Meeting WILL NOT be at Cilantro - We are meeting at Beau's Cafe 7am
353 Centre Rd, Bentleigh VIC 3204 Note that registration is required.
Details here
The Meeting will NOT be available via Zoom this week
Edition 252
Monday, 8th March 2026
Last week we had four speakers talking about Rotary, the club and the market. Past District Governor Ian covered the International structure of Rotary and some of the international programs. Ian was followed by Ron who talked about the market trust deed. Larry then talked about the operation of the market. Finally Karin talked about the club structure. For those who missed last week’s meeting the information or at least a precis will be on the club website.
Last week the club voted on and passed the new Rotary constitution. Prior to the vote Karin covered some of the changes that are particularly relevant to this club.
Our club is part of a group of club that are grouped into Rotary Community Groups. Our club is in group 1 and consists of about six clubs. The community Groups have a Community Group Leader, who has an appointment for one year and it is now time for a new leader to be selected. If members feel that they may be interested there should be a link elsewhere in the bulletin. One of the criteria for selection is that a Rotarian has at lease fours years as a member.
This week’s meeting will be at a different venue, Beaus Restaurant, in Centre Road, Bentleigh. Jules was supposed to give a “Man Behind the Badge” talk, but I do not know this will occur.
Club President, 2025-26,
Grant Perry
BOARD MINUTES
A reminder to members that Board Minutes are available for viewing from the Club's website. Note that you must be logged in as a Member in order to gain access.
Access to all documents including Board Minutes can gained here.
The last published Board Minutes were the meeting of December 8, 2025 - HERE.
Ian Ballantine
Roster for the next 2 weeks
Note Market start time is 6.15am
Click on See all Rosters at right for future weeks. Members click here to see your own roster.
Club Changeover
June 27, 2026
Details and Registration HERE
Knitters / Crochet-ers wanted
Wheelchairs for Kids always need blankets/rugs to give away with their wheelchairs.
Member Linda O'Brien is inviting any members or friends of our Club who would like to help in this project.
Please contact Linda for more information.
Alannah & Madeline Foundation
Looking for support to provide Buddy Bags for children who have experienced extreme violence HERE
Link to photos from District Changeover July 2025 here
Link to photos from 2025 Conference here
Link to photos from 2024 Conference here
Market report for Sunday 08/03/2026.
Leader: Grant Perry
BMC: Margaret Lucas and Chris Burrows.
Moorabbin: Jenny Pather and Vivienne.
Holland Foundation: Ryan
Other Helpers: Larry Green
Cars in the Queue: 6
Overnight Parkers: 2
Pedestrian Count: 882
Market Report: The morning was fine and sunny early on,though a bit cool. Clouded over later and the wind increased.
It was a reasonably busy with steady pedestrian traffic market. Two syringes were found in the car park this morning, to dispose of there is a sharps container on the shelf next to the first-aid kit. (refer pic) If a stall holder asks where their stall is only use the ticket number.
Grant Perry
Important message to Market Leaders: New Computer
The iPad is NO LONGER. Entry of Market Report and Try Booking access is now done via new computer in the office. The procedure for its use is in the office.
Note there is a separate story about the defib at the Market here.
RCLs work with Club leadership and to facilitate growth plans that best suit their Rotary Community Group. RCLs act as facilitators, connectors, and mentors. They do not replace District Governors or district officers, nor do they assume operational responsibility for clubs. RCLs support clubs by guiding them to the appropriate resources and helping them collaborate effectively.
The success of a program to reduce maternal deaths in Nigeria is measured in more than statistics
By Olubunmi Afolabi Photography by Light Oriye
The statistics may appear faceless on paper: 512 deaths for every 100,000 pregnant women in Nigeria, one of the highest maternal mortality rates globally. But they’re not faceless to me. I see the mothers. I see the babies. I have stood in the rooms where those numbers become either tragedies or triumphs.
I work with Together for Healthy Families in Nigeria, a Rotary Foundation Programs of Scale grant-funded initiative. Having just completed its third year, the initiative aims to reduce maternal and neonatal mortality in select areas of Nigeria by 25 percent. To do this, we’re conducting community dialogues and home visits to increase the number of families choosing to get health care in clinical settings rather than at home. We’re also making those services higher quality by providing additional training for health workers.
Expectant mothers struggling with malnutrition in Bangladesh received a welcome surprise this year, when Australian Rotarians collaborated with a local non-profit to deliver much needed food parcels to help nourish both mothers and their babies.
WORDS Sarah Atkins. President, No Borders Rotaract.
Aduri is 23 years old and already has two children. Having been married to a stonemason at 16, she is pregnant with a third, but her husband can’t find year-round work in the isolated village of Vaturia, Bangladesh.
Linda O'Brien was our chairperson for today's club meeting at Cilantro. Charles Rener joined via zoom, and Gary Ramage was a guest. Today was a special meeting to provide "Rotary information"of particular interest for new or newer club members, and also for club members to accept the updated RI Club Constitution and Rules.
