Rachel Sietzema is a holistic Mindset Coach who helps people get out of the rut and uncover their true confidence while finding inner peace.

She has spent most of her life assisting others to uncover their blockages with procrastination or to improve relationships and deal with trauma. It started unintentionally with friends and family and then colleagues too.

Rachel spoke at our Club meeting about training your subconscious mind to make confident decisions and being able to take sensible risks without worry, while facing each day with more energy and purpose.

She also provided us with practical tips to ease tension by utilising an unusual breathing technique. Her website is here.

Year 6 students from Burwood Heights Primary School, Nunawading Christian College, Mount Pleasant Road Primary School, Livingstone Primary School, Orchard Grove Primary School and Blackburn Lake Primary School were presented with Youth Achievement Awards.

These worthy recipients were nominated by their school. All awardees received a Citation and a Certificate from District Governor Elect, Emma Clark. Additionally, Chelse Deacon (Community Engagement Manager - Bendigo Bank, Blackburn South) presented them with a “goody bag”.

Deborah Nicolson - 'Community Engagement Adviser' at Government House, took us through the planning, building, history and significance of this iconic mansion house in Melbourne. Built between 1872 - and 1876, it is listed on the Victorian Heritage Register and is recognised for having historical, architectural and aesthetic significance to the State. According to the Register, "It is one of the largest and most beautiful mansion houses in Australia and is considered to be one of the finest examples of 19th - century residential architecture".

Deborah brought to life the people and events of the past, with the reminder, that some 30 Governors later, our Current Governor is Her Excellency Professor the Honourable Margaret Gardner AC.

There were many questions following Deborah's presentation, with some members suggesting a group tour. I can vouch for the tour, having experienced it earlier this year and thoroughly recommend it, and... it's free! If any members are interested, please make contact on 0408 378 138 or by email.

A new school, Keysborough College has only recently organised a day with Anton and with so little notice it was too late to involve another Club. Hence, we seek six Nunawading volunteers for Sandown greyhound track on Monday 27^th October. My email gained two members, Ken and Ian so we need another four please. Email me please if you can assist.

Last Friday Gabby, Graeme and I teamed up with Maroondah to assist with 230 Year 10 Yarra Valley Grammar students. 22^nd October sees six Rotarians from M.A.S.H. assisting Koonung Secondary and 23^rd October has Boronia and Mitcham clubs assisting students from Boronia (new), Whitefriars (new) and Mullauna Colleges. 24^th October, Barb and I will team with Wonthaggi Rotarians at Bass Coast College in Wonthaggi.

28^th October is Carey Grammar with 300 students at Lilydale with three from each of Lilydale, Maroondah and Nunawading Clubs making the nine volunteers. Our volunteers are Roger, my schoolmate Hans and me.
11^th November is another new school, Lilydale Heights that Lilydale club is assisting and 1^st December, Billanook College needs three also from Lilydale Club. 3^rd December is the last scheduled day with Nazareth College at Sandown, and we have our six in Gabby, Roger, Stuart, John, Col and me.

Last school year, 65,000 students Australia and New Zealand wide attended Ryda days. Our District assisted around 5,000 students with their days and this year will be closer to 6,000 students for 2025.

We had 3 members report on a wonderful outing - Ed.

From Stuart Williams -

On Friday 17^th October we visited the historic homestead--Mont de Lancey.  It was a lovely morning, the sun was out, and the 24 attendees had a wonderful time. Glenys Grant had recommended the venue and so many of us said: “Why haven't we been here before.”

A special thanks to Harvey Lane for organising the day. We had a tasty lunch and a coffee for $22.  Entry fee, which included excellent guides, was $10.

A delightful way to spend 4 hours... home to home.

From Harvey Lane -

This historic 1882 homestead originally stood on 80 acres and now just 4 acres of home and gardens, outbuildings and a cafe. The visit allowed the members to discover what daily life was like back then. The museum area and home photographs illustrated the history of Henry and Martha Sebrie and 4 children commencing a 4-generation, 100-year commitment to the area.

From the local history, both Sue Warmington and Barb Williams found their own local connection.
A comprehensive 9-minute video showed the development of the Wandin area. The early need for major tree clearing that was required to provide the pastoral land today. The early focus was on fruit  growing and Wandin today is now known for its fresh berry and quality cherry supply to local and interstate markets.

The tour also provided interesting blacksmith and wood turning presentations by local representatives and the day finished with a pleasant lunch and fellowship at the Two Peas Cafe, on site.
A good day was had by all.

