It was a great celebration on Wednesday to have a new member, Larry Blode, inducted into our club. Larry is well known to our members as he has attended for several meetings and he knew many of the people from Glen Eira previously where he was very active. Already, Larry has volunteered for many opportunities and will be a great asset to our club. Welcome to Larry and we were pleased to have his wife Sheryl present for his induction. It is great that we have inducted 2 new members this year to join our club.
Maureen Henry has been busy in finalising her upcoming role as president for 2026/2027 and has flagged with our club members a leadership seminar to be held at Camberwell High on May 24 to find out about Rotary plans for the coming year from the district team. Please let her know if you would like to attend. It is open to all our members.
Thank you to everyone for their continuing fellowship and look forward to a catch up on Wednesday at our lunch time meeting.
Our next Rotary Club of Malvern meeting for 2026 is on Wednesday 13 May 2026 @ 12:30PM at the Gables on Finch – 15 Finch St Malvern East.
Please RSVP before 9:30AM on Tuesday 12 May. Members are welcome to bring guests – please advise the name of your guest when sending your reply. If you are late with your RSVP, please send me a message on 0417 348 332, and you will still be most welcome to attend.
If there are any dietary requirements please advise.
The guest speaker this week is Sandra Sharp who is a Dementia Support Specialist at Dementia Australia.
Sandra will present about different types of dementia, symptoms, when to seek help modifiable risks to prevent dementia etc.
While much information is already available on this topic, this address will bring us up to date with the latest knowledge and provide an opportunity to ask questions from an expert.
Thank you very much - looking forward to catching up with those who can make it on Wednesday.
In our last Newsletter we put out the Call for Help and one of our members Larry - answered this. If you remember the Hawthorn Rotary Club was having a Mental Health Unit packs - packing day on Tuesday 28th April.
Six young leaders named Rotary’s ‘Champions of Tomorrow’ for empowering youth across the globe
EVANSTON, Ill., USA (30 March 2026) – Rotary is recognizing six of its members and program participants age 30 and under as Rotary People of Action: ‘Champions of Tomorrow’ for their leadership in advancing impactful, youth‑centered initiatives that are helping to create the foundations for brighter futures, today.
As a global membership organization that unites people across cultures and continents in humanitarian service, Rotary empowers its members to create lasting solutions alongside the communities they serve. Through its programs, Rotary fosters intercultural understanding, develops emerging leaders, elevates youth voices, and advances peace.
“Improving society begins at the local level by addressing the issues communities face,” said Francesco Arezzo, Rotary International President. “By leading projects that provide educational resources to those in need, foster personal development, support mental health, and champion conflict resolution, these honorees are creating more peaceful and resilient communities today, and unlocking their own potential to become the next generation of service-minded leaders.”
For more than 120 years, Rotary has addressed the needs of communities across the globe. To recognize these efforts, Rotary honors six sustainable and scalable initiatives annually through the People of Action Honors program. This year’s ‘Champions of Tomorrow’ include:
Maria Grazia Rava (Italy) – A member of Rotaract—Rotary’s global network of young adults ages 18 and older committed to community service and leadership development—Rava created How to Save a Life, a first‑aid training program for teens in Northern Italy and San Marino. The scalable program has trained more than 1,000 students in essential emergency response skills, including CPR, and prepared them to take more active roles during school emergency drills.
Vansh Saini (India) – A Rotaract member who leads the Empowerment Academy, Saini has turned a basic life skills program into a comprehensive initiative to support multiple facets of learning and development for underprivileged students ages six to 15 in Delhi. The Academy offers educational resources, health and hygiene workshops, mentorship, career training, and more.
Raymond “Arky” Manning (Philippines) – A Rotary member, law student, and local elected official in the Rizal province, Manning has transformed his community’s justice system to be more innovative, economical, and inclusive through leadership of a reform initiative, System for Amicable Grievance and Inclusive Peacebuilding (SAGIP) Barangay. By facilitating the training of peer mediators, creating spaces for mediation, fostering mental health awareness, and supporting anti-violence campaigns, SAGIP Barangay is reshaping the system into a body where youth are valued stakeholders in conflict resolution.
Maria Manuela Córdoba Aguirre (Colombia) – A Rotary member and founder of Rotary en Señas (Rotary in Sign Language), Córdoba Aguirre’s initiative brings young Rotary members and deaf youth together to develop communication and leadership skills through workshops and regular activities. Deaf participants become program facilitators and leaders while hearing volunteers gain proficiency in sign language and collaboration.
