Latest News

Footscray Community Bike Shed

In 2014 the Rotary Club of Footscray, in partnership with the Maribyrnong City Council established the Footscray Community Bike Shed. The aim was to service/repair pre-loved bikes, donated from the community, and then give to refugees, asylum seekers and other adults and kids who are in need. Helmets, lights and locks are also provided so that recipients are fully prepared. This program is meeting a community need by providing cheap and sustainable form of transport and aiding the physical and mental Health for refugee & asylum seeker. The Bike Shed provides a site for socialising and meeting / visiting new friends. The success of the program has been largely due to a band of enthusiastic volunteers providing over 1000 hours of work per year.

Over the period 2014-18 over 500 bikes have been distributed to recipients from 28 different countries

The program supports various agencies including: NewHope/Micare, Cohealth, the ASRC, AMES, Shine4 kids, Welcome West Wagon, Red Cross, BaptCare, Amnesty International.

Recycled Playgrounds

News from Peter Crib (RC of Flemington), leader of the Rotary Overseas Recycled Playgrounds (RORP) program.

“Another playground has opened in Sri Lanka. This one from Lake Reserve in Ocean Grove has been re-installed at this Buddhist Primary school in Lunuwila, Sri Lanka. The work involved was undertaken by the Rotary Club of Negombo and they chose this site as the school is poor and unable to provide anything of this nature.
With the playgrounds sent or committed to be harvest, the total now exceeds 50 playgrounds. The bulk have gone to Sri Lanka with three to Timor and one to the Philippines and one to Tanzania. We expect the arrangement with Sri Lanka to continue beyond the original planned 40, for the needs of Timor and the Phillipines to grow and a request for a trial shipment to Nepal (where there are 142 Rotary Clubs) to expand into an arrangement like that with Sri Lanka. The need remains.
The project is greatly indebted to participating Councils, contractors and manufacturers. So many are even more committed than the Rotary Team!! Their help has been extraordinary.”
Great work Peter.

DIK Celebration

The Rotary Club of Footscray is a supporter of DIK (Donations in Kind) and is delighted that DIK will shortly celebrate the shipment of the 600th container of goods benefiting needy causes at various locations overseas.
Saturday 29th of February 10.00 - 3.00
Shed 39 / 400 Somerville Road, West Footscray
Food and drink will be available
Please RSVP for catering purposes to:
dik.vic.rotary@gmail. com

International Women's Day Breakfast

Alisha our exchange student along with Ashley (our NYSF student) and Margaret(who also attended NYSF) joined club members at the Women in Rotary "International Women's Day Breakfast" at Crown Palladium Ballroom this morning.

Because of Rotary....

Because of Rotary, these three wonderful young women got to meet each other, share experiences and create a continuing friendship.

COVID-19 Crisis

COVID-19 crisis
Footscray Rotarians
The board had decided that it would be prudent and in the best care of everyone involved to cancel this Thursday's Rotary Meeting.
We will also cancel both of our April Rotary meetings.
We will review the situation at the end of April and let you know what is happening.
Please make the effort to stay in touch with one another by phone.
Suzanne
Suzanne Zammit - President

Changeover

Alisha returns home

Because of COVID-19 it was necessary for our exchange student Alisha Braeker to return to her family in Switzerland on Tuesday. We wish her well and thank her for being part of our club over recent months. What a pity we were unable to farewell her in the traditional manner at a club meeting.

African region declared free of wild poliovirus

Rotary and its GPEI partners celebrate a monumental achievement, say global eradication of wild polio is possible with the continued dedication and persistence of Rotarians.

The World Health Organization (WHO) on 25 August announced that transmission of the wild poliovirus has officially been stopped in all 47 countries of its African region. This is a historic and vital step toward global eradication of polio, which is Rotary’s top priority.

A message from Club President

This has been an extraordinary year. The COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic has impacted almost every aspect of our lives. Unfortunately, it seems that things are going from worse to worse in Victoria, however we should know that things will get better and this time will pass. We should also know that we can all do our bit and follow the mandated guidelines

August Zoom meetings

The Club organised two zoom meetings in August with special guests Mr Tung Le and Mr Andrew Jobling. Pragya Kapil was inducted as the newest member of the club and will be presenting about her life and education in the first meeting in September 2020. 

Rotary now has sustainability as a new area of focus

Rob Edwards, a member of the Corrimal Rotary Club, Australia, has just launched Sustainable Social to help businesses such as resorts, cafés, and hotels market their green practices and services via social media, catching the eye of customers who care about the environment. https://sustainablesocial.org/pages/inforotary

Rotary Clubs can join and attract new members by publicizing their environmental projects. The site has a fun video pitch to inspire clubs to start an environmental project.

