President’s Message

It has been another full Rotary week, beginning with our enjoyable social evening at the Auburn Bowls Club. Congratulations to Denbigh, who managed to bowl the competition over with great style. Thank you to Terry for organising the evening and giving us the chance to enjoy some relaxed fellowship together.

Terry also organised our table at the combined Boroondara Quiz Night hosted by the Rotary Club of North Balwyn and expertly run by PDG Greg Ross. I’m pleased to report that the Hawthorn team of Dennis, Meredith and David Rush carried the day — clear evidence that Hawthorn Rotarians bring both goodwill and impressive trivia knowledge to the table.

Last Thursday, several Hawthorn members — John Perry, Katrina, Big Mac and Geoff Wright — spent time at Donations in Kind sorting and packing medical equipment for shipment to the Children’s Surgical Centre in Phnom Penh as part of a collaborative Rotary project supported by a District Grant. Thank you to John Perry for organising the team and to Katrina for coordinating the Surgical Centre project.

Behind the scenes, the Board also met last week for a productive meeting. Among the decisions taken was a $2,000 contribution to the Rotary Club of Alexandra to assist with bushfire recovery — a small but meaningful way for us to stand alongside communities doing it tough. We also agreed to contribute $700 to the West Timor Malaria Elimination Project through a Rotary Global Grant, and we hope to hear more about that initiative from a future speaker.

The Board has set 31 March for a general meeting to consider amendments to our membership bylaws, including the creation of a new membership category to cater for situations we have encountered this year where the existing classifications do not quite fit.

We also approved a modest investment to help centralise the club’s growing archive of photographs. Dorothy and I will work through the practical arrangements before we roll this out, and if you could assist with taking photographs at meetings and other events, please let me know 

The Board has also formalised a mid-year and end-of-year review cycle for our Strategic Plan, ensuring that our 2026–2030 plan remains a living document. An Awards Committee has been established to oversee this year’s awards and other recognitions.

Thank you to Mark for his continuing work on volunteer engagement, including coordinating our club’s participation in the Boroondara Volunteer Expo, which attracted more than 500 attendees.

Finally, at today’s meeting, we were treated to Min’s engaging “Behind the Badge” talk — a reminder of how much depth of experience and character sits around our own lunch table each week.

All in all, another good week for the club — fellowship, service and steady work behind the scenes to keep the wheels turning.

Ian Bentley
President 2025-26