Vice-President Neville John welcomed members and guests - including Rotaractor Trishna Bajgain, Karen Kim from Rotary Melbourne and Simon Wild (visitor).
Guest Speaker
Ruhee Meghani presented about AI, its impact on us as social creatures and the future of digital wellbeing. She discussed the impact of AI on our mental health, emotional intellgience, and critical thinking and how much this has changed even in the last 12 months and how it impact different age brackets. People often do not consider thier digital wellbeing, when considering overall wellbeing,
Announcements
Neville John has given us an update on Majorie Gerlinger OAM. She is doing well as she continues her treatment. Veronica Love and Rebecca John are both recovering well from surgery and our club has sent them all flowers to let them know we are thinking of them
There are 2 Bunnings BBQ's this weekend - one at Collingwood on Saturday and one on Sunday at Port Melbourne. Last month $6200 was raised from the 3 BBQ's held.
Please remember the christmas hamper appeal - the details are in the Bulletin.
Dont forget to get your tickets in the christmas raffle! The raffle will be drawn at our christmas lunch at the Savoy on the 15th. The raffle prizes are christmas puddings and cakes and are apparently the most delicious ever (according to taste tester Rhys)!
A link to book for the christmas Luncheon will be sent out soon. Luncheon will be 2 course, with cash bar, and there will also be entertainment from Michael Lapina and any suprises he has install for us,
Frank updated us on DIK. There will be a 4th and last (for the year) sorting session on 8th December.
Frank also let us know that after 20 years in Youth Projects will no longer be a project for Central Melbourne Rotary. There stuctures have changed and they are no longer supporting the youth homeless but will still work in other areas. Over the 20 years Central Melbourne Rotary has supported Youth Projects with sleeping bags, clothing, a fridge and laundry equipment.
Paul Fowler announcement (via Neville J) - the next meeting is on 17th November at 6pm. There will be a 20 minute meeting in the Chancery room for announcements but there will be no guest speaker. There will then be the opportunity for getting together over dinner and a drink after the short meeting.
The AGM is on 24th November at 7.40am - online. Please try to attend as we need a quorum.
Vocational Committee
Suvam and Pat presented us with a ‘Call to Action!’ for Community Employment Partnership (CEP).
CEP are looking at 50 referrals frem Central Melbourne by June next year.
The ask is for each Rotarian to reach out to 2 business or personal contacts to speak to them about the project where we are seeking employment opportunities for people with Intellectual Disabilities.
The International Services Committee is proud to embark on an inspiring collaboration in partnership with the Rotary Club of Rabindra Sarobar (Kolkata, India) and supported by a Rotary Foundation District Grant. This impactful project establishes Physics, Chemistry, and Biology laboratories at Gobindapur Ganda Devi Girls' High School in rural India.
Previously, the school was only able to offer Arts and Commerce streams, leaving 1,200 underprivileged female students facing severe geographical and financial hurdles to pursue science education. Students were forced to either discontinue their science education or travel long distances and pay for expensive accommodation ,to complete their science education.
With the introduction of these new laboratory facilities, equipped with up-to-date science equipment and lab benches, funded through the joint contributions of our clubs and District 9800, the school can now officially introduce a sustainable Science and STEM streams of education.
The project is built on the strong, long-standing sister-club relationship between Rotary Central Melbourne and the Rotary Club of Rabindra Sarobar and is guided by project champions PDG Neville John, and PDG Uttam Ganguli. Crucially, sustainability is at the heart of the design. The school’s existing qualified science teaching staff will deliver practical and theoretical curriculum significantly aided by this critical new infrastructure. We look forward to sharing further updates as installation progresses and the students step into their new laboratories to unlock bright futures in science, technology, engineering, and medicine!
RIMERN (Rotary Inner Melbourne Emergency Relief Network) is a multi-club Rotary project that means 'Residential Recycling'! Household goods are collected and donated to people in need.RIMERN helps people coming out of homelessness, domestic violence, refugee displacement, jail, loss of homes due to disaster or crisis. These people are clients of member welfare agencies, who are assisting them settle into homes. RIMERN helps to fit out these homes.
But RIMERN can only help if it has donated goods to distribute.And that’s where you or your friends can help. Do you have any small pieces of furniture you no longer need?RIMERN desperately needs tables, chests of drawers, bookcases, TV stands and any other small furniture items.They don’t have to be Immaculate.If you would be happy with them in your home, then they’re good enough.
If you have any items you would be happy to donate, please let either Rohan Williams or Roger Thornton know.Collection of items can be arranged.Alternatively, you can take them directly to RIMERN’s warehouse at 32-34 Lincoln Street, Brunswick East.The warehouse is open Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday, 10 am–3 pm.
The RCM Community Service Committee is pleased to launch the 2026 Christmas Hamper Appeal. A two-page flyer is attached which provides the relevant information relating to the two charities that we will be supporting; Steps Outreach (Steps) and Uniting Asylum Seeker Project (UASP); the list of contents for each organisation’s hamper bag and the date of the Christmas lunch at the Savoy on Little Collins Hotel.
Who you shop for is your choice. UASP bags should have a green ribbon/tag attached to distinguish them from Steps Outreach bags, which should have a red ribbon/tag. Please advise Rebecca John how many of which bags you will be shopping for so that we can keep a record of the number and location of hampers to be collected. (Email is choneng51@gmail.com)
For those who would like a hamper bag/s provided, some will be made available at the club meetings on Tuesday 20th October & 10thNovember. They will also be available at the Bunnings BBQ’s at Collingwood on Saturday17th and 31st October and Port Melbourne on Sunday 15th November. Alternatively, you can provide your own bags. Please remember to use a green ribbon/tag for Uniting ASP and red for Steps Outreach and let Rebecca know.
The Community Service Committee will again assist those who would like to participate but are unable to shop. In this case a donation of $55 per bag should be made to the RCM bank account. Please note the transaction as ‘Hampers and your surname’. We need to keep track of deposits, so please let Rebecca know by 20thNovember 2026 if you are planning to use this method and how many of which hamper bags (Steps/UASP) that you would like purchased.
The RCM banking details are:
BSB: 033000 (Westpac)
Account number: 791085
Please note that the collection of hampers purchased by you will need to be delivered to; collected by or dropped off to one of the Community Service Committee members (Frank, Peter, Roger, Tom, Maureen, David Jones or Neville). We will sort the bags into Steps and Uniting ASP and arrangements will be made to deliver them to the appropriate organisation. Steps and UASP will be attending the RCM Christmas lunch, (yes a lunch), which will be held on Tuesday 15th December 2026, at The Savoy on Little Collins Hotel, (Corner of Little Collins and Spencer Streets, Melbourne). Further details to follow separately.
If you have any questions please contact Neville on 0417 387216 or email nrjohn55@gmail.com.
