This weekend was a busy one for multiple members, with activities on Friday night, Saturday morning and Sunday morning.
Friday night saw members at three different events.
There was the Deakin Awards, see below for photos and Gabby's article on the night.
Judith, as District Conference Secretary and Mike as our club's Onto Conference Chair attended the District Conference launch. Next year's conference sees the District travelling to the Rydges Resort Hunter Valley from 12-14th March 2027.
The final event on Friday night, saw Coral and myself attend the Whitehorse Business Group function. Tristan from Natural Science Wine and Liquor gave a talk and had wine tastings and sales available.
Saturday morning saw Rob, Peter K and myself helping out at Blackburn Lake. Rob and Peter spent their time pulling up weeds, while I planted trees. A lovely morning with about 20 people of all ages helping to bring the wetlands back to their natural habitat.
Sunday morning was the Whitehorse Farmers Market. Thank you to all those people who volunteered at the Market. Due to the cold weather, numerous stall holders (well my favourites anyway) were taking a break, so the market seemed a bit quieter than usual.
Wishing everyone a sensationally fun week, as we Create Lasting Impact.
Nunawading Club and 2 Members receive Certificates at 2026 Deakin Community Awards
On Friday evening 10 July at Whitefriars College, approximately 140 people representing local clubs and organisations in the Deakin Federal Electorate, gathered at Whitefriars College to receive 2026 Deakin Community Awards, presented by Matt Gregg MP.
Among the recipients, the Rotary Club of Nunawading nominated for a Volunteer impact Award, while Harvey Lane and Russell Warmington nominated for an Evergreen Spirit Award. Both Categories reflect contributions to the local community.
Russell Warmington was an apology for the evening as he was on a holiday.
Details of the two awards are as follows:
Volunteer Impact Award: Celebrates individuals or groups whose volunteering has resulted in a demonstrable, positive change. It usually highlights pioneers or dedicated workers who make a profound, tangible difference for a local community, cause, or organization. [1]. Volunteer Impact Award was won by Eastern Emergency Relief Network [EERN].
Evergreen Spirit Award: Typically honors long-serving, older, or enduring members of the community. It celebrates individuals who embody a lasting, resilient commitment to helping others and who consistently inspire those around them year after year. Evergreen Spirit Award was won by Harvey and Russell.
In addition, club member Gabby Knaepple was present with members from Eastern Emergency Resource Network [EERN] who also won multiple awards.
Gabby, Ian, Matt Gregg MP, Margaret and Harvey
It was great to see such a diversity of community groups come together. The awards certainly celebrated the multiculturalism and inclusiveness of the Deakin electorate.
Jets Juniors Football Club, we would like to thank Rotary Nunawading for their ongoing support of our players, families, and community.
We are excited to invite you to our upcoming Jets Juniors Social Night, which will be a fantastic opportunity for players, parents, coaches, volunteers, sponsors, and supporters to come together and celebrate the season.
As part of the evening, we will be holding a raffle to help raise funds for the club. The proceeds will contribute towards equipment, player development programs, and ensuring our young athletes continue to enjoy a positive sporting experience.
We would be incredibly grateful if your business could support the event with a donation for the raffle. Donations may include gift vouchers, products, services, merchandise, or any other item you feel would be suitable.
If you are able to assist, please let us know by Wednesday 13th July, and we can arrange collection and/or delivery of your donation.
Thank you for considering our request and for your continued support of Jets Juniors. We hope to see you at our Social Night and look forward to celebrating together.
After many years at the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons building in East Melbourne, Interplast is moving our office to the Australian Volunteers International building in Johnson Steet Fitzroy, in order to significantly reduce our rent.
As part of our re-location plans, we need to digitise some of our hard copy records. We are hoping that some of the wonderful District 9815 Rotarians may be in a position to volunteer some time in the next 3 weeks to help scan hard copy documents and then file them in SharePoint. We will have instructions and protocols in place, and a staff member to brief and aid the volunteers.
If there are any questions, please pass on my phone number – 0487 13 00 41.
Be Part of Rotary History – Charter Night Belgrave-Ferntree Gully - Bookings Close 12 July 2026
With just a few days remaining, I wanted to send a final reminder that bookings for our Charter Night close on Sunday, 12 July.
This is more than just another Rotary event, it's the beginning of a new chapter. The Charter Night of the Rotary Club of Belgrave-Ferntree Gully marks the coming together of two proud clubs, combining more than 140 years of service, friendship and community impact.
We would be honoured to have you with us as we celebrate this historic occasion alongside Rotarians from across the District, community leaders, partners and friends.
Charter Night Friday 24 July 2026 6:00 pm for a 6:30 pm start Hyatt Place Melbourne Caribbean Park 38 Dalmore Drive, Scoresby
The evening will feature the official charter presentation, fellowship, a two-course dinner and the opportunity to celebrate the future of Rotary in our region.
If you've been planning to attend but haven't booked yet, please don't leave it until the last minute. We'd love you to be there to share this milestone with us, but numbers are limited and bookings close this Sunday, 12 July.
The latest issue of Eastsider News is now on-line. Click on the linkto read the May 2026 issue.
Even better, subscribe (it’s free) and you will get automatically notified of each new edition. The more subscribers we have the better the chance of survival of our community newspaper - and the more those subscribers ‘hit’ on Rotary articles and read them the better publicity for Rotary. Send this edition to your friends to read as well.
Circle of Care Community Expo for ‘Dying to Know’ Day
Eastern Palliative Care (EPC), in partnership with a range of local support services, is hosting the Circle of Care Community Expo for ‘Dying to Know’ Day at Ringwood RSL on Wednesday 15 July, 10am–2pm.
This free event brings together a wide range of organisations to support people to better understand palliative care, advance care planning, grief, and available community services.
Attendees can drop in throughout the day or join short presentations and a panel discussion featuring local experts, covering topics such as:
Hello all,
Whitehorse Civic Centre