Rotary Statement on the war against UkraineRotary supports UN General Assembly resolutions calling for an immediate ceasefire and withdrawal of Russian military forces from Ukraine. Read the full statement here: https://www.rotary.org/en/rotary-statement-on-war-against-ukraine Our Club is pleased to advise that we have donated $2000 to the Ukraine Appeal set up by Rotary Australia World Community Service (RAWCS). |
Maroubra Mental Health Unit Refurbishment The refurbishment of the Maroubra Center, part of the Prince of Wales Hospital, has now been completed, with significant funding support from the former Rotary Club of Randwick, just prior to its merger with the Rotary Club of Botany, to form the new Botany Randwick Club.The Maroubra Centre - ‘Inspiring Recovery’ refurbishment project was created by lived experienced mental health Peer Support Worker - Cheryl Wittingslow. The vision was to transform The Maroubra Centre, a community mental health centre which is part of Prince of Wales Hospital, into a trauma informed, calming, safe and empowering space for the clients of the service, staff and all who visit the centre |
ANZAC Day 2022 Members of the Rotary Club of Botany Randwick were proud to participate in two very moving ANZAC Day Dawn Services at Bondi and Coogee beaches, to commemorate the 107th Anniversary of the landing at Gallipoli by the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps, and to remember the sacrifice of members of our armed forces in subsequent conflicts.In a very moving service at Coogee Beach, attended by a capacity crowd of over 6000, members Richard Woodburn and Alan Segal, with Rotary Foundation Global Scholar Aya Murakami, laid the wreath on behalf of the Club. Alan was wearing the WW1 medals of his grandfather, who was decorated for bravery in the field, with the award of the Military Medal, presented by General Sir John Monash. Richard is a retired Lieutenant Colonel and a former Commanding Officer of the 21st Construction Regiment, Royal Australian Engineers. Our Honorary Member Aunty Barb also gave a very moving Welcome to Country at the very well attended commemoration at Bondi Beach.   |
ROMAC Wine Offer ROMAC Chair Harold Sharpe OAM has written to advise that his good friend, Bruce Tyrrell AM, has offered to help ROMAC once again, and has agreed to release some more of his popular DRINK NOW VATS wines especially for us.These are currently available to you at a very attractive price of just $110 per dozen - delivered direct to your door. By purchasing these wines, not only will you be able to enjoy a great drink, but you will also be helping change the lives of sick children from our neighbouring islands in the Oceania region, as a generous percentage of all sales will be donated to ROMAC. The wines are only available for a short period, so you are urged to order now and avoid disappointment by going to https://tyrrells.com.au/romac-drink-now-vats-offer/. |
District 9675 Conference The annual Rotary District Conference was very well attended by members of the Club. This major event on the Rotary calendar was held at The Warwick, Cabramatta over the weekend 18th to 20th March 2022.It featured a fantastic array of guest speakers covering Rotary and general interest topics, with plenty of time to mingle and meet with likeminded Rotarians from across the District over morning and afternoon teas, lunches and evening dinners. The Conference was a reminder that Rotary is a lot more than activities and projects at Club level. The combined resources of Rotary Clubs achieve incredible results at District and International levels, many of which were showcased at the Conference. |
Welcome Aya The Rotary Club of Botany Randwick is very pleased to welcome Aya Murakami to Sydney. Aya, from Japan, will study a Master of Laws at the University of NSW, sponsored by the Rotary Foundation's Global Scholar Program. The focus of her studies with be on peacebuilding and conflict resolution. Our Club has joined with the Rotary Club of Nara, in Japan, in sponsoring Aya. The purpose of the Rotary Global Scholarship program is to further international understanding and peaceful relations among people of different races, nationalities, ethnicities, and religions while pursuing an approved program of graduate study at an institution of higher education in a foreign country. |
Tonga appeal and Fiji Holiday opportunity The Rotary Club of Botany Randwick has donated $1000 the Rotary Australia World Community Service (RAWCS) project to to provide funds for humanitarian programs to assist the people in Tonga recover from the volcano and tsunami disaster.Rotary Australia World Community Service (RAWCS) will be working with Rotary New Zealand World Community Service (RNZWCS) and Rotary Club of Nuku'alofa (Tonga) in providing aid and assistance to the affected communities and restoring their livelihoods. The aim is to get Tonga back to normality as soon as possible so that they can look after their own communities again. The Club will also continue its association with the Its Time Raffle, with tickets selling at  $10 a ticket for 1, with a generous discount for purchase of multiple tickets and use the funds raised to further support the people of Tonga.Our Club retains 50% of the sale of the tickets, with all these funds being further donated to the RAWCS Tonga Appeal. 40% of the funds raised will go to Its Time Foundation in Fiji (Solar Schools Project) and 10% to Plastic Free Oceans, an Its Time Foundation initiative. To purchase tickets, go to https://itstime.org/Home/RafflePage/105516 |
