Welcome to the Rotary Club of Botany Randwick Inc.

Are you an established professional who wants to make positive changes in your community and the world? Our members share a passion for combining community service and friendship. Becoming a member connects you with a diverse group who share your drive to give back.

RYPEN August 2023

RYPEN, The Rotary Youth Program of Enrichment, is for young people aged 14 to 16 years, and caters for teenagers who have shown qualities and application in everyday life which deserve further development.

RYPEN uses the common bonds of learning, co-operation, and friendship to design activities which facilitate trust and self-esteem. RYPEN seeks to broaden each participant’s horizons culturally, socially, and academically, providing the inner foundations for a strong future.

The Rotary

Club of Botany Randwick was pleased to sponsor Oliver, Luke and Omar to a recent RYPEN weekend run by the District 9675 RYPEN Committee.

Our members Paul and Greg drove Oliver and Luke to the Telford Camp in the Royal National Park, just south of Sydney. They were the first to arrive, so everything was being established for the weekend, which was great as the boys had first 'dibs' on their choice of room. Haydn, on his 2nd secondment as a RYPEN Peer Support representing University of Wollongong Rotaract Club showed the boys around the facilities. All the leaders had participated in RYLA earlier in the year. Our third Randwick Boys HS participant, Omar, was driven to the camp by his father.

The boys were excellent candidates - they joined in all the varied activities with enthusiasm and made great connections with other the other participants from all over Southern and South Western Sydney and the Illawarra. Omar had a leading role in the “photo scavenger hunt” as one of the challenges was to obtain a photo with him.

All parents joined the camp for the Sunday BBQ lunch and awards presentation, which concluded the camp activities.

Project Support

The Rotary Club of Botany Randwick actively supports a wide range of very worthwhile projects locally and internationally.

September 2023

Donations to The Rotary Foundation, including the Polio Program, Rotary Oceania Medical Aid for Children (ROMAC) and Australian Rotary Health

August 2023

Sponsorship of three students from Randwick Boys High to a RYPEN personal development weekend
Member Brigit represented the Club as a Marshall for the annual City to Surf race, earning valuable income for the Club

July 2023

Support to Little Heroes Swimming Academy with a hole sponsorship for their Golf Day
Commitment to assist Project Kindness in their purchase of a vehicle

June 2023

Provided gym equipment for the Maroubra Centre, a Community Mental Health Centre

May 2023

Support for ROMAC patients
- Senri, from the Solomon Islands, undergoing treatment for burns at Sydney Children's Hospital, Randwick
- Isileli, from Tonga, undergoing treatment for a respiratory issue at The Children's Hospital at Westmead
Sponsorship of three students on Windeward Bound sailing from Sydney to Brisbane
Sponsorship of two students to a weekend Rotary Youth Program of Enrichment (RYPEN), a personal development opportunity
Support for South Eastern Sydney Community Connect

April 2023

Donations to the Ukraine Crisis Appeal
Donations to The Rotary Foundation, including the Polio Fund
Donations to Australian Rotary Health and Rotary Oceania Medical Aid for Children
Anzac Dat wreath laying

March 2023

Indigenous Health Scholarship through Australian Rotary Health

February 2023

Care and support for Melenaite, a baby from Tonga undergoing treatment at Sydney Children's Hospital under the ROMAC Program

January 2023

Sponsorship of a room at Ronald McDonald House, to provide accommodation for families from regional areas whilst their children are receiving treatment at the Sydney Children's Hospital.
Our applicant, Theo, attends the National Youth Science Forum

Sgt Robert Ricketts RAAF

We have been contacted by the Rotary Club of Grangemouth in Scotland to advise our Club of their remembrance of Sgt Robert Ricketts, originally from Mascot, but who was killed when his Spitfire crashed during World War 2.

Dr Tom McMorrow writes:

I write on behalf of the President of Grangemouth Rotary Club, of Central Scotland. The purpose of writing is to bring to your attention an event of some significance in the eyes of Grangemouth people: in WW2, many Australians, as you know, made their way to Britain to help save this country when it was under Nazi attack.

One of those Australians was Sgt Robert Joseph Prior Ricketts of Mascot, NSW. Sergeant Ricketts trained as a Spitfire pilot, of 58 Operational Training Unit, here at RAF Grangemouth, in the middle of WW2. He was about to be sent to a frontline Squadron but his Spitfire got into difficulties over the aerodrome and he was fatally injured in the resultant crash. Sgt Ricketts was just 19. His death occurred on 10th June 1943.

He was the son of Frederick Ernest Ricketts and Mrs Florence Ricketts. He had a brother but we do not know identifying details of his sibling.

I am writing to let you know that yesterday, on the 80th anniversary of the boy’s death, Grangemouth Rotary Club and the Air Cadets (aged 12-18) of 1333 (Grangemouth Spitfire) Squadron, planted young flowers on his War Grave. On Armistice Sunday, the Air Cadets will attend his graveside again and place a cross there (as they do for the 71 Spitfire pilots of Australia and other nations) every year.

This year was a special one for Sgt Ricketts whose Commonwealth War Grave is well tended by the CWG Commission, by we local people, and by the young Air Cadets.

We do not know whether young Sgt Ricketts has surviving kin in Mascot but we do want you to know that his final resting-place is cared for here, 80 years on.

With kindest regards, and with the best wishes of our Club President, Alison Meikle,

We have not been able to identify any of Sgt Ricketts Next of Kin but brought this to the attention of the RSL and RAAF. If any member has further knowledge of the Ricketts family, please let Christine or Richard know.

Maroubra Centre

The Rotary Club of Botany Randwick is very pleased to have the opportunity to support the Maroubra Centre, a Community Mental Health facility and part of the South East Sydney Local Health Service. The Centre has a client base, that extends throughout the Eastern Suburbs, of over 800 people and has a dedicated team of professional and caring staff to support their needs.

Community Mental Health Services are distinct from inpatient mental health services and play a vital role in supporting people between 18 to 65 years old with a severe mental illness and psychiatric disability throughout the recovery process.

Community Mental Health Services support people with psychiatric disability to manage their self-care, improve social and relationship skills and achieve broader quality of life via physical health, social connectedness, housing, education and employment.

We were able to donate a range of much needed gym equipment to assist the Exercise Physiology team.

They have already received some really positive feedback from the participants. We look forward to representatives attending one of our meetings in August to further elaborate on the role of the Centre.

The Year in Reflection - President Christine's Report

History

To give a very brief history about our club – Botany and Randwick merged in June 2020. Both clubs have a very long history in the community being formed in the 1940’s.

After our merger we were affected by Covid, and like everyone we had two very difficult years. However we kept it together and here we are today a growing club which attracted 5 new members in the previous year, 7 members this Rotary year and an additional five being inducted tonight. We have more leads to follow up on.

Achievements and changes

Apart from growing a stronger membership base there have also been changes to the committee structure. Ken has taken on the membership portfolio and also the guest speaker roll from Aya, our Rotary Foundation Global Scholar. Phillip Paraggio has become our Club Services person. Peter Hamer and Warwick have taken on International and David Woodward Youth.

Our emblem has been completed during this year, and we now have two banners which look fantastic symbolising the area of the Eastern Suburbs and Botany Bay that we represent.