The next Rotary Central Melbourne meeting at the RACV Club is on the 10th of November, at the Theatrette, Chancery Level, commencing at 7:40am, due to the 3rd being a public holiday in Victoria.
Vice-President Neville John welcomed members and guests - including Phil Sexton and Angela Tan (who were inducted later in the meeting), as well Domique Goodwin, Eugene Dolgilch, Amber Weng, Mei Ling Lok, Caroline Ord and Alex Lapina.
Guest Speaker
PDG Dennis Shore detailed the links between Rotary International - the membership organisation to which we all belong - and The Rotary Foundation. Each is registered as a not-for-profit company in the USA and have seperate Boards of Trustees. In Australia there is a registered charitable trust affiliated with The Rotary Foundation that can accept tax-deductible donations.
In short, the Foundation is what helps Rotary to do good in the world. During 2025-26 the Foundation distributed $140 million on projects worldwide, including on 264 projects in Australia. Since 1987 our Club has contributed more that $454,000 to The Rotary Foundation.
New Member Inductions
Phil Sexton and Angela Tan were welcomed as members of RCM, with Frank O’Brien and Rohan Williams as their respective mentors. Both new members will join the Community Services Committee.
Announcements
Two Bunnings sausage sizzles have been held so far this month, raising a total of more than $4,500. The next sausage sizzle will be at Collingwood on 31st October.
Vice-President Neville expressed best wishes on behalf of the Club for the wellbeing and full recovery of several members who have recently been hospitalised, as well as for two member-partners who would shortly be entering hospital for surgery.
The next meeting will be on 10th November. The “owl” will be operating again then to enable a hybrid meeting.
Future of Digital Wellbeing: AI, Wellbeing and the Human Edge AI is being perceived as an amplifier of efficiency, and of human bias. As artificial intelligence reshapes how we work, lead and connect, several questions emerge: what does responsible AI adoption actually look like? Is this an oxymoron? What happens to human wellbeing along the way, and for future generations? If you enjoyed Ruhee's last Rotary presentation on climate, wellbeing & our responsibility, you don't want to miss this. In this session, she unpacks the future of digital wellbeing through a practical, thought-provoking lens, exploring why emotional intelligence, critical thinking and empathy may be the most future-proof skills we have in an increasingly automated world. Expect real case studies, prompting questions, and conversation starters to spark curiosity & a nuanced perspective to AI beyond 'for or against'.
Bio: Ruhee Meghani is the founder of Allied Collective and one of Australia's most distinctive voices at the intersection of inclusive leadership, wellbeing, and facilitation. With 14 years of practice spanning Yoga philosophy and training & development, Ruhee works with leaders to decrease psychosocial hazards. Described as a "firecracker with purpose," Ruhee has partnered with over 65+ organisations including Nike and Arup, to drive measurable outcomes in retention, leadership capability, and workplace wellbeing. Ruhee advocates for multicultural communities and is also a university lecturer - all while championing for equitable wellbeing and inclusive design. Ruhee is based in Melbourne and works with teams and leaders across Australia and internationally. To learn more about Ruhee’s work, you can find her on LinkedIn, Allied Collective's website or on Instagram @alliedcollective.
As we come to the end of The Living Room and our other services operating from Hosier Lane, I wanted to write again to say thank you and share where things have landed.
When we announced the closure of our Hosier Lane services, we knew The Living Room was deeply valued, but we were incredibly humbled by the response. So many donors, supporters, partners and friends reached out to tell us how important the service has been to Melbourne and, in many cases, what it had meant to them personally.
The past few months have been a rollercoaster of emotions. There has been sadness and uncertainty, but also enormous pride. In true Youth Projects fashion, everyone has banded together and remained focused on what matters most: doing the right thing by our clients and each other.
Our priority has always been continuity of care, and we are pleased that the majority of our Hosier Lane team have been able to secure positions with cohealth’s new CBD Community Health Hub. It means much of the experience and compassion, and many of the trusted relationships built over the years, will continue to serve the community.
We are also incredibly grateful to everyone who has told us they want to continue supporting Youth Projects beyond The Living Room.
For more than twenty years, your generosity has helped thousands of people access healthcare, practical support, dignity and compassion during extraordinarily difficult moments in their lives. While these services are now coming to an end, the impact you helped create does not disappear.
As Youth Projects moves into its next chapter, we are taking everything The Living Room taught us and applying it earlier in people’s lives. We are growing our work with young people through prevention and early intervention, helping to change life trajectories before disadvantage becomes entrenched and crisis takes hold. We believe this can be one of The Living Room’s most powerful legacies.
To everyone who donated, volunteered, shared expertise, opened doors, advocated for us or simply stood alongside us, thank you. You helped make The Living Room what it was, supported the broader work we delivered from Hosier Lane and have been part of something very special.
And to those continuing to walk alongside Youth Projects, we are genuinely grateful and excited about what we can achieve together in this next chapter.
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.
