Bill has returned from Japan, cooked hundreds of taiyaki, and will resume editing the Bulletin. For which I am grateful. Please send any input to him by Saturday, 1 November.
Stephen
Last week’s meeting
On Thursday, 23 October 2025, some of us were expecting a talk on Rotary’s effort to combat trachoma in remote Indigenous communities in Australia. In the event, the talk is delayed. Apart from Warrick’s extensive and humorous presentation on Rotary practices a century or so ago, we had some other diversions.
Juris made a toast to Alice Springs, a town in which the Rotary Club of Alice Springs is making a supreme effort to support Indigenous communities in the surrounding district to combat trachoma, an incipient disease for lack of clean water and the means to maintain hygiene. Trachoma affects vision and ultimately leads to blindness. It should not be happening in a rich country like Australia.
The End Trachoma Now Rotary website summarises the project’s aims and achievements. I could not express them any better:
"End Trachoma Now" is the name of a Rotary project focused on eliminating trachoma in Indigenous Australian communities by promoting hygiene and sanitation. While the original goal was to achieve this by 2020, the project continues today, focusing on improving access to clean water, creating laundry facilities, and providing personal hygiene kits to prevent the spread of the eye infection that can lead to blindness.
Project goals and activities include:
Hygiene and Sanitation:The project's primary goal is to improve facial and personal hygiene in affected communities.
SAFE Strategy:The project supports the SAFE Strategyfor trachoma control, which includes surgery, antibiotics, facial cleaning, and environmental improvements.
Hygiene Kits:Projects include distributing personal hygiene kits for children, which contain face washers and soap, to reduce the need for sharing.
Infrastructure:Rotarians have built and provided funding for community laundries, mobile laundry trailers, and water trailers.
Awareness:The project works to raise awareness about trachoma and the importance of hygiene within these communities.
How you can help:
Donate: You can donate tax-deductible funds to support projects, which can be used for washing machines, hygiene kits, or other community infrastructure.
Volunteer: Rotary clubs across Australia are involved, and individual clubs may have specific needs for volunteers or supplies.
Support hygiene initiatives: Supporting the distribution of soap, face washers, and providing access to clean water can help prevent the spread of the infection.
Learn more: You can find more information from your local Rotary club or through organizations like Nourish our Communities Ltd.
Juris
Candle Festival success on 25 October!
Jess Howieson and Ross ready to take your money. Thanks to Jess and to Bill’s granddaughter Corella for their help.
Eric looking relaxed as he cooks the sausages.
Collette and Bill cooking taiyaki with Warrick cleaning up in the background. Thanks to Collette for her help.
On the big stage a school band performs.
There were candles – here’s many of them, surrounding one of the Peace Poles near the Peace Bell.
Rotaractor Owen helping a visitor ring the Peace Bell.
Olek providing guidance to the Chief Minister and the Japanese Ambassador.
Japanese Ambassador ringing the Peace Bell.
Rotaractor Miles encouraging donations to support the Peace Bell.
Thanks to Olek for the photos of the Peace Bell activities.
The handful of volunteers at the Club’s double stall had a busy time on Saturday, selling drinks, ninja sausage sandwiches, and taiyaki to raise funds for Club projects. There was also the opportunity to ring the Peace Bell – many thanks to Miles and Owen the Rotaract Club of Canberra for helping out at this event. Treasurer Ross will advise the financial results of the event once he’s received all invoices and reconciled the figures.
Some of the surplus bread, custard, sausages and chopped onions was donated to Annie’s Place in Queanbeyan, where they will be used to help those in need. A staff member thanked the Club for the donation, saying “Thank you for dropping the food off, it is greatly appreciated”.
Next meeting
Our next meeting will be held at the Royal Canberra Golf Club on Thursday, 30 October. The guest speaker will be Michael Organ and his subject is “History of the National Film and Sound Archive”.
If you are planning on attending but haven’t responded to Eric’s invitation, please do so by 11 am on Tuesday, 28 October.
Member to propose Toast to Rotary, introduce and thank guest speaker, and write up for Bulletin:
30 October
Ross
Michael Organ: History of the National Film and Sound Archive
Russell Dew
6 November
Astrida
PDG Phil Armstrong: The Rotary Foundation
Bill Andrews
13 November
Astrida
Con Boekel: My life with photography
Astrida
20 November
Astrida
AGM
Paper cranes from Canberra hung in Hiroshima
The Canberra Rotary Peace Bell coordinator was delighted to receive the following email from Hiroshima:
Today we offered your paper cranes sent from the Canberra ceremony to remember Hiroshima and Nagasaki in August. The cranes have been hung from the Children’s Hiroshima Peace Monument.
Thank you again for sending us a bunch of beautifully folded cranes.
We would like to ask for your understanding and continued support for our city’s initiatives for peace.
Congratulations to Majura Primary and Mawson Primary Schools for the cranes and to the Rotaract Club of Canberra who conducted the ceremony. We presented these cranes at the Canberra ceremony then sent them to Hiroshima to proudly hang from the children’s memorial there.
Information and photograph courtesy of the Canberra Rotary Peace Bell Facebook page
Oceans to Outback: RFDS fundraising walk
Australia is a big country, and for those living in remote, rural and regional areas, access to immediate care isn’t a guarantee. For some communities, the nearest hospital is eight hours drive away. Every year, the Royal Flying Doctor Service (RFDS) reaches more than 330,000 Australians with 24-hour emergency retrieval and primary healthcare services. That’s one person every two minutes!
This October, I’m walking 87km to raise funds for the RFDS (one km for each RFDS aircraft). As of today, I’ve walked 85 km. There’s still time to make a tax-deductible donation, at:
