I hope, like me, some of our crew have enjoyed a relaxing non-Rotary weekend free to focus on some football.
As we finalise our dues for the 2026-27 Rotary year, I reflect on where our monies to the Rotary Foundation go to advance Rotary’s mission and create lasting change in communities both locally and globally.
We are all aware of Rotary Foundation’s Global Grant Project with the Rotary Club of Washington, Pennsylvania for the Speech and Hearing Project in Moora and our earlier project with Rotary Club Stony Athi to provide 8 accessible toilets for school students in Kenya. Through the Rotary Foundation, Applecross
Rotary has also supported a midwifery scholarship to Global Nurses and Midwives along with disaster relief contributions to citizens of Ukraine, Shelterbox and of course, recently, the Nepal Disaster Relief Fund.
Through the collective efforts of Rotary members globally the Foundation has been able to:
Award 1804 global grants, 463 district grants, and 61 disaster response grants in 2025-26
Work with partners to vaccinate more than 350 million children in 28 countries during 2025
Open the newest Rotary Peace Center at Symbiosis International University in India
With numerous other areas Applecross Rotary choose to support locally, these figures give an insight to the impact Rotary has collectively across the globe in efforts to do good in our world. It is timely to reflect on the affect of these collective efforts as we embark upon our market season and Jacaranda Festival tasks.
Together in our Rotary
Margaret Brede
Congratulations to Attadale Rotary on their very successful 'Spring Concert' held on Sunday at the Fremantle Town Hall. The Fremantle Chamber Orchestra played to a full house raising funds to support the homeless.
They also gave Attadale Rotary excellent promotion by placing a flyer on every audience seat, highlighting the Club’s work supporting people experiencing homelessness. This includes the My Home Project .
Joe Arodi is our newest member with Kenn Williams & President Margaret
Following a few delays caused by becoming a new father and work comitments we were finally able to formally welcome our newest member Joe Aradi at last Tuesday's breakfast meeting. Joe works in the Mining Industry in Business Development. His particular community service interest is project work both locally and international. Welcome Joe!
To start, Wayne gave us a brief summary of his background with Rotary. He joined Rotary in July, 2005. His first club was Safety Bay. As he was a bank manager, he was a natural to be asked as club treasurer. But Wayne has never served within Rotary as a treasurer. Instead, within three months, he became president elect. He enjoyed a great nine months of training.
However, the club closed when it was down to seven members, so he moved to Rockingham Rotary. But that club finished too and then the district was closed as well.
This did not daunt Wayne, who stayed with Rotary and became secretary to the District Governor. He was District Governor from 2019-20. He learnt very early that Rotarians don’t say no.
Wayne is currently the lead of new member development for Rotary South Pacific.
He addressed the question: “how do we retain members?”. We lose 30-40 per cent of new Rotarians in the first two years. There are 1.2 million Rotarians worldwide but we lose several hundred thousand a year. That is 10 per cent per year.
Rotary South Pacific has a new focus and is now more streamlined and dynamic. In the first two years of its formation, there was insufficient structure and communication. Now its theme is that we are all one together. South Pacific is the governing body but each club has its own identity and its own achievements.
Club websites are important and all Rotary websites have been checked and ranked. We are in the top 20.
Key initiatives are fellowship, communication and engagement. Rotary can be something to somebody, we don’t have to try to be everything to everyone.
The way to retain new members is to get them involved and appoint a mentor. (We can definitely confirm that this is the case with Applecross).
All districts are currently challenged to recruit new members, retain membership and open two new clubs.
The new clubs don’t have to be standard weekly meetings – they can be satellite, companion or corporate clubs. They are members of the main Rotary club in the area but are not obliged to come to meetings. A representative from the main club can attend, mentor and offer volunteer opportunities. The main club also handles all administration.
Satellite clubs can meet once a month, at the workplace or in a pub. They should appeal to younger age groups, most of whom would be working. A natural transition would be to move into a more formal setting with the parent club as time goes by.
We must promote Rotary and dispel the notion of “male, pale and stale”.
There were questions from Graeme, Kenn and Margaret about Wayne’s excellent presentation. He has given us a lot to think about.