Linda commenced the meeting with a fun Heads and Tails game - which Bert won and received a bottle of Barossa Red for his efforts despite claiming he didn't always understand the question!!
An Australian husband-and-wife team came up with First Aid for Mental Health on a dog walk. Now, they want you – yes, you – to join this global movement.
WORDS. Betty Kitchener AM. Professor Tony Jorm.
Mental Health First Aid Australia’s story began in 2000, when the first course was delivered to a small group in Canberra, ACT. It has since evolved into a global movement with more than eight million people trained worldwide.
The training session starts with a drawing of a T-shirt on paper. The adult students are asked to write on the front examples of negative assumptions and labels that people use about an imagined co-worker who is experiencing depression, unknown to colleagues.
Australian Rotary Peace Fellow Lucienne Heyworth has dedicated her career to delivering education and humanitarian assistance in some of the world’s most complex conflict zones, transforming the futures of young people across the Middle East and beyond.
WORDS Anne Matthews, D9560 Passport Rotary Club, Qld.
Larry was our chairperson for today's club meeting at Cilantro. Paul joined the meeting via zoom. Guests included Gary Ramage, and Kylie Greer and Brenda Cooke from Artists for Kid Culture.
Through global collaboration and The Rotary Foundation’s support, the Rotary Club of Wyndham has helped give 10 children in India a healthier future.
When members of the Rotary Club of Wyndham, Vic, learned that children in parts of India were going without lifesaving heart surgery simply because their families could not afford it, they knew they had to act.
Determined to make a tangible difference, Rotarian Rakesh Raizada travelled to India to explore the possibility of a collaborative solution. His visit led him to the Rotary Club of Southend Delhi, where discussions quickly revealed a shared desire to help. The partnership that followed became the cornerstone of the Wyndham Rotary Heart Project.
How a nation more than halved its suicide rate with helplines and other community-based approaches
By Marylou Costa
Taking phone calls from strangers wanting to share their life stories is not part of the typical job description for a nonprofit founder. But for Marius Čiuželis, it’s all in a day’s work. In 2016, he and his wife, Kristina, started Sidabrinė Linija, or Silver Line, an organization that offers free support to isolated older adults in Lithuania through regular phone calls with a “befriender” matched to their interests.
This article is intended to help members register themselves and/or a guest to a Club event. Note, your are also expected to register your intention NOT to attend.
If an event is inviting members to register there will be a button with the word: "Members" below "Online Registration". refer image at left.
Note that you need to be already logged in as a member. As venues need to be advised of numbers PRIOR to the event, please register by noon on the day prior unless otherwise stated. If you are not a member, this page will not be of any help. It may still be possible to register for an event as a non member if the event is open to the public.
From the Calendar page here you can subscribe to the Club's event calendar.
This will result in the Club's calendar being added to your existing calendar subscriptions, thus ensuring that as an event is added (or modified) to the Club's calendar, it will appear on your phone, tablet etc. Calendars supported are Outlook, Google and Apple.
Take the link, Subscribe to Calendar, from the Calendar Page.
A point regarding the submission of images for the Bulletin and Website: Members are reminded that images have to meet a minimum size requirement, as has been specified for some time in the section at the bottom of this Bulletin. 820 pixels is the minimum size required with larger being better as this allows for cropping. The submission of images via MMS is NOT preferred as they are too small and of inferior quality. Email or Whatsapp is far superior.
Would any member like to take responsibility for the updating of the Club's Event Calendar? I have created a page of instructions here so it is very easy to take over.
Thank you, Ian Ballantine
I remind members that you are responsible for the information contained in the Club's database. This includes, birthdays, phone numbers, addresses etc etc. Even your own photo. You maintain this via this link.
Additionally, member's birthdays and anniversaries will no longer be listed in the Club Bulletin. This is to protect the privacy of members. This information is still available to members here.
Ian Ballantine
A reminder to members to keep checking the calendar of upcoming events for evening and perhaps, one day, daytime events.
Thank you for being a subscriber to our Weekly Club Bulletin. I try to have it published each week by Tuesday morning.
If you would like to have something included please contact me at editor@rotarybmc.org.au and attach, as separate files, the words and any images (jpg files are fine, minimum width 820 pixels). Please DO NOT send information as pdf files.
Ian Ballantine, Editor.
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Special information about meeting this Week
Market report for Sunday 08/03/2026.
Would you like to lead your Rotary Community Group?
Taken from RI 
Taken from RDU 
Taken from RDU 
Rotary Peace Fellow leads education in emergencies across the Middle East
Larry was our chairperson for today's club meeting at Cilantro. Paul joined the meeting via zoom. Guests included Gary Ramage, and Kylie Greer and Brenda Cooke from Artists for Kid Culture. 
Taken from RDU 
Taken from RI website 