From Ken Smith - (with photos)

Harvey's time machine was hard at work, taking us back to 1867! Following a very friendly greeting we were transported back to a time where man and bullocks helped clear the land of dense trees which, in turn, were used to build their homes and outhouses. 
Our Friendly guide - 'Liz Harvey' delivered a thorough narration of life at the time, taking us through the original church, the Homestead and outbuildings, including the working Blacksmiths! If you're game, you can enrol for 'Blacksmith Classes' at $400.00 over four Saturdays between 9.00am - 12.00pm. Hot Work!

All in all, a very enjoyable reflection of the history and workings of the time. Followed by a country lunch and terrific banter.

For decades, Rotary members have joined forces with governments, nongovernmental organisations, and local communities to fight polio. We’ve made incredible progress, but the mission isn’t over yet.

This powerful video shows why our commitment is more critical than ever.

As World Polio Day approaches, a new Rotary Service in Action blog post details the challenges we face, explains how supporting polio eradication promotes peace, and offers simple ways your club can take action through fundraising, education, and advocacy.

Read the post and start planning your World Polio Day event today.

Every October, Ambulance Victoria aims to raise awareness about cardiac arrest and the power of early intervention. This year, they are encouraging everyone to take action by finding their nearest Automated External Defibrillator (AED) or registering their AED and help to save lives in their community.

Samantha and Nick from the Nunawading station gave a very informative presentation and demonstration of the use of an AED. Everyone in attendance was given a Call, Push, Shock kit which contains a fridge magnet, a life-size poster and a rubber heart to practice compressions on. We also collected more packs and brochures to distribute at the upcoming Spring Festival. 

There is a wealth of additional information on the Ambulance Victoria site including this video.

Last week, we were delighted to welcome our Rotary Scholar, Ethan Newnham, who shared the exciting news of his successful completion of a Master of Science (MSc) degree at Oxford University. He was joined by his proud parents, Jane and Glenn.
Ethan first connected with the Rotary Club of Forest Hill after earning his Bachelor of Science (BSc) from the University of Melbourne. At the time, he was conducting research at the Howard Florey Institute and volunteering at both the Umbrella Dementia Café and the University of the Third Age (U3A). Although he had secured a place at Oxford to pursue his MSc, he lacked the necessary funding. Thanks to Bob Laslett’s efforts in rallying support from clubs across the District and securing a Rotary Foundation Global Grant, Ethan was able to embark on his academic journey.
Ethan enthusiastically reported that he was Dux of his class and has now received a fully funded offer to continue at Oxford for a D.Phil. (PhD) over the next three years. In addition to his academic achievements, he represented Oxford in trampolining and enjoyed a vibrant social life with classmates and fellow Rotary Scholars.
We are incredibly proud of Ethan and confident he will continue to excel in all his future endeavours. The Club looks forward to following his journey with great interest.

Kirsty is the Founder and CEO of Umbrella Dementia Cafes (UDC). She is a registered Division1 nurse with a degree and expertise in Aged Services Management in the UK and Australia.

Drawing on international models from the UK and The Netherlands, Kirsty established the charity in 2016 and successfully implemented the evidence- based, dementia cafe ‘village model’ across multiple Victorian communities to address the gap in post-diagnosis social support.

Erin with Julie and Bev Hoskins

Erin McCulloch spoke to the Club about her attendance at the week-long Rotary Youth Leadership Awards (RYLA) camp at Phillip Island with 39 other Rylarians.

Erin is a senior player with the Blackburn Football Club and was nominated by Julie Hoskins, Vice President – Womens Football Director.

President Mike inducted Erin as an honorary member of the club.

Belonging Matters is an organisation that aims to give people living with a disability a better life and equal opportunities to all others in the community. At last week's meeting Sarah-Jayne and Emily spoke on the Community Employment Partnership project, and how this helps create employment for those with intellectual disabilities.

Emily spoke from personal experience on how the scheme has benefitted and supported her.

Sarah Jayne and Emily are seen here talking with President Mike Finke and Past President Cr. Ben Stennett.

Learn how to apply Vocational Service in your personal and professional life through Rotary

We’re excited to share the newly updated Vocational Service in Action publication, a comprehensive guide that: 

• Defines Vocational Service and explains its importance in upholding ethical standards in our professional and personal lives
• Offers project ideas for mentoring, skills training, and ethical-business initiatives
• Includes inspiring real-world examples of members applying their professional expertise to serve communities
• Shows how Vocational Service supports Rotary’s Action Plan by increasing our impact, expanding our reach, enhancing participant experience, and increasing our adaptability.