District support for Bushfire relief

District 9800 is providing two separate ways for Rotary Clubs, Rotarians and members of the public to provide donations to our Bushfire Recovery efforts
The first fund will provide Rotary Clubs and individuals not seeking a tax deduction and allow us more flexibility to take immediate action.
Account: Rotary International District 9800 - Australian Bushfire Appeal
BSB: 633000 Account Number: 171227895
The second fund through Bendigo Banks Community Enterprise Foundation allows tax deductibility to individual donors or businesses who require this option. Bendigo Bank has waived their administration fees.
For tax deductible donations please use this link:
https://www.communityenterprisefoundation.com.au/…/rotaryd9…

Message from our President

Many thanks to our club members hard work which created the funds to support Jamie (this week's speaker)to attend London International Youth Science Forum.
Thanks to Elia and Rodney for organising the final meeting for 2019 and thank you to everyone who attended todays' meeting.
I hope everyone enjoys a joyous and hope filled Christmas and wish everyone the very best for the New Year.
Suzanne

Farewell Luana

Luana our exchange student from Brazil left Australia last Saturday.
Her host family, Alisha, Marina, Emanuel and Suzanne were there to farewell her. Luana loved her farewell gift which was a tiny kangaroo to adds to her Pandora bracelet.

Important Letter from RI President Holger Knaack

Dear Rotarians/ International PolioPlus Committee members/ Directors and Trustees,

It is with great pride that we inform you that one of our own has been named one of TIME’s “100 Most Influential People in the World.” Just a few moments ago, Dr. Tunji Funsho, Rotary’s Nigeria National PolioPlus Chair was named to the TIME 100 list for his critical leadership in working with Rotary members and our partners to achieve a wild polio-free Nigeria and eradicate the wild poliovirus in the African region. He is the first Rotary member to receive this honor for our work to eradicate polio.

You can view Dr. Funsho’s profile on the TIME website here.

FOOTSTROLLERS

Footscray Rotarians have formed FOOTSTROLLERS to raise funds for “End Polio Now”. See more details above. Each member of the  team has committed to walk a nominated distance during the month of October and seek your support by  donating here

February Meetings

Two meetings were organised by The Rotary Club of Footscray members in the month of February, one online via Zoom as a general check in to see how everyone was doing and second, face to face informal at 540 Barkly St., Footscray. It was great to see members and share a few laughs.

Fundraiser Target Achieved: Horn of Africa Project

The fundraising to ship containers of hospital and school equipment to Ethiopia has successfully reached its target. The Rotary Club of Footscray in association with Donations in Kind wishes to transport three containers of medical and school equipment to Somali Regional State of Ethiopia. The current donation total stands at $21575 of the $21000 target.

A BIG thank you to all those who contributed and offered their support for this massive project for the Club.

You are welcome to see the update of the project here.

Here is a picture of President Jama Farah and Past President Suzanne Zammit have been to DIK to check out the contents of the first container of our Horn of Africa Project. 

Footscray Art Prize

The Rotary Club of Footscay is a partner in the 2021 Footscray Art Prize. Full details of exhibitions for Major, 

Street Art and Young Artists Prizes https://www.footscrayartprize.com/  

District Governor's Message - Centenary Coins and Stamp Launch Success

Rotary District 9800 Governor Philip Archer

The Rotary Centenary Coins and Stamp launch was held on Thursday morning and was truly a wonderful event. The seamless online communication link between the Melbourne and Sydney UBS boardrooms was impressive and allowed us to showcase the best of the two centenary clubs of Rotary Melbourne and Rotary Sydney.

I would like to acknowledge the leadership of those clubs dating back one hundred years. Sir John Monash, the second President of the Rotary Club of Melbourne, and indeed every president since charter, has led a broad church of members who have been able to assist the growth of Rotary in Victoria and across Australia, chartering new clubs and implementing a range of impressive projects that have brought significant benefits to the communities they have served. I congratulate the current Rotary Melbourne leadership team of President Marion MacLeod, Immediate Past President Kevin Sheehan and Hugh Bucknall, all of whom have been so active in the promotion of Rotary’s 100 years of giving and leading our centenary celebrations. They have helped to lay the foundation for the next century of giving.

Young Artist Award - Primary

Young Artists Award - Secondary

Footscray Art Prize

For those who have been unable to visit the Footscray Art Prize in person, here is a link to the catalogue and a virtual tour of the main prize exhibition at the Footscray Community Art Centre.

Footscray Art Prize Exhibition and Auction Dinner

The Rotary Club of Footscray fundraising dinner for youth projects – held in conjunction with the 2021 Footscray Art Prize was organised on the 8th May 2021. The event began with a special viewing of the Footscray Art Prize exhibition at the Footscray Community Arts Centre followed by dinner and an auction at the Australian Croatian Club.

We raised just over $3000 from the dinner, this includes tickets sales and silent auctions.

Suzanne would like to applaud the generosity of the club members who attended and their guests, for donating goods, time and their skills to make it a very enjoyable evening.

For those who have been unable to visit the Footscray Art Prize in person, here is a link to the catalogue and a virtual tour of the main prize exhibition at the Footscray Community Art Centre.

The catalogue includes the Young Artists entries, the prizes sponsored by our club.