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World Polio Day 24 October Polio, or poliomyelitis, is a paralyzing and potentially deadly infectious disease that most commonly affects children under the age of 5. The virus spreads from person to person, typically through contaminated water. It can then attack the nervous system.Rotary has been working to eradicate polio for more than 35 years. Our goal of ridding the world of this disease is closer than ever. As a founding partner of the Global Polio Eradication Initiative, we've reduced polio cases by 99.9 percent since our first project to vaccinate children in the Philippines in 1979. Rotary members have contributed more than $2.1 billion and countless volunteer hours to protect nearly 3 billion children in 122 countries from this paralyzing disease. Rotary’s advocacy efforts have played a role in decisions by governments to contribute more than $10 billion to the effort. The Rotary Club of Botany Randwick has actively supported this effort with regular donations over many years. Today, polio remains endemic only in Afghanistan and Pakistan. But it’s crucial to continue working to keep other countries polio-free. If all eradication efforts stopped today, within 10 years, polio could paralyze as many as 200,000 children each year. |
RYLA 2022RYLA (Rotary Youth Leadership Award) is a leadership program for young people aged 18 to 25. Participants are chosen for their leadership potential with their expenses covered by the Club. The event takes the form of a camp to discuss leadership skills and to learn those skills through practice. RYLA is a life-changing program, providing an incredible opportunity to develop yourself as a leader alongside 75 participants. This will be a week of your life that you’ll never forget, and we’d love you to be involved! The next RYLA Program will be conducted by District 9675 from 3 to 9 January 2022 at Stanwell Tops. For more information and an Application Form see https://www.rotarydistrict9675.org/page/ryla |
Like to win a tropical holiday for when COVID travel restrictions lift?The Rotary Club of Botany Randwick was invited by the Rotary Club of Corrimal in Wollongong to participate in a fund raising raffle at $20 a ticket for 1, with a generous discount for purchase of multiple tickets.Our Club retains 50% of the sale of the tickets, with 40% going to Its Time Foundation in Fiji (Solar Schools Project) and 10% to Plastic Free Oceans, an Its Time Foundation initiative. This raffle has now been drawn - thank you for your support. to view the winner: https://iitime.org/raffle-drawn-2021-12-20/ The $1103 proceeds of this raffle will support the Club's local and international projects. Refer to the "Our Projects" pages on our website for more information. |
Graffiti Removal Day 2021The aim of Graffiti Removal Day is to highlight the problem of graffiti across NSW  and encourage people to volunteer their time to remove and prevent graffiti. Since Graffiti Removal Day was established in 2012, volunteers have removed 141,000sqm of graffiti, saving our community about $10.40 million. The Rotary Club of Botany Randwick is pleased to have been part of this important service to our community. After initial preparation works completed, the paint out was completed in just over an hour. The scope of works accomplished by seven volunteers was a warehouse roller door, adjoining brickwork wall, a galvanised fence, the adjacent walls and stairwell leading to a walkway to Hale Street, Botany. A great community project! |
Timor Leste At our meeting on 29 April we were honoured to have as our guests the Consul General, Timor Leste, His Excellency Luciano Valentim da Conceico and Judy Charnaud OAM, OZ Green Program Manager Timor Leste. They provided us with an overview of the political and community situation of the region. Judy also spoke of the the work she is doing in Oecussi Province, an enclave sitting remote from the rest of Timor Leste, within Indonesian West Timor. Our Club has been supporting her endeavours with donations for water supply projects and the Green Games. |
ANZAC Day 2021Members of the Rotary Club of Botany Randwick were proud to participate in two very moving Dawn Services, at Botany and Coogee, to commemorate the 106th Anniversary of the landing at Gallipoli by the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps, and to remember the sacrifice of members of our armed forces. In a very moving service at Coogee Beach, President Christine, supported by members Alan and Richard, laid the wreath. Alan was wearing the WW1 medals of his grandfather, who was decorated for bravery in the field, with the award of the Military Medal, presented by General Sir John Monash. Richard is a retired Lieutenant Colonel and a former Commanding Officer of the 21st Construction Regiment, Royal Australian Engineers. At Booralee Park, Botany, the club was represented by members Rohan and "Aunty" Barb. Barb also gave the Welcome to Country at the ceremony and later at the breakfast at the Botany Golf Club. |
Kekeli Foundation, GhanaEarlier this year the  Rotary Club of Botany Randwick was pleased to provide a donation to the Rotary Club of Norwich in the UK, to further their project in support of the Kekeli Foundation in Ho, Ghana. The two Clubs have a close connection through Rita Douglas, a member of the Norwich Club who has family in Sydney and regularly visits (at least pre-COVID) the Botany Randwick Club. Good progress is being made as this photo of the new preschool/ kindergarten building shows. It's coming along well. |
Australia Day 2021In recognition of the massive challenges that have faced our front line workers over the  past twelve months, members of Rotary Clubs across District 9675 are distributing lamingtons to our hardworking hospital staff on Australia Day. Members of the Rotary Club of Botany Randwick distributed some 1300 lamingtons to staff at Prince of Wales Hospital, Sydney Children's Hospital and Sydney Women’s Hospital. Here are some of the grateful staff from the Delivery Ward of the Royal Hospital for Women receiving their lamingtons from Rotary members Christine, June and Greg. |
