As the dust settles over the 25th Anniversary Applecross Rotary Jacaranda Festival, Chris Whelan and the team are reviewing the feedback from all participants, stallholders, patrons and volunteers, to refine the procedures for 2026 and beyond. Whilst this year’s Festival was a resounding success, there are always means to improve the day for all. With this review complete and the thorough, comprehensive documentation updated we will be in an excellent state for some new leadership to take over the coordination leading into 2026. The structure is now embedded, with responsibility for various roles being assumed by experienced folk, for some of the key team leaders such as Chris Whelan, Kenn Williams and Mal Taylor to step aside into a support role as we move forward. Please give this opportunity serious consideration.
With the initiative of our Membership Director, Adele Clements, and thanks to the work of the team conducting interviews of attendees at the Festival, we now have a number of contacts for people interested to hear more about Rotary. We look forward to welcoming visitors to our meetings with speakers over the coming months and hope we can keep our membership options flexible enough to accommodate varying circumstances of prospective members.
I look forward to a wonderful Christmas celebration together next Sunday 7th December at Bad Apples before our year’s work is concluded with the final Perth Makers Market where we will need all hands on deck for what is anticipated to be the biggest one of the year.
Overview of the 2025 Jacaranda Festival (Sunday, 23 November)
The 2025 Jacaranda Festival was an outstanding success, recording a significantly higher attendance than in recent years. Perfect weather and jacaranda trees in near-ideal bloom created a strong drawcard, supported by improved engagement through contemporary social media platforms.
Traffic volumes reflected this surge: the school car park reached full capacity, and surrounding streets—up to one kilometre away—were heavily utilised. Visitor arrival times were spread more broadly than in previous years.
Key Operational Highlights
The enhanced site layout received highly positive feedback from patrons and stallholders alike.
The relocated Kids Zone performed well, with further opportunities in 2026 to enhance the local ambience.
The golf-park area successfully boosted “parent and kids” participation.
Busker Central proved extremely popular as well as additional buskers distributed across the grounds created a more immersive festival atmosphere.
Unfortunately the vintage Fire Truck Rides had to be cancelled before 10am due to significat road congestion and safety concerns. However the operational fire engine display attracted strong interest from families.
Stage entertainment reached a new level of diversity and energy. This direction should be expanded in 2026 as it enhances audience breadth, supports cultural engagement and may underpin new funding sources.
There were 170 plus stallholders (similar to 2024) but operated on a slightly smaller footprint due to busking areas. Public and stallholder feedback was extremely positive with many stalls reporting strong sales.
High attendance tested the mobile networks with stallholders needing to be alerted to this in 2026 to provide contingencies if this affects their operations.
Infrastructure and services (Go2Cup, bins and toilets)were stretched to capacity.
The event was accident free with lost personsbeing the most urgent issue.
Volunteer Contribution
Event preparation required approximately 10% fewer member-hours than in 2024 due to stronger volunteer capacity and a more refined event playbook — and 35% fewer hours than in 2023.
On the day:
880 volunteer hours were contributed (compared with 935 in 2024 and 915 in 2023).
200 plus volunteers participated.
Approvals, Funding & Partnerships
Some challenges remain within the City of Melville approvals process, and these will need early attention in preparation for the 2026 event.
The three-year funding agreement with the City of Melville is also due for renewal, and this year’s strong outcomes position us well for those discussions.
There is a clear opportunity to use the festival’s success to further strengthen engagement with Club Sponsors.
This market is traditionally one of our busiest of the year, so hopefully we’ll all have recovered from our huge Jacaranda Festival effort and be ready to regroup for one more successful Perth Makers Market parking fundraiser to close out 2025.
Please let Lorri know your availability as soon as possible so she doesn’t have to chase responses.
I know this is an especially busy time of year, but the saying “many hands make light work” has never been more true—particularly when it comes to setting up and taking down the infrastructure essential to the success of this activity.
Even if you can spare just a couple of hours on Saturday morning for the setup, or an hour or two on Sunday for setup or pack-down, every bit helps lighten the load for the team.
Let’s make a special effort to finish our 2025 Perth Makers Market fundraising program on a high note.
Adele Clements has been readmitted to hospital following her very significant gastrointestinal surgery .. Adele says that it is just going to take time.. up to 6 weeks .. before she can expect to be on the secure road to recovery, especially in re-adjusting to her dietary capabilities. We all wish her well and she certainly would enjoy a phone call contact.
Ian Fairney is also in hospital, St John of God, Murdoch, and has been very short of energy due to leaking heart valve/s. He is on the road to recovery but will likely have further medical intervention, and hospitalisation, as remediation work is undertaken.
Ian would certainly welcome a visit or phone call, but pls ring in advance of a visit as he may be allowed home very soon.
