(Established July 2023 from the merger of Rotary Clubs Manningham and Templestowe and has since welcomed former members from the Rotary Club of Doncaster.)
Co-Presidents 2025-26 Esther Murray (L) Anthony Callinan (R)
Dear Members and Friends,
A great week in Rotary starting with our amazing Mayoral All Abilities Good Vibration Disco held on Saturday night at the Manningham Function Centre. Details and photos to follow, but just to say, I never saw so many smiling faces in one place in many years.
On Wednesday we enjoyed a great Melbourne Cup evening led by Graham Kane. Lots of winners but some with a little controversy. We welcomed a number of Partners and Guests, a popular event.
Next week we will meet at the Templestowe Bowls Club where we will hold our AGM. We will also hear from our Early Act Students on their Road Safety Program.
Important to take note of our Saturday Op shop roster for next few weeks. Please ensure you pick up your shift as rostered. Thank you to Keith Anderson and Kathy Monley who will cover this Saturday 8/11, Rod Simkiss and Zubair Nasser on 15/11 and Glen Vincent and Daryl Brown on 22/11.
Sam (L) presented flowers to Mayor Cr. Deidre Diamonte (R)
Rotary Manningham City hosted a wonderful Mayoral All Abilities Good Vibrations Disco on Saturday, 1 November at the Manningham Function Centre.
Over 100 participants, parents, carers, and Rotarians joined in this special black-tie event, dancing the night away under the glittering disco ball.
We were delighted to welcome Mayor Deirdre Diamante and Councillor Anna Chen, and a huge thanks to the Mayor for suggesting and sponsoring this year’s disco to become a special Mayoral celebration — and then joining in the fun on the dance floor! The venue looked fantastic, decked out with a red carpet, black and gold balloon arches, and a large media wall — perfect backdrops for photos and plenty of smiles.
Parents and carers were able to relax in the adjoining room over tea, coffee, and a generous spread of finger food. A special moment came when Sam delivered a heartfelt thank-you speech to the Mayor for her ongoing support of the All Abilities Disco and presented her with a bouquet of flowers.
On the Red Carpet
Special thanks to our sponsors Bendigo Bank and Darling Daughters who helped make the night a success.
Everything ran smoothly thanks to the efforts of so many volunteers. Barry and his team managed registration, John and Marilyn Bennie looked after drinks, Stella did a super job on the decorations, banner and media wall and Vicky provided a friendly and familiar presence with her hi-vis. Alison from Manningham Council supported us superbly, while Esther, Sohrab and Ian Goldsmith hosted the VIP guests. George the photographer captured wonderful memories, and D J Angelo kept the crowd moving all night.
The evening showcased Rotary’s service to the community and spirit of fellowship — joyful, inclusive, and truly memorable, with everyone having a wonderful time!
Rotarians in Action. L to R, John Bennie, Felix Wong, Ian Goldsmith, Stella Yee, Barry Halpern, Tania Marinaccio, Brian Tyedin, Kevin Hall, Esther Murray (Co-President), Sohrab Bhopti, Keith Anderson. Missing from photo: David Rosenwax.
Fashions on the Field Winners Rod Simkiss (L) and Judy Hall (R)
This week Co-President Esther Murray welcomed 30 members and guests as we celebrated the Melbourne Cup with a most enjoyable night. In particular we welcomed as guests two local potential members, Binu Sureka and Rhea Dhir (from Darling Daughters), and a number of partners, including Judy Hall from Rotary Warrandyte-Donvale, partner of our member Kevin Hall.
Graham Kane conducted operations arranging a photo mock-up for members to pose, A sweep prior to the cup with the Mudgeway’ s scooping up 3 of the six prizes, two videos of mock Melbourne Cups, and Fashions on the Field. The “Parenting the Teenagers Maiden” race was won by “Put that Bloody Phone Down” with Sohrab Bhopti winning the prize, and “The Greatest Race Never Run” was won by Phar Lap with Esther Murray winning the prize. Given comments about favouritism, we had to call in the Stewards!
Fashions on the Field winners were Judy Hall for Best Dressed Filly, and Rod Simkiss for the Best Dressed Colt.
David Alexander provided an update on our Philippines Teacher Literacy Enhancement Project (Narciso Elementary Schools x 20 schools – Grades 1 – 3 with 121 teachers teaching 3,200 students), advising that our report on the project’s success has been accepted by the Committee.
David Rosenwax advised that the Interact students at Templestowe College were doing a “Cook-on Day” preparing 100 meals of spaghetti and meatballs to donate to Carenet, and the group at Doncaster College are arranging a fundraising BBQ shortly.
Esther said that after the meeting we had with the three Leaders at Carenet, Doncare and Ajani, we needed to be very aware of the many people doing it tough in Manningham with the demand for food relief dramatically increasing, and that we as a Club had contributed significant funds to the three groups for the purchase of food.
Next week we are at the Templestowe Bowls Club with AGM at 7pm sharp and a presentation on Early Act at Primary Schools. On 26 November we have the District Final of the Primary Schools Speech competition at the Manningham Club.
