, Chair of our Youth Committee directly or reach out to me and I will put you in touch.
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3rd September - Celebrating our Youth with PCYC
Our newest member Kuldeep Thombre being Inducted with the help of P.P. Mark Dyer
Anne Larter of PCYC Redfern receiving her Paul Harris Fellow
PCYC NSW CEO Ben Hobby, centre, inducted as an Honorary Member
On the 3rd September we held a very special lunch event celebrating our long standing partnership with PCYC NSW.
Starting with some very important Club Business we inducted our newest member Kuldeep Thombre. If you haven't met Kuldeep yet why not introduce yourself to him. His contact details are in Clubrunner or better still attend some of our upcoming events for New and Prospective Members. Details can be found on our home page at www.sydneyrotary.com or at the bottom of this bulletin.
We awarded a well deserved Paul Harris Fellow to Anne Larter who has provided years of dedicated service to the youth at the PCYC Club in Redfern. Her tireless efforts to provide friendship, support and to provide healthy food to a largely Indigenous community is outstanding. Finally we inducted the CEO of PCYC Ben Hobby as an Honorary member continuing what is now a tradition.
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17th September, Celebrating Peace & Our Global Impact
Cherelyn Suzuki reviving old memories
P.P. David Hirsch
Patricia Garcia of IEP
In honour of the International Day of Peace, we invited you to a special Rotary Sydney lunch dedicated to our ongoing commitment to building a more peaceful world.
Held in the Cellos room at the Castlereagh Hotel this event showcased our role in promoting peace through the support of Rotary Peace Scholarships and Rotary Peace Activators.
Our special guests and speakers on the day included
Patricia Garcia (Rotary Peace Fellow/Institute for Economics and Peace)
Mark Notaras (Rotary Peace Fellow and Rotary Oceania Positive Peace Activator)
Alfred Mupenzi (Rotary Peace Fellow and Rotary Oceania Positive Peace Activator)
Melanie Morrison (Sydney Peace Foundation)
Jane Fulton (Sydney Peace Foundation)
Cherelyn Suzuki (Rotarian – Rotary Club of Norwest Sunrise and past Sydney Rotary member)
Rotary Club of Norwest (Norwest is the latest Australian Rotary Peace Builder Club)
Please note that our guests included a delegation from the Sydney Peace Foundation and we are now working to formalise our partnership with them and we look forward to collaborating on projects and events with the SPF.
The Cellos Room at the Castlereagh Hotel
With conflicts escalating around the world our work is of more importance than ever. If you are not a member of a committee yet and have an interest in building a peaceful society then consider joining the Peace Building Group, contact P.P. David Hirsch or myself for more details. Make a positive difference, it's what we as Rotarians do!
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Rotary Club of Sydney Survey 2024
Thankyou to those members, fewer than I would have liked, who took the time to respond to our club survey.
I will report on this in our next bulletin and include what actions we are planning to take.
However, remember it is no point in your Board identifying the actions that are needed to address the matters you have raised unless you put your hand up to be part of the solution.
The club needs you to engage. Change starts with each and everyone of us.
Our thanks to Victoria Hollick for organising and executing the Survey. Anybody interested in helping to grow our Social Media presence and contribute to our Website and other media please contact Victoria or myself. The Communications Action team needs more members.