Finally, life Member John Henderson, and a 49 year member of Rotary, is taking it steady at home, and declares he has no conscience whatsoever about not being able to do too much either. John turns 96 early next year and has an older and a younger brother all sharing 90 plus years on earth. John hopefully will be at the Christmas Party on the 7th.
Enough is enough of this languishing health, and we do wish Adele, Ian and John best wishes and a return to good health to enjoy the Xmas festivities.
We are absolutely THRILLED to share some incredible, tangible progress from our mission to fight food insecurity in WA this Christmas and help so many families in need.
Thanks to the phenomenal effort of our dedicated volunteers and partners, we are ecstatic to announce that 3,000 Give A Feed Christmas hampers are now packed and ready to be distributed across Western Australia! This is a massive achievement and a testament to the power of our community.
🙏 Special Thanks to Our Dedicated Community & Corporate Supporters:
This monumental effort was only possible through the hands-on support and immense generosity of our community. We want to extend our heartfelt gratitude to:
Foodbank WA: Your logistics, warehouse support, and unwavering commitment to distributing these hampers across the state are absolutely critical. Thank you for being our vital distribution partner.
Rotary Clubs of WA: A huge thank you to the dedication of the Rotary Clubs of WA, particularly the Applecross Rotary Club and Melville Rotary Club. Your coordination and volunteer efforts were critical to the packing success, including the tireless work of our key organisers:
Ray Philp
Lorri Brazier
Jan Doyle
Petrice Koelewyn
Marianne Thompson
Murray Meaton
Glynis and Ednamay
Our Major Corporate Supporters:
Charter Hall
Imagination Group
Bankwest
Foodbank WA
Other Key Volunteer Teams: Thank you to the dedicated teams from Subi Church and all other community members who gave their time.
And a heartfelt thank you to all of you who have already donated and helped spread the word!
We ask for your generous support today to help us complete the mission and share the Christmas spirit.
We Give A Feed - You can too!
To reach our target we ask for your generous support, please Give A Feed today and help us share the Christmas spirit.
How to donate:
Personal Donation: Give A Feed directly.
Gift A Feed: Donate on behalf of someone else. The recipient will receive an email with a personalised message and a certificate of appreciation.
Another way you can help:
Share this with your community, your family, friends and loved ones and encourage them to Give A Feed this Christmas.
To reach our target we ask for your generous support, please Give A Feed today and help us share the Christmas spirit with W.A. families.
Our annual Christmas event.will be held on Sunday 7th December 2025 at 4:30pm at Bad Apples Kearns Crescent Applecross.
Cost is $65pp and payment can be made either at the breakfast meetings cash/ eftpos or via Direct Debit to the following Bank Account -
AxR Administration
BSB: 066-173
Account: 1002 3750
Please accept or decline this invitation to assist with planning the event either with Liz Palmer at the breakfast meetings or via ClubRunner app (need help ask Aaron or Ray).
Brian Thomas Burke is a former Labor Premier of Western Australia (1983 – 1988) and Australian Ambassador to Ireland and the Holy See (1988 -1991).
Some years after leaving office, Burke was charged with misusing his travelling allowance and was sent to prison. As soon as he learned of the “double dipping”, all allowances were repaid in full.
Burke returned from Ireland, where he was Australian Ambassador, to defend his reputation at the royal commission.
His jailing had a devastating impact on his life and on his family, particularly his wife, Sue, who he met at school and to whom he has been married for more than 50 years. They have six children and 19 grandchildren.
Burke recently published his autobiography, A Tumultuous Life, which deals in detail with his colourful and often controversial life and career.
It outlines his childhood as the son of a federal Labor MP, his school days in Perth, his courting of Sue Nevill, his time as a newspaper, radio and TV journalist, his entry into politics and emergency as WA Labor leader, his two landslide election successes in the 1980s, the wide-ranging social and economic reforms of his governments, his association with the high-flying businessmen of the 1980s – including Alan Bond, Laurie Connell and Robert Holmes a Court - his time as Ambassador to Ireland and the Holy See, his grilling at the royal commission, his court appearances, his time in prison, his career as a lobbyist, and his ongoing battles with the WA Corruption and Crime Commission, which he has challenged for using dubious tactics to damage people’s reputations without laying a charge.
About A Tumultuous Life, which he wrote himself, Burke says: “I have written it with honesty and candour. It will open some wounds, but hopefully heal others.”
A Tumultuous Life is very readable and has received wide praise.
Burke is a knowledgeable, interesting, humorous and entertaining guest speaker – not surprising, given that he was considered an outstanding speaker and debater in WA Parliament, and a brilliant political strategist. While he is no longer a member of the Labor Party, Burke maintains connections across the political spectrum. He is a well-informed, insightful and astute observer and commentator on the Australian political scene.
Brian Burke is happy to speak about his book and its many subjects of interest, or on historic and current matters of political interest, and about the politicians involved.
Brian Burke is regarded as an excellent speaker, always prepared to address difficult subjects frankly and without fear.
