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,
Esther and Anthony