(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,
This week we helped the staff and clients at Odyssey House to celebrate Christmas. Led by Kathy Monley, a number of members organised and cooked the BBQ. Supported by the staff who made fantastic salads, it was delicious. Santa arrived and handed out great presents to the children. A most enjoyable evening.
Our meeting this week was our Christmas breakup and final meeting for 2025. We welcomed: the Mayor of Manningham, Jim Grivas; Deputy Mayor of Manningham, Deidre Diamante; Member for Menzies, Gabriel NG; the Member for Bulleen, The Hon Matthew Guy; Rotary Community Leader, Trish Carr and Partner Les Marton; CEO of Doncare, Kylie Scoullar; and Centre Manager of Ajani Neighbourhood House, Rebecca Sanders. It was also great to see Rotarian Judy Hall from the Rotary Club of Warrandyte Donvale plus our wonderful volunteers from the Op Shop.
We reviewed some of the events of the year and noted members who received special recognition this year. We had the opportunity to highlight the many projects we are engaged in and the wonderful work of our members. Thank you all for your great contribution to our community.
We are especially proud of Leon Moore, who was awarded Citizen of the Year for Manningham, and also the Doreen Stoves Excellence in Volunteering award. Leon founded the Laughing All Abilities Really Friendly Singers (LAARFS) more than 10 years ago. This has made a huge difference in people's lives. Within Rotary, Tony Monley was awarded the Royce Abbey Award—a prestigious award recognising outstanding work within Rotary South Pacific. Graham Richardson received the Rotary Foundation award for his excellent work.
We also awarded Paul Harris Fellowships to members: Brian Tyedin for his work in Club Administration; our MC and organiser of the Schools Speech Competition, Graham Kane; Andrew An for his quiet work behind the scenes to arrange catering; and David Carson, another quiet achiever who is a tireless contributor to our projects.
On Friday we supported Manningham City Council’s Carols by Candlelight BBQ. Even though it was a very warm evening, a crowd of almost 10,000 attended. Cooking for this size crowd is no mean feat, but thanks to our amazing experienced members, it was a huge hit and everything went very well. Photos below. This is our last newsletter until mid-January.
Our next event is a BBQ at the home of Mitch and Trish Boys on 28 January 2026. Our first formal meeting of 2026 is on 4 February 2026 at the Manningham Hotel.
Have an amazing Christmas and New Year to you all,
Brian Tyedin (R) with Club Co-Presidents Anthony Callinan and Esther MurrayGraham Kane (R) with Club Co-PresidentsAndrew An (R) with Club Co-PresidentsDavid Carson (R) with Club Co-Presidents
We had a wonderful celebration Christmas dinner last night with 62 members, friends and guests.
A special welcome from Co-President Esther Murray with a summary of our many community initiatives, and really nice speech’s congratulating our club on our community support programs from Federal member, Gabriel NG, State member, Matthew Guy, and Mayor Jim Grivas.
A heartfelt message on the true meaning of Christmas was delivered by our member, Salvation Army Major Wally Spinks.
We awarded four Paul Harris Fellow recognitions for their great contributions to our programs during the year, to Brian Tyedin, Graham Kane, Andrew An, and David Carson. Rick Evans provided music from the 60’s, 70’s and 80’s to add to the spirit of the night.
Co-Presidents Esther and Anthony Callinan wrapped up our super night, Happy Christmas to all.
Mayor of Manningham Cr. Jim GrivisSalvation Army Major Wally Spinks delivering the Christmas message.Federal Member for Menzies Gabriel Ng MPState Member for Bulleen the Hon Matthew Guy MP
Our regular newsletter editor, Janis Mcfarland is recovering from a health issue and is unable to continue in that role.
The newsletter is our most important channel to communicate with members and our friends in the broader community. We need an organised person with a few hours to spare each week who is confident using a computer to help with this.
The role of the editor is to compile the newsletter. We use a template on the ClubRunner platform so most of the work is copy and paste and adding photos to stories. The editor should be a confident writer and attentive to detail; however, we don’t expect perfection!
Our acting editor, Anthony, can provide training and ongoing support. The editor may occasionally write stories but we mostly rely on other members to provide stories and photos.
The conference will offer learning, networking, and cultural experiences against Hobart’s historic backdrop. Join us from 13-15 March 2026 - next week! Our club will have a stall to promote our RMC Shine On Event that will occur on 8th August.
For more information, club contacts are Tony Monley and Brian Tyedin.
The “People, Planet, Peace” theme reflects Rotary’s commitment to driving positive change by protecting the environment, promoting peace, and supporting communities. This approach aligns with our seven areas of focus and calls for holistic, intentional action in uncertain times. As Rotarians, we aim to shape a better future for coming generations.
For more details, click the image or contact Conference organiser Tony Monley OAM.