Guest speaker Wayne Milnes, currently the lead of new member development for Rotary South Pacific, triggered a response in us when he spoke about recruiting Rotary new members and the need to engage and mentor them.
Clive and I joined Applecross Rotary Club at roughly the same time two years ago. Within a couple of months, President Margaret tapped us on the shoulder and appointed us to managing the guest speaker role.
She also referred us to Ian Fairnie, who had held the position for 20 years.
As we came from knowing absolutely nothing, Ian gently guided us into the art of reaching out, creating a calendar, following up and locking in potential guest speakers.
He eased us into the role. For the first couple of months, we phoned, texted and emailed Ian on a regular basis. Ian checked and edited our reports. With a light hand and never critical, he suggested, corrected, and set us on the right path.
Ian had such a gentle touch, we didn’t even know we were being mentored. He was always there for us. No question was too trivial. We gained confidence and he was quietly in the background, always showing great interest in our efforts.
He must have done a good job with us, because we have future guest speakers booked through till July, 2027!
To us as new members, and our role in weekly meetings, this is a great example of firstly involvement, and then great mentoring. You just can’t buy those things.
Melville Cockburn Chamber of Commerce – We Have Lift‑Off!
After several months of steady work behind the scenes, Rotary and the Melville Cockburn Chamber of Commerce (MCCC) have now formalised a partnership designed to bring local Chamber businesses and Rotary closer together. The aim is simple and powerful:to promote Rotary’s community impact while helping businesses strengthen their social licence through meaningful “give‑back” opportunities.
The outcome we’re working toward is twofold:
new business‑based membership pathways for Rotary, and
enhanced community credibility and engagement for participating businesses.
Highlights So Far
Melville Rotary has launched a Business Leaders–to–Student Mentoring Program, running from September to December and proudly sponsored by the Murdoch University School of Business.This initiative pairs an MCCC business leader with a final‑year business student for six one‑hour mentoring sessions. The benefits for both mentor and mentee are clear and compelling.
The MCCC AGM on 14 October will include a vote to select a priority Rotary–Chamber partnership project for the 2026/27 year.Rotary will present several project options for endorsement as the official Partnership Project.
Project Suggestions for 2026/27
RYLA Business Sponsorship Encourage Chamber businesses to nominate and sponsor 18–28‑year‑old candidates for the annual RYLA leadership and community engagement camp held each January in Serpentine.
Rotary Epic Day of Service – May 2027 A chance for Rotary and Chamber businesses to stand side‑by‑side in a visible, high‑impact community project. Specific project ideas will be presented closer to the date.
Young Driver Safety Training – Proposed for late 2027 With support from the RAC, this initiative would target younger drivers within MCCC member businesses.
To succeed, the projects must be clearly structured, easy to manage, and well‑promoted through both Rotary and Chamber communication channels. Anything less will not deliver the value we know is possible.
The Hard Work Begins Now
Partnerships only thrive when people engage.To make this a success, be ready to help when the call goes out.The foundations are in place — now we build.
We invite all Rotarians (and others you know who may be interested) to HEALTHY MINDS, BRAINS & BODIES. Our 2026 ARH WA - Perron Institute forum on WA neuroscience and mental health features some of WA's brightest new researchers in these fields.
Wednesday 23 September 2026 John McGrath Pavilion 97 Hensman Street South Perth 6.00 - 8.30pm (Registration from 5.30pm)
RSVP: Humanitix (The event is free but donations are welcomed)
Perron Institute students will showcase their research, and a panel forum will be part of this event.
Light hospitality will be provided: coffee, tea, juice, soft drink, or a glass of wine or beer, with nibbles.
Hope to see you there!
Warwick L Smith Australian Rotary Health - WA Team
Our club thrives when members step forward to lead. If you know a Rotarian who brings energy, commitment, and a steady hand, please encourage them to nominate for President‑Elect.
It’s important to do this now, so the incoming President‑Elect has time to prepare before taking on the role of President for the 2027–2028 Rotary year. This is a key leadership position and plays a vital part in shaping the future of Applecross Rotary.
No prior Rotary leadership experience is necessary — you learn on the job and other club members support you every step of the way.
