Last Thursday, July 17th, members were treated to a wonderful talk by Past Rotary International Director, Jessie Harman telling of her recent trip to Everest base camp to raise funds for Polio eradication. In setting the scene, Jessie reflected that the challenge was one of the hardest she had ever faced, and it was only thoughts of the generous donors who had contributed to her cause that kept her going. The trek also exposed her to the coldest conditions she had every experienced in her life, but it was worth it. See more pix and read about Jessie's 5 take away messages from her trip by clicking “Read more…”

Members were saddened to hear of the recent passing of past President and member of our club, Charles Townsing. Charles was President in 1998-99 and was primarily responsible for the provision and installation of the big rocks lining the pathway at Dowie Park. He was also a very active member of the International Fellowship of Cricketing Rotarians and the Fellowship of Golfing Rotarians. In recent years, he and his wife Faye were living in outback South Australia. The funeral for Charles will be held here at the Catholic Church in Maryborough on Thursday, July 24th at 2pm.

As members will know, there are five avenues of service in a Rotary club: Club Service, Community Service, Vocational Service, International Service and Youth Service. Club Service has to do with the little jobs that help to keep the club running effectively and efficiently. Without people doing these jobs, a club could not function. All members are encouraged to contribute to some club service roles that fit with their skill and interest set and available time. So, this week, all members will be emailed a form with a list of the jobs we need to be completed in our club. We ask EVERY member to look out for the form and indicate your willingness to help with some selected tasks with which you feel comfortable and then return the form to PDG Geoff as soon as possible.

Eighteen members gathered at the Highland on Thursday July 10th (pictured) to develop some possible projects for the coming Rotary year. The creative juices were certainly flowing as suggested fundraisers included a Community (plastic) Duck Race, various forms of variety concerts, a full weekend of bike rides, walks and entertainment, and community barbeques conducted by club members. Some of the community needs highlighted in the discussions included the need for accommodation for family violence victims, the need for ways to address the loneliness of people in our area, and the need for access to a community bus to transport people to events. At the same time, members acknowledged the need to continue with current projects such as family violence awareness, barbeques for community groups and the development of the Bristol Hill area. All ideas will be considered by a Projects committee to soon come up with our Club's Project Program for 2025-26.

Club members are advised that Clubrunner has released an updated mobile app for iOS and Android devices which will give local Rotarians easy access to information about club events, Rotarian's contact details, our Club and District websites, each members own club profile. The app allows you to make changes to your own information right from your mobile device. The image shows the home screen of the app and you can individualize this screen with your preferred headings. We encourage all members to take advantage of this app and service to help improve the communication channels in our club. When you get the app, be aware that you will need to log in with your Clubrunner username and password. Contact Geoff James if you need this information again. When using the app, you might initially get a "No information" available" indicator on some screens - just wait a couple of seconds for the screen to populate. 

Four of our members travelled through the rain to join Ararat Rotary club members at their Changeover Dinner last Wednesday to see last year's president, Cameron Whyte hand over the leadership baton to new President, Carolyn Holden. We wish Carolyn and the Ararat team (pictured) a great 2025-26 Uniting for good. Carolyn is second from the left.

The Rotary Legislative Council met in April and among the Rotary legislative changes that took effect on 1 July is a measure allowing clubs to be chartered with as few as 15 members (instead of 20). 
Districts may now opt out of holding annual conferences.
Presidents-elect learning seminar (PELS) is the new name for presidents-elect training seminar. Club leadership learning seminar is the new name for district training assembly.  
Representatives also approved a US$3.50 increase in the dues that every Rotary member pays to Rotary International, which means that dues will increase from US$82 for 2025-26 to US$85.50 for 2026-27. The dues would increase by another US$3.75 in each of the following two years. A five-year financial forecast, presented to representatives at the beginning of each Council, projected that without any increase, RI would have a US$42 million deficit by 2029-30. The organization’s policies require it to have a balanced budget.

At the Maryborough Rotary Club Changeover Dinner on June 26th, we changed over our leadership team for the 2025-26 Rotary year.  President Bec inducted PDG Anthony Ohlsen as our President for July through September. In October, PP Martin Mackay will take over the reins; in January 2026, John Williamson will lead our club and PP Terry Allan will become President in April 2026. We thank Anthony, Martin, John and Terry for agreeing to take over this vital leadership role in the coming year, We also sincerely thank Bec Lowery for completing such a fine job as President over the past year, The new leadership team will also include PP Thea Allan as Secretary, PP Bec Lowery as Treasurer, PP Garry Higgins OAM as Membership Director, Max Berry as Public Image Director, Alison Teese OAM as Foundation Director, Leigh Williamson as Fundraising Director and PDG Geoff James as Administration Director. Click “Read more…” for more pics.

Four of our members attended the Beaufort Rotary Club Changeover Dinner at the Beaufort Football Grounds on Sunday, June 29th. Outgoing President and legend of the Beaufort Club, George Kirsanovs handed over the leadership baton to incoming President, Michelle Oakman. Secretary will be Meryn Pease and Treasurer will again be Tony Sutherland. Congratulations to the Beaufort team (pictured) for a wonderful changeover and all the very best for the coming year.

Francesco Arezzo, a member of the Rotary Club of Ragusa, Italy, has been selected by the Board of Directors to become Rotary International’s president for 2025-26. Arezzo will become president on 1 July. The Board conducted a special session following the unexpected resignation of RI President-elect Mário César Martins de Camargo on 8 June. Guided by the RI code and policies, the Board selected the new president-elect from a pool of candidates who were considered by the Nominating Committee for President of Rotary International in August 2023.

The 2025-26 presidential message, announced at the 2025 Rotary International Assembly in February, will remain Unite for Good, which calls on Rotary members to be a force for unity in a world increasingly divided by politics, geography, and ideology. Through service projects, Rotary brings together people of every background — across races, religions, and professions — in a shared mission to do good in their communities.