24th Feb 2026 - Lawn Bowls evening with RC of Bendigo South.
19th - 23rd March 2026 Barham weekend. Phone 5453 2553 to book a site/cabin and say you are from Rotary.
27th - 29th March 2026 - D9800 Multi District Impact Summit @ Horsham
Welcome to Issue 24 (2025-26) of our weekly bulletin. Find out about our upcoming events, our guest speakers, what we covered during the last meeting and more!
Can't make our meeting in person please join us via Zoom:
Opportunities to volunteer -for non-Rotarian friends and volunteers:
* Upcoming BBQs - Contact Kevin - 0428 996 619
Meeting Roster
17-Dec
24-Dec
31-Dec
7-Jan
Speaker
Paul Henderson
Public Image documents
No Meeting
No Meeting
Gathering at Lake Weeroona
Meeting Location
Peppergreen Farm
Lake Weeroona
Chair
Stan Hendy
Computer
Doug Lougoon
Set-Up 6.45am & pack up
Jim Rolfe
Welcome, raffle & roaming microphone
Linda Barrow
Co-President's report
Co-Presidents report for 10th December 2025
There was no meeting at Peppergreen Farm this week. Instead, we had a joint meeting with RC Bendigo on Tuesday night at the Bendigo Club. Nine members attended along with Andrew and his wife Georgie – great to see you both.
Guest Speaker Presentation: George Petrou
The evening’s guest speaker was George Petrou, who provided an engaging talk about his latest book, The Art of Humanity. During his presentation, George shared insights into the remarkable stories featured in his book, which highlight individuals from World War I through to present-day times. These individuals have made significant contributions to humanitarian work, yet their efforts often remain largely unrecognised and unknown to the broader public.
George placed particular emphasis on the women profiled in his latest publication. He noted that there is a greater focus on women in this book, and he recounted several extraordinary stories that underscore the vital roles these women have played in humanitarian efforts throughout history.
George told us the story of 25 Australian female Doctors who wanted to enlist in the Australian Army and go to serve on the Western Front. The Government of the day refused to send them, in fact they didn’t even want to use them in any way because they were female. Undeterred they paid for their own travel to England and joined the Scottish ladies from Edinburgh most going on to serve in Serbian hospitals. Their service was greatly appreciated by the Serbian Government; many being awarded high distinction medals for their efforts. To this day the Australian Government (and the War Memorial in Canberra) still refuse to recognise them.
Many other civilians both male and female are also written up in his book acknowledging the great humanitarian work they have done and still continue to do so.
Part of the book’s foreword recommending the book reads as follows:
“Through these stories part of the fabric of Australia has been woven.
The threads of our national fabric are represented in ‘The Art of Humanity’. These threads tell us who we are, what we stand for, how we go about life and what our values are.”
Co-Presidents Cathie & Allie
Guest speaker George Petrou OAM with Allie and Cathie.
The Blue Kangaroo Kindergarten and Primary School have a had a successful year both academically and facility wise. Bendigo Sandhurst funded a solar powered water pump for the school's water borehole. This has allowed safe water to be available for the students and staff use. See the letter of appreciation below for more detail.
The Blue Kangaroo Kindergarten was established in 2023 by Brian & Jan Hodge as a kinder for orphaned children in Jinja, Uganda. The kinder has developed into a primary school as well with a group of nineteen students recently completing their first year of primary education. Brian said that both Jan and he along with the teaching team were very pleased with the academic achievements of the children this year.
Thankyou letter.
THE BLUE KANGAROO KINDERGARTEN AND PRIMARY
P.O.BOX 636
JINJA, UGANDA
22ND NOVEMBER 2025
TO
ROTARY CLUB,
BENDIGO SANDHURST
RE: APPRECIATION FOR THE SOLAR AND WATER PUMP
Dear Sir / Madam,
As the Blue Kangaroo kindergarten and primary, we would love to extend our heartfelt gratitude to the entire Rotary Club of Bendigo Sandhurst. For the love and support towards the water supply at our school. We have been using river water, rainy water and sometimes pay someone to bring us water from a neighboring borehole since ours had gotten spoilt. I wasn’t very sure of its safety since it was the only solution to have water. Your support has made a huge difference in the entire school and lives of children. The water pumped now is safe and this will reduce on the absenteeism in children due to some infections thus improving on their performance in class for the better of their academic progress in their journey of education. We are indeed grateful as the school, parents and children are so thankful for the support.
Thanks,
Yours sincerely,
……………………………………………
Abwol immaculate Crocombe
Headteacher
Pump solar panels being installed.
Completed solar panels.
New solar powered bore pump ready for install.
2025 RYLA Program & Dinner a great success
Members Stew, Evelyn and Colleen recently attended the RYLA 2025 celebration dinner, and what stood out immediately was the genuine warmth and connection shared among participants and Rotarians. The energy in the room was full of laughter, conversations, and the unmistakable sense of young leaders finding their place in the world.
This warmth extended throughout the RYLA cohort and also to the Rotarians present from clubs right across Victoria, including Castlemaine, Hoppers Crossing, Werribee, Bendigo and Bendigo Sandhurst. The evening was exceptionally well planned and beautifully executed. A generous meal was enjoyed by all, and the lively conversations made the room buzz with enthusiasm and optimism.
The highlight came as several RYLA participants took to the stage to share their personal reflections. Their stories were heartfelt and inspiring—many described the program as life-changing, life-affirming, and a true springboard for growth and self-belief. And some wanted to return to assist as leaders in the next program.
Rotary can be proud of the impact RYLA continues to make, empowering our next generation of leaders.
Colleen.
The 2025 Rotary Youth Leadership Awards participants entertaining the guests at the dinner.
The Noticeboard
Each week various information come into the Bulletin email, small bits to add into the bulletin that doesn't really go anywhere else but may be good to know. Sometimes it's an announcement, an invitation, an update or advertisement.
Here are this week's tidbits:
Thankyou from BWNS
Paul
A huge thankyou from BWNS for the support of Rotary during 2025.
That huge thankyou applies to each of Kangaroo Flat Rotary, Bendigo South Rotary and Sandhurst Rotary
I don't think the Shelter could have operated without the essential services of laundry pickup and provision of firewood. Many important conversations were held around the fire!
Please find attached for your information our 2025 Annual Report. On pages 9 and 10 we acknowledge the contribution of Rotary.
Your support resulted in 54 persons experiencing homelessness receiving a total of 1000 nights of accommodation and 2000 meals.
Please pass on this email to everyone from Rotary involved.
Hi all, as of last Wednesday I am the "On to Conference" person for our Club.
Are you considering going or have already booked to go to the Impact Summit in Horsham, then I would really like to know so that we can look at whether we hold a club event or not. At this time, I know that we currently have five members with accommodation booked. Please email or text me if you are already booked or are considering going.
For those members who have not been to a Rotary District Conference this is a great opportunity to attend one. The location is close by, and the costs of attending is reasonable. Why not join us and experience the connection of Rotary across the southeast of Australia when the three districts join to celebrate Rotary's achievements and look to the future. I will keep you updated when I know more about the Summit program.
For more details and booking your Impact Summit ticket click on the link below.
