The test run of our new venue went very well and members agreed to the Wyllie Arthritis Centre being our new meeting venue. Thank you to Ric Forlano CEO of the centre and a member of RC of Nedlands for allowing us the use of the venue. It was nice to enjoy a hot breakfast thanks to Maria and William at Nourished Cafe.
Thank you Tony for providing the article from Tuesday's meeting.
Judy is this week's writer and David is student host.
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CLUB FORUM
Our Club meeting on Tuesday 19 May was exciting on 2 counts - we tried out a new meeting venue, and President-elect Judy conducted a Club Forum on where we are, and where we are going.
The meeting venue is at the Wyllie Arthritis Centre in Shenton Park. It has 2 meeting rooms that we can use without charge. It also has a cafe, "Nourished"- https://nourishedcafe.net/.
One of the meeting rooms is a Boardroom big enough for our regular Club meetings, with good AV. The other room, that we didn't see, is larger, and potentially useful for larger events.
Parking is good, and traffic in that area is not bad in the morning. Unfortunately, it does not have a nice outlook over bowling greens!
The cafe provides a cooked breakfast at a very reasonable price, and a pretty reasonable espresso coffee to your order. They also deliver to the meeting room, enabling us to get on with our important business!
Consensus of opinion was that it was a winner.
Judy led us through a few slides, starting with a summary of our projects and impacts. She then posed a number of questions, including:
Board positions- for 2026-27 the only positions that have been filled are President Judy, President-elect Jane, Treasurer Michael, Secretary Tony and Youth/Club Protection Officer Donna. Volunteers for the remaining Board positions?
Meeting frequency- weekly, fortnightly or other?
Board meetings- with our low numbers, essentially the whole Club?
Bulletin- frequency, and volunteer editor?
Social media editor?
District grants - suitable projects, and capacity to match?
The big one - Do/can we grow, or go?
There was some discussion, but no answers. Judy is circulating a survey so we can all contribute.
President David informed the meeting that Bruce Dufty has tendered his resignation as he was no longer able to contribute as he would wish. The meeting acknowledged Bruce, and Bev's, significant contribution to the Club and the broader Rotary world.
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JIN UPDATE
Jin travelled to Northam on Friday night as a guest of Delia, president of the Rotary Club. She went to Wave Rock with Delia and PP Greg from the club and returns to Perth tonight. It sounds like she enjoyed herself. BTW, I set her expectations of Wave Rock on the low side so she wouldn't be disappointed, and it sounds like she had a great time.
"Got to see the wonderful wave rock and Toodyay, of course Northam too. It was so gorgeous the Wave Rock."
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BALGA SHS THANK YOU MORNING TEA
Jane, Donna and I had the pleasure of attending the sponsors thank you morning tea for the Balga SHS STEM Racing Team Luminescent. What an amazing and confident group of students, very different from the cohorts we've met from other years.
The five students Tyson (lead engineer), Yosan (team manager), Japleen (marketing manager), Rigzin (graphic designer) and Amina (resource manager and back-up engineer) shared their 3-month experience preparing for the challenge. As well as refining their car, they were required to prepare a sponsorship package, design and explain their logo, design their team apparel, and run some fundraising events at school which were more aimed at raising awareness of the challenge.
The students are from 5 different countries and show how we can work together when we choose to. They enjoyed the challenge, their trip to Melbourne and what they learned along the way.
Congratulations to the students and their teach, Ros London, who is passionate about making a difference in the STEM area with the students. The team is working together in their own time after school with the guidance of Ros as they are keen to participate in a future challenge which falls outside their curriculum.
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REMINDER that our next packing day is on 27 May. Please register ASAP and see if you can encourage some friends to come along to help us. Register here
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INVITATION FROM ROTARY OF CRAWLEY
11 June 2026, 5:30 pm – 8:00 pm
St Catherine's on Park, 2 Park Rd, Crawley WA 6009, Australia
About the Event
Join us for an insightful evening as Steve McCabe, Program Manager at ReWild Perth discusses Banksia woodlands - one of Western Australia’s most iconic ecosystems.
ReWilding unites Steve's passion for biodiversity, practical experience in habitat restoration, and commitment to empowering everyday people to take meaningful environmental action in their own gardens and communities.
This presentation will introduce what defines a banksia woodland, where these communities occur today, and why their distribution has changed over time. It will explore the key threats facing banksia woodlands, including urban development, fragmentation, altered fire regimes, and invasive species. Attendees will then gain practical insights into how everyday gardening choices like plant selection, water use, and habitat creation can contribute to the protection and recovery of banksia woodlands across the Perth region.
Every participant will receive a local native seedling to take home.
This project is jointly funded by the Australian Government Natural Heritage Trust…
Anyone interested in attending, click here to book.
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INVITATION FROM PERTH ROTARY
As we prepare to celebrate this historic milestone—100 years of Rotary serving the Western Australian community—I wanted to send a friendly reminder to secure your tickets for our upcoming Centenary Legacy Luncheon.
This special event will officially launch our Centenary Year, and we would be absolutely delighted to have you join us. We are delighted to have a prestigious guest list confirmed, including the Lord Mayor of Perth, the UWA Chancellor, and several key community and business leaders. It promises to be an exceptional afternoon as we embark on our centennial year.
Event Details:
Date: Friday, 19 June 2026
Time: 12:00 PM for a 12:30 PM start (formal proceedings conclude at 2:00 PM) The event concludes at 3pm.
Venue: Argyle Ballroom, Parmelia Hilton Perth
Tickets: Includes a premium two-course lunch with wine, beer, and soft drinks.
Tickets can be purchased individually, or you can book a full table of 10 to receive a 10% discount.
To assist us with our seating arrangements and catering numbers, please book online by Friday, 29 May 2026.
If you have any questions or require assistance with your booking, please feel free to reply directly to this email or call me on 0429 451 077. We look forward to sharing this momentous occasion with you.
Warm regards,
Jill Dawson OAM
President Perth Rotary 2025/27
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The club continues to support students from Balga Senior High School in various youth programs and the students from Team Luminescent have returned from the STEM Racing National Finals in Melbourne and will be presenting to us on 9 June.
