CBD News - Rotary Central Melbourne Sleeping Bags for the Homeless article
Phillip Island Tree Planting
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NEXT MEETING
Rotary Central Melbourne meets at the RACV Club on the first and third Tuesdays of each month.
If you would like to visit our meeting, you are welcome to join us at the Theatrette, Chancery Level of the RACV Club. There is no charge for attending the meeting.
If you would like a more general discussion about attending a Rotary meeting, please contact the club secretary at rotaryclubcentralmelbourne@gmail.com
The meeting will commence at 7:40 am and conclude no later than 8:30. Members and guests are invited to stay for coffee or breakfast in the RACV Club Bistro following the meeting.
Instead of our usual guest speaker Rotary Central Melbourne will be holding a Town Hall Meeting.
This meeting is an opportunity for every member to contribute ideas, listen to the perspectives of others, and help shape the direction of our club for this Rotary year and beyond. The focus will be hearing from you!
Rotary Central Melbourne – Meeting Report Tuesday 7 July 2026
RCM Meeting Report – 7 July 2026
President Paul welcomed all with special mention of our guests:
Commander Sharon McKinnon APM (Family Violence and Safer Communities)
Dr Ani Wierenga - Academic Convenor, Adolescent Health and Wellbeing Centre for Adolescent Health at The Royal Children’s Hospital and Senior Lecturer, Department of Paediatrics, Melbourne Medical School
Dr David Broderick – Child & Youth Portfolio Manager | Priority & Safer Communities Division
2026 Silk Miller Scholar - Acting Sergeant – Ellani Little
Senior Sergeant Andrew Tsockallos, Ellani’s Senior Manager from the Proactive Policing Unit and Crime Reduction Team at Brimbank/Melton.
The Chair invited guests and members to either toast or acknowledge Rotary International and then introduced Dr Ani Wierenga, the Academic Convenor of the Adolescent Health and Wellbeing Graduate Diploma. Dr Wierenga acknowledged that the partnership between the University of Melbourne, Rotary, and Victoria Police has created an almost 30-year pipeline of officers equipped to better understand young people, beyond being offenders, as developing humans with complex needs. This visionary investment in police education directly improves young people's health outcomes, reduces unnecessary justice system involvement, and builds more effective policing practices with stronger long-term outcomes.
Police who understand adolescent health frameworks recognise that problem behaviours are often a manifestation of social conditions, enabling them to respond holistically and strategically rather than punitively. Interviews with graduates of the program demonstrate six critical impacts:
1. Better Understanding of Young People.
2. Access to Evidence-Based Frameworks and Increased Effectiveness.
3. Improved Responses and Enhanced Engagement.
4. Leadership, Cultural Influence and Team Behaviour Change.
5. Stronger Inter-Agency Collaboration.
6. More Effective Work with Marginalised Communities.
When police understand adolescent health holistically, they become advocates for systemic change.
Commander Sharon McKinnon from Victoria Police then acknowledged Rotary Central Melbourne and The University of Melbourne and also praised the partnerships which continue to provide the support and funding for the Silk Miller Scholarship. Commander McKinnon also congratulated this year’s recipient, Acting Sergeant Ellani Little and presented her with a framed certificate, testament to her achievement. Acting Sergeant Little was then invited to say a few words.
Ellani shared with us her humble upbringing, challenges raising three young children, coaching her daughter’s under-10 basketball team, playing sport herself and committing her heart, mind and soul to her duties as a member of the police force. Through her assignment to the Proactive Policing Unit (PPU) at Caroline Springs, Ellani discovered her true calling in driving change and fighting for changes in caring for disadvantaged, disenfranchised and at-risk children and adolescents. The Silk Miller scholarship has further solidified her determination and courage to make a difference and lead the charge in her community for increased understanding of youths who have strayed and been caught up in offences against the law; but also to find ways of preventing would-be offenders and offering alternative pathways to maintain a healthy life, physically and mentally.
A number of questions ranging from “a day in the life of Ellani…”, to “how do you switch off at the end of the day”, to “do you get to peel back the layers of your various interactions and reflect” were raised by the audience.
Member Announcements
Roger Thronton reminded us about the Tree Planting Project on 1 August at Philip Island. If you haven’t yet registered get in touch with Roger.
President’s Announcements
A reminder of the funeral service for Terry Cocks, OAM to be held at St. John’s in East Malvern on 17th July at 1pm.
Through diligent financial planning, the Club has been able to reduce membership fees to $330/annum. President Paul thanked all involved in enable the fee reduction.
NB: Next face-to-face meeting at the RACV Club (21 July) will be convened as a Town Hall meeting. No speakers have been scheduled, and the meeting will provide an opportunity for interaction, dialogue and discussion amongst all attendees about how to get the most out of your RCM membership and how to more fully engage and participate in various ways.
Rotary delivers winter warmth to people sleeping rough
During the month of June, Rohan and I wrote to RCM member Sean Car, who is owner of Hyperlocal, a business that produces monthly community publications in the CDB and the North, South, East and West inner suburban communities. We asked Sean if he would be prepared to run a pro-bono article that we drafted involving the work we had done in supporting the homeless community in the Melbourne CBD and inner North. Sean confirmed that he would be happy to do run that in the July Edition of ‘CBD News’.
The Story -
Rotary Central Melbourne has delivered 228 winter-grade sleeping bags to help people experiencing homelessness stay warmer and safer during the colder months. The club once again partnered with two frontline homelessness support organisations, Youth Projects in Melbourne’s CBD and St Mary’s House of Welcome in Fitzroy, to distribute the sleeping bags to people sleeping rough across the city and inner north.
Both organisations provide a wide range of services to people experiencing home-lessness, including those sleeping rough in the CBD, Fitzroy and Collingwood. As temperatures fall and demand for support continues to rise, access to warm, good-quality sleeping bags becomes increasingly important for people without secure shelter.
Rotary Central Melbourne initially set a goal of collecting and distributing at least 170 winter-grade sleeping bags before winter. Funding was raised through the generosity of Rotary members, their families, friends and corporate supporters. These contributions were then matched dollar-for-dollar through a Rotary Foundation grant, allowing the club to significantly increase the impact of its fundraising.
The Rotary Foundation’s grant program enables donations raised by Rotary clubs to be reinvested into eligible community and humanitarian projects, helping local clubs multiply the value of their work. Thanks to the support received, Rotary Central Melbourne exceeded its target, collecting and distributing 228 sleeping bags.
For Rotary members, each sleeping bag represents practical help for someone facing winter without a safe place to sleep. Rotary Central Melbourne is one of several Rotary clubs serving Melbourne’s CBD and inner suburbs. Its volunteers contribute their time, skills and resources to strengthen local communities and support people in need, both locally and around the world.
Once again, RCM will be helping the Phillip Island Landcare group to revegetate an area on Phillip Island. The date for this year's activity is August 1.
If you haven't done this before, the day's tree planting is great fun, especially if the weather is fair, and a very rewarding morning's effort. All you need is a pair of gardening gloves, stout footwear and warm/wet weather gear.
Details are on the flyer. Please advise Roger Thornton if you can participate.