Olivia Raley (USA) – A Rotary member and recent Rotary Youth Leadership Awards participant, Raley’s work with the Nelson County Yellow Tulip Project—an initiative supported by multiple local organizations—has helped combat the stigma around mental health in a rural community in Kentucky. Raley has empowered youth participants to drive education and awareness around the topic and maintain Hope Gardens as visual symbols of the community’s commitment to creating a culture of optimism and mental health wellness.
Derrick Kabuye (Uganda) – A Rotaract member in Kampala, Kabuye and his club have turned a rural school facing multiple challenges into a thriving educational facility through the Educate a Community Project. Under his leadership, the school’s footprint has expanded to serve more students, resolve sanitation issues, provide menstrual hygiene education, and offer job skills training.
A Rotary SAFE Families Program for Year 10 Students — Victoria
Towards Respectful Relationships was created by Ginny Giorgio, a former family law lawyer, and Rotary Kingscliff Rotarian. This program has been running for four years in northern NSW and Ginny has given licence to Rotary SAFE Families to deliver her program across Victoria. The program is designed for Year 10 students and runs over eight sessions, combining education, mentoring, and creative film making.
Working in small groups, students explore the difference between respectful and abusive relationships — guided by a team including a Family Violence Police Community Liaison Officer, professional film producer, School Welfare teacher, and Rotary SAFE Families mentors. Each group produces a short film on the topic, building both awareness and practical skills along the way. This allows for students talking to students about respectful relationships.
How It Works
• Students work in small groups across 8 structured sessions
• Groups research, script, act, and produce an original short film on respectful relationships
• Films are judged by fellow students and a panel of professionals
• The program concludes with a Gala Event attended by Police, parents, friends, teachers, students, sponsoring Rotary Club and Rotary SAFE Families to view the films, celebrate students, and present prizes.
The program is funded through Rotary Club sponsorships. This program was recently accepted by RAWCS whereby tax-effective donations can be received through RAWCS (Rotary Australia World Community Service), which can be applied to the sponsoring Rotary Club to pay the film producer costs.
The program is currently running at two schools in Victoria:
• Sophia Mundi Steiner School sponsored by Rotary Hawthorn
• Melbourne Montessori College sponsored by Rotary Brighton North
Rotary Werribee is sponsoring the Grange School, Werribee in Term 3 this year and Rotary Caroline Springs is sponsoring the Lakeview College, Caroline Springs in Term 4 this year.
Get in Touch if you would like to sponsor a school
Above....A Medical container from DIK heading to Colombo
Snippits from Avalon Gazette
- "A lot has been happening at the Avalon Centre. We purchased a property in March, thanks to the extraordinary generosity and kindness of the Peter and Lyndy White Foundation (PLWF).
This is the second time this amazing Foundation has helped us provide safe, stable housing for people experiencing homelessness. A huge thank you goes out to Peter and Lyndy White and their team. We are incredibly grateful for their continued belief in what we do".
The property needs quite a bit of love and a lot of work. As we do with all our Avalon homes, we’ll roll up our sleeves and get on with it.
We are lucky to have the ongoing support of our marvellous volunteer duo, Jonathan and Charlotte, who have stepped forward to help with the renovations}.
- There is an exciting fundraiser organised and featuring Avalon volunteers! On Sunday 17 May, Annie and Jon - two of our committed and regular volunteers - have arranged a relaxing Autumn Sunday afternoon of Celtic music. Jon is our valued driver and support for our Moving Wardrobe clothes distribution along with Annie, who is also one of our supporters of ‘Avalon Homes for the Homeless.’ For full concert details and to purchase tickets, click here – spaces are limited. All proceeds go to Avalon Centre.
- Makeover Day continues to be a highlight every month at the Drop-In. I still don’t know what is more popular, the haircuts, the massage, the nails, the chats or…the sausage sizzle?? All I know is it is very popular, and attendance on Easter Monday was one of the largest we have had. In May, we are excited to offer another service with the return of the medical students from the Outreach wing of SMSV (Singapore Medical Society of Victoria). They will be conducting health screenings, running educational programmes on wound health and nutrition, and socialising with our visitors at Avalon.
(If you have any comments or questions, please contact the editor)
The Rotary Club of Malvern acknowledges the traditional owners as the custodians of this land, recognising their connection to land, waters and community. We pay our respects to Australia's First Peoples, and to their elders, past, present and future.