Rotarians HonouredFive local Rotarians were recognised for their service to Rotary and the Community on the occasion of ou recent Inaugural Dinner.  Recognised as Paul Harris Fellows were:
As they are already Paul Harris Fellows, the following were recognised with Sapphire Pins to their existing awards:
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Peace Fellows Dinner 3 Feb 2021 - Cancelled Due to COVID restrictions on interstate travel, it now appears very unlikely that our two Peace Scholars, Rachel and Molly, will be able to travel from Brisbane to Sydney, so unfortunately we have had to cancel this function. Hopefully alternative arrangements can be made at a later date. Refunds will be made to those who have already made their payment.******** ******** ******** ******** The Rotary Club of Botany Randwick Inc. is delighted to announce that a very special dinner will be held in Randwick on the evening of 3 February 2021. Two Rotary Peace Fellows, as well as a Youth Exchange student currently studying in Brisbane, will be our guests. Rachel and Molly are two Rotary Peace Fellows from the US who are currently undertaking a Master of Peace and Conflict course at the University of Queensland. This is one of five Rotary International sponsored courses conducted across the globe. Members of Rotary and interested community members are all very welcome to come along and hear their inspirational talks. For further information and details, read on ... |
Support to Little Heroes The Rotary Club of Botany Randwick is delighted to support the Little Heroes Swim Academy with a donation of $4,940 for filtration equipment for their new swimming pool. The Grant was provided in conjunction with The Rotary Foundation, which also provided $4,560. The joint donation was presented to Little Heroes CEO Tracey Ayton by Rotary District Governor Warwick Richardson on the occasion of the Club's Inaugural Dinner.This Rotary Grant will provide the cleanest and most sanitized water for the health and wellbeing of the students and staff. This is paramount at all times but with the introduction of COVID to the world it is even more relevant. Whilst it is important for the chemical composition of the water to be correct, it is equally as important to make sure that the water is not too harsh on skin and also the airways of the students. The system chosen for the centre allows this to be managed and to find the perfect balance for both. It is also a system that is constantly monitored and alerts sent out if there is a wrong reading in the pool. |
Inaugural Dinner 27 Nov 2020The Inaugural Dinner of the Rotary Club of Botany Randwick Inc. was held on 27 November 2020. Inaugural President Christine Ba  ramilis was pleased to welcome official guests Rotary District Governor Warwick Richardson, Matt Thistlethwaite, Federal Member for Kingsford Smith, Ron Hoenig, State Member for Heffron, and representatives from a range of community organisations, neighbouring Rotary Clubs, as well as our own members and their guests, to the Inaugural Dinner held at The Randwick Club. The new Rotary Club resulted from the amalgamation of the Rotary Clubs of Randwick and Botany Bay, both of whom have been active in their local communities for many, many years. With the Randwick Club formed in 1949 and Botany Bay in 1960, those present heard about the wonderful support that these former clubs have provided to both their local and wider communities. They have laid an impressive foundation on which the new Club can build into the future. |
Much needed furniture for Sydney Childrens' Hospital School The Sydney Childrens' Hospital School came to the attention of the Rotary Club of Botany Randwick when it provided significant support to a long term Rotary Oceania Medical Aid for Children (ROMAC) patient from the Solomon Islands who was undergoing long-term treatment at Sydney Children’s Hospital.Over many years, numerous ROMAC children have benefited from attendance at the School at no cost to ROMAC or Rotary. It is a great example of mutual support between Rotary and the School. The School provides education for children undergoing long term treatment at the Sydney Children’s Hospital. The school enrols inpatients, outpatients (unable to attend their census school) and siblings of patients where the whole family have either temporarily relocated to Sydney for their child’s treatments. |
Mourine - Another ROMAC Miracle 14-Year-old Mourine Kikisia from the remote Solomon Island of Vella Lavella has spent nearly twelve months in Randwick undergoing life saving medical treatment. Mourine had developed a large mass on her neck, the size of a small football and doctors in the Solomon Islands were unable to treat her. With the support of Rotary Oceania Medical Aid for Children (ROMAC) and local Rotarians she was successfully treated at the Sydney Children's Hospital at Randwick.Whilst the tumour was found to be benign, it was "strangling" other vital organs, and could well have proved fatal without treatment. It posed a significant challenge for the medical staff who liaised with international colleagues in search of a cure. With a maze of blood vessels and nerves throughout, there was a major risk of Mourine being permanently disabled or disfigured. After nearly six months of chemotheraphy to stop the growth of the mass, it was finally removed in a very successful nine-hour operation. Then followed several months of radiotheraphy to ensure removal of any remnants. |
The Rotary Club of Botany Randwick Inc is very pleased to award a number of fantastic local Community Service Organisations with Grants to help them serve those in need. Congratulations to