Our next meeting will be 6:00pm for 6:30pm on Wednesday 28 January at the Graphic Arts Club, 182 Coward Street, Mascot 2020.
Visitors are very welcome - please make yourself known at the bar!
Membership Fees are now due
President's Message
Welcome to this Newsletter of the Rotary Club of Botany Randwick Inc. Our club has been serving the local and international community since 1948.
Rotary promotes the ideal of service through fellowship. Attending our meetings allows members to enjoy the fellowship of other club members, enrich their professional and personal knowledge, and meet other business leaders in their community.
As a Club we support a wide range of projects. As well as having a broad range of local and international community projects, we are particularly focused on the Rotary projects, Australian Rotary Health, Rotary Australia World Community Service (RAWCS) and Rotary Oceania Medical Aid for Children (ROMAC) together with The Rotary Foundation.
We welcome everyone to come along to any of our meetings to join in the fellowship and to learn more about what we do.
Speaker at this meeting will be Dr Vanessa Pirotta.
Vanessa is working collaboratively with the Gamay Rangers to merge First Nations knowledge with science. This project is aimed at monitoring marine mammals on Sea Country and connecting community with our blue backyard of Sydney, Australia.
She is:-
Wildlife scientist (PhD whales and dolphins)
Science communicator
Woman in STEM/STEAM
Children’s author
Premier's NSW Woman of Excellence 2025
TEDx speaker
Australian Financial Review 100 Women of Influence
Superstar of STEM, Science & Technology Australia
Antarctic Science Foundation Ambassador
Founder of Wild Sydney Harbour citizen science program
Speaker at the United Nations, Rome, Italy
Vessel operator
It should be a very interesting evening and you are welcome to bring someone with you.
Afterwards we will adjourn to the Graphic Arts Club Restaurant for dinner, drink and a casual chat.
Our last meeting - 28 January
With many members away during the holiday season, we haqd a relaxed meeting and leant a lot about what Rotary is all about, and the opportunities it presents to do good in the world
Member Richard covered the following areas.
At Club level - Community, International, Youth, Club Service activities.
The role of District, and its various service project committees, leadership support, etc including District Conference, Assembly, PETS refer https://rotarydistrict9675.org/
National projects such as Australian Rotary Health, RAWCS (Overseas Aid Projects) and ROMAC - Rotary Oceania Medical Aid for Children
The Rotary Foundation and the opportunity for major projects
Rotary Fellowships covering a multitude of interest areas
We were also honored with a visit by our District Governor Renga Rajan and his wife Bharathi.
Renga spoke about the upcoming District Conference to be held at the Novotel Brighton-le-Sands on 14 March, and encouraged all members to attend what will be a great day and evening.
We also welcomed back Alma from the Rotary Club of Shk Dra in Albania, who is in Sydney visiting her daughter.
Since the last meeting …
At the Board Meeting on 21 January, the Board approved a significant donation to the Bukono Primary School Project. Refer to the story under for more details of this great initiative.
Sydney Airport
We are extremely thankful for the support of Sydney Airport Corporation, where we have our donation bins in various places around the terminals. These provide the much-needed funds to support many of our projects.
Please set aside 29 March, when we will again support the BBQ at Ronald McDonald House in support of their “Walk Me Home” fundraiser. We had a great day at this event last year! More details to follow.
2nd and 4th Wednesdays of the month at the Graphic Arts Club,
182 Coward Street,
Mascot.
6pm for pre-meeting drinks and chat. The meeting, with dinner, starts at 6:30pm and normally concludes by 8:30pm.
This project, by the Rotary Club of Botany Randwick (District 9675, Australia) in partnership with the Rotary Club of Kampala City (District 9213, Uganda), aims to renovate existing dilapidated classroom blocks and construct two new classrooms at Bukono Primary School in Namutumba District, Eastern Uganda.
The school, originally established in the 1920s, now serves over 1,500 students in severely overcrowded and unsafe learning conditions.
The proposed works will include the repair and replastering of existing classrooms, construction of two new brick classrooms with iron roofing, painting, and installation of water harvesting systems.
The initiative will be implemented by AMPE Foundation Africa (Uganda) under the supervisory oversight of the Rotary Club of Kampala City, ensuring transparency, accountability, and sustainable community ownership. Local community members will contribute labour, sand, and bricks, while Rotary and AMPE Foundation will provide funding, coordination, and governance.
Upon completion, the improved facilities will directly benefit over 300 students and indirectly impact more than 1,500 families in the surrounding villages.
Every month is dedicated to one of the major themes of our Rotary lives.
February is PEACE AND CONFLICT RESOLUTION Month
The month of February is very special in the Rotary calendar because it includes the anniversary of the first meeting of Rotary held on February 23, 1905, in Chicago. That day is now designated as the "World Understanding and Peace Day".
On February 23 Rotary celebrates the 109th anniversary of the first Rotary club meeting. This is an opportunity for Rotary clubs and districts to promote Rotary’s public image.
The Four Way Test
The Four-Way Test is a non-partisan, non-sectarian ethical guide for Rotarians to use for their personal and professional relationships.
Of the things we think, say or do:
Is it the TRUTH?
Is it FAIR to all concerned?
Will it build GOODWILL and BETTER FRIENDSHIPS?
Will it be BENEFICIAL to all concerned?
To contact the Club, please email info@botanyrandwickrotary.org.au
Our next meeting will be 6:00pm for 6:30pm on Wednesday 28 January
