NORMAL MORNING MEETING THIS WEEK
Meeting This Week - we are at Cilantro 7am for 7.10am start
For full location details, please refer here.
The meeting will also be available on Zoom - details here
Edition 250
Monday, 23rd February 2026
Instead of our usual Wednesday breakfast meeting we had a fellowship event at Mid Valley Restaurant in Bay Road, Cheltenham. It was a very enjoyable evening, with lots of conversation and food. When I arrived, a bit late, the restaurant was already very crowded, Chinese New Year celebrations may have contributed to this.
A reminder that at this week’s meeting we will be voting on the $5,000 donation that was passed at the last board meeting. This is to go to support Alannah and Madelaine Foundation’s Buddy Bag program.
Another vote will take place on the 4th of March. This will be to adopt the new Rotary Constitution. Rotary International periodically reviews the Rotary constitution. Please read the constitution and submit any questions to the secretary before the meeting. The constitution was emailed to all members two weeks ago.
This week’s speaker is Kylie Greer from Artists for Kids Culture (AKC). AKC enables children to share their experiences, thoughts, feelings in order to connect better to themselves and each other. Their programs help children from socio-economically disadvantaged backgrounds. These are children who would not likely have the opportunity to be involved with the arts.
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.
Please forward any events you want promoted to the Editor.
For all Club events refer Club Calendar HERE
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 22/02/2026.
Leader: Ian Ballantine
BMC: Gabriela Ammendola-Santi, Bert d’Unienville,
Moorabbin: Vivien and Esther
Holland Foundation: Ryan
Other Helpers: Peter O’Brien
Cars in the Queue: 3
Overnight Parkers: 1
Pedestrian Count: 1005
Market Report: Quite warm with intermittent rain from 7am. Prospect of rain obviously kept many stallholders from attending. Not much wind.
Everybody on deck on time. My thanks to Bert and Gabriela. Very grateful also to see Peter O’Brien turn up early to help with initial rush. Weather meant a reduction in table and rack sales. Thanks to the team for a great morning.
Ian Ballantine
Thanks to Gabriela for some of the pics
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.
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.
A total of 16 members and partners got together for another really enjoyable evening at Mid Valleys Restaurant in Bay Road, Highett.
This is a favourite dining destination for a number of members, and it's no wonder. The food is delicious. Everyone who attended had a great evening. These occasional evening get togethers are a great alternative as they give an opportunity for members who find it difficult to get to our morning meetings to feel part of the Club and enjoy the company of their fellow members. Thanks to Linda for organising. Please keep an eye on the Club events calendar HERE for future evening events.
Rotary and Symbiosis International University have joined forces to launch a new Peace Centre in India, empowering emerging leaders across Asia with advanced training in peacebuilding, conflict transformation and sustainable development.
Applications for Rotary International’s newest Peace Centre, at Symbiosis International University, India, will open on 1 February.
Rotary Projects Timor-Leste East continues to be a critical program, assuring reliable access to water across Timor-Leste since 2010. Rotarian Max Bird has helped lead a shift to make sure the water is also of the safest quality possible, particularly in schools.
Members may be interested in a documentary I came across on Netflix called "Join or Die". If you don't have Netflix there are several short videos on YouTube about the same subject. It refers to the decline in community involvement through falling membership of Community Clubs. It features a Professor Robert Putnam, who published a book some years ago entitled "Bowling Alone". It refers to what he describes as the decline in Social Capital as a result of less people joining community clubs.
It makes very interesting viewing and I commend it to members.
As I said, if you don't have Netflix just search YouTube for Join of Die.
Ron was our chairperson for today's club meeting at Cilantro. Guests included Bruno Santi, Michael Josem, and Gary Ramage.
PRESIDENT AND CLUB ANNOUNCEMENTS
We received correspondence from Polio Plus thanking us for our club donation of $5,000, and from Emerge for providing Christmas cakes and lego sets.
The following donations were approved by the board at the February board meeting - RAMS $2,000, ROMAC $2,000, Mercy Ships $1,000, and the Alannah and Madeline Foundation $5,000. Members will be asked to vote on the donation for the Alannah and Madeline Foundation at the club meeting on Wednesday 25/2.
Rotary’s flagship inclusion project in New Caledonia is taking flight – literally and figuratively – through Rêves de Gosse (Childhood Dreams), an initiative that brings children of all abilities together for shared learning, friendship and an unforgettable first experience in the air.
WORDS Jean-Michel Blaise Rotary Club Nouméa Ouen Toro
As part of Rotary’s Growth Plan for the French Pacific, the Rêves de Gosse project is strengthening collaboration between clubs while building Rotary’s reputation as a trusted partner in education, inclusion, environmental responsibility and community service.
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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This week's speaker / event
Taken from RDU 
Taken from RI website 
A total of 16 members and partners got together for another really enjoyable evening at Mid Valleys Restaurant in Bay Road, Highett.
A new hub for peace and development in Asia
Clear water, clear minds: Safe water for Timor-Leste
Members may be interested in a documentary I came across on Netflix called "Join or Die".
Ron was our chairperson for today's club meeting at Cilantro. Guests included Bruno Santi, Michael Josem, and Gary Ramage.
Rêves de Gosse lands in Nouméa
