Hello Rotarians and Friends,

A District 9815 Presidents’ Meeting was held on Friday, 21 August, with 58 people attending in person at Pakenham and a further 27 participating online, including the 2 Brians.

At the meeting, Pat Armstrong, District Environmental Lead, presented the 2026 Enviro Club Awards. Our Rotary Club received two Bronze Awards in recognition of our environmental projects. Congratulations to RMC, and particularly to Pat, for the great work she is doing in promoting environmental and sustainability projects across the District.

Club Board Meeting

Our Club Board meeting was held on Monday, 24 August, with all current projects, and one proposed new project, discussed and reviewed. More information to come.

Weekly Club Meeting

Our weekly club meeting was held on Wednesday, 26 August, at the Templestowe Hotel. It was a relaxed and enjoyable evening, providing a great opportunity to catch up with fellow members and enjoy each other’s company.

50th Anniversary of Rotary in Manningham

31 March 2027 will mark the 50th anniversary of our Club, originally chartered as the Rotary Club of Templestowe on 27 March 1977, before later amalgamating with the Rotary Club of Manningham to become the Rotary Club of Manningham City. A small committee has been established to plan a celebration of this important milestone. The committee will be chaired by Esther Murray, together with Trevor Dawson, Bruce Evans, and our Co-Presidents – the two Bs.

The anniversary provides an opportunity to celebrate 50 years of Rotary service in the Manningham community, recognising the history and contribution of the original Rotary clubs of Templestowe, Bulleen, Doncaster East, Northcote, and Manningham. 

The history of the clubs is closely connected. Rotary Doncaster chartered Rotary  Templestowe, which subsequently chartered the Rotary Clubs of Bulleen and Doncaster East. Bulleen and Doncaster East, together with Northcote later, merged to become the Rotary Club of Manningham. 

Then in 2023, Templestowe and Manningham merged to form Rotary Manningham City. Just after the merger, we also welcomed members from the former Rotary Club of Doncaster. It is certainly a complex Rotary family tree!

Today, we are one Club – the Rotary Club of Manningham City – and the 50th anniversary will be an opportunity to celebrate that shared history, and the many years of service Rotary members have given to our local community.

Vale – Graham Couch

Sad news during the week was the passing of former Rotary Club of Templestowe member Graham Couch.

Graham joined the Rotary Club of Templestowe in 1987 and was a very active member for more than 20 years. He was a valued member of the Club and a core member of its Community Committee.

Graham played a pivotal role in establishing the Schools ANZAC Service, together with his involvement in many other significant community projects.

His contribution to Rotary and the wider Manningham community will be remembered with great respect and appreciation.

Rest in Peace, Graham Couch.

From The 2 Brians

We welcome our own Tony Monley as our Speaker on Wednesday 2nd September.  Tony is a very experienced Rotarian with many senior positions in Rotary. Currently he is Company Secretary for Rotary South Pacific Ltd. He is the Director and Company Secretary of Rotary Foundation Australia and Chair of the 2026 Zone 8 Institute. Recently he has also been appointed to take up a 3 year role as Zone's Regional Rotary Foundation Coordinator for 2027-2030.  Tony was recognised for his service to Rotary, awarded the Royce Abbey Award in 2025.  A wealth of Rotary experience we look forward to hearing from him.

Rotary International released a tribute to recently deceased singer Dolly Parton RIP.

“Before she was ”the Book Lady" to millions of children, Dolly Parton believed every child deserved the chance to fall in love with reading.

Through Dolly Parton's Imagination Library, she collaborated with Rotary to expand access to books and support, young readers, one story at a time. We were lucky enough to have her grace the Rotary Stage in 2010."

Rotary Manningham City welcomes the Manningham Community, and the wider community, to the Manningham Family Festival and the Walk for Youth Mental Health on 25th October, to be held at Ruffly Lake Park in George Street, Doncaster East from 9am to 4pm. Parking is accessible from King Street. We have partnered with Scouts Victoria and the City of Manningham to promote the importance of Youth Mental Health in association with the Manningham Family Festival.

The Walk is to raise awareness and support this critical cause to de-stigmatise mental health. Bring the family along for a stroll around the park. Sign-in commences at 9.30am for a 10am start, pre-registered walkers will all get a free hat.  To register, type Rotary Manningham City into your search engine to find the registration, and also register for the Scouts World Activity Zone, including the Festival Carnival for the kids. 

Don't miss this fabulous Festival Day for families with a huge range of craft stalls, fresh produce, plants and more. We have a full-day program of entertainment with local groups performing drama, music and dancing. Lots of activities for kids with an animal farm, and a huge range of carnival rides. A range of food stalls featuring many cultures will be provided, so make sure you can spend a great day with the family. Check our facebook page for updates.   

https://www.facebook.com/rotarymanninghamcity; 

Great work by Interct Studennt of Doncaster Secondary College helping out at CareNet last week. Under the careful training and supervision of CareNet CEO Kellie Wishart they served 116 people in need. Well done everyone.

What a great group of students at Doncaster Secondary College (DSC) who this week also cooked a BBQ to donate to CareNet for their food donations.  So much work done by students in our Manningham Area, makes us all so proud. Well done David Rosenwax, Rotary Interact Lead at DSC.

Saturdays 9:30am - 1:30pm

To see the complete Roster click here Op Shop Saturday Roster. 

If you are unable to make your shift, please arrange for another club member to take your place or contact Ian Goldsmith.

Upcoming Good Vibrations Disco Evening 26 Sept - Footy Favourites. Don’t forget to put it in your diary.