Download it now and integrate your vocation meaningfully and ethically into service. 

Our club is implementing a program to improve the awareness and utility of Automated External Defibrillators (AEDs) within the Whitehorse council area. Use of AEDs within 10 minutes can reduce the chance of the person dying by up to a factor of 6. For a video on the use of an AED follow this link.

How Did this Begin?
This project has been developed following advocacy by the former “Yellow Wiggle”, Greg Page, who suffered a cardiac arrest on stage and whose life was saved by the quick actions of a nearby nurse and the use of an AED. He founded an organisation called “The Heart of the Nation” promoting better access to AEDs in the community. This organisation has since merged with the Heart Foundation. Leading the fight to save Australian hearts.

Ambulance Victoria (AV)
We have been in contact with AV which has been developing a few initiatives that are due to mature shortly and will complement our program. These initiatives involve the use of the GoodSam App GoodSAM In the event of an emergency call to AV following a cardiac arrest. AV will notify the nearest 3 “Responders” of the whereabouts of that arrest. AV will transfer the coordinates of AEDs that are currently on its register to both the Responder and the person who called. There are, however, quite a few of AEDs which are not currently registered; something we aim to change in our area.

What Does the Rotary Club of Nunawading AED Project Involve?
Our club will take the following steps:
•    Survey businesses within the Whitehorse area to identify AEDs in the area and to encourage the registration of their AED with Ambulance Victoria.      
•    Increase awareness in the Whitehorse community with presentations at events such as the Whitehorse Market and the Whitehorse Spring Festival
•    Engage with local organisations such as the Whitehorse Business Group
•    Promote awareness within the community of what to do in the event of a suspected cardiac arrest that will include:

• Checking for DANGER
• Reviewing RESPONSE
• SEND for help (Call 000 or 911) and the AED
• Checking the AIRWAY
• Checking for BREATHING
• Commence CARDIAC COMPRESSION
• Use the DEFIBRILLATOR

We will be asking for volunteers from the club to make contact businesses in the Whitehorse area, implement the survey, promote better awareness of AEDs and cardiac resuscitation
For more information on how to respond to a cardiac arrest, watch “Shock Verdict Video”

President Mike presented Len with a Paul Harris pin with 5 Sapphires in recognition of his ongoing support of the Rotary foundation.

Ian A presented on his childhood growing up in Mitcham, his education and his time in the real estate industry.

He also spoke about his many years of ongoing Rotary service at the Club and District level and his travel.

Hi everyone!

I wanted to share the exciting news that I've submitted my final Master's thesis, and that my year in Oxford is coming to an end. On the 10^th of September, I'll sit my Viva Voce exam (an oral defence of my thesis) and that will be the final piece of assessment. I'll get a bit of time at home before coming back to Oxford to start my DPhil (PhD) in October, which I'm incredibly excited for!

While I'm in Melbourne I'd love to have the opportunity to thank you for supporting me, and making this life-changing year possible. If you'd like me to speak at your club in the second half of September, please let me know and I'd love to say hi!

All the best,
Ethan Newnham

Our club is pleased to announce our first hosting partner for our Donation Point. Rombe Rooftop is a great spot to dine, relax and celebrate, and the co-owners are actively involved in the Whitehorse community. Thanks, Rombe. Check out their dining and Father's Day menus here: https://www.rombe.com.au/

See the video on Facebook.

Ann and I attended the Convention in Calgary, Canada from June 21 - 25, 2025.

16,000 Rotary members and participants from 140 countries registered for the event. “The world right now can feel divided,” said Rotary International President Stephanie Urchick. “But Rotary brings together people from every corner of the globe, not to erase our differences, but to celebrate them. That’s how we spread peace, because peace is more than the absence of conflict: It’s the presence of understanding.”

Rotary announced the extension of its joint commitment of up to US$450 million with the Gates Foundation to end polio, a Rotary-led peacebuilding program to help strengthen communities affected by conflict in Colombia, and a partnership with Symbiosis International University to establish a Rotary Peace Center in India. In the House of Friendship, more than 240 booths showcased Rotary club humanitarian projects, Rotary’s global initiatives, partners, and vendors in a space of 3,000+ net square metres.

We attended the Opening Ceremony (in two separate sessions), a preview of the Calgary Stampede, Home Hospitality, a “Pancakes for Polio” breakfast, and the Zone 8 breakfast with over 150 Australian and New Zealand Rotarians. WE also attended plenary sessions and workshops with many thought-provoking and innovative ideas.