Rotary Club of Brisbane BULLETIN MONDAY 20 OCTOBER 2025
October is Economic & Community Development Month
Patron for Rotary Qld's Centenary Project:
Professor Graeme Nimmo RFD
As a celebration of Rotary Queensland's Centenary, Rotary Queensland has committed to raising sufficient funding to establish a perpetual chair and research funding in Neuroscience at the University of Queensland Brain Institute.
Prof Graeme Nimmo RFD is patron of the Break Through Project.
6:00 pm TONIGHT - World Polio Day fundraiser movie screening.
CLICK HERE for tickets (it's nearly sold out, only nine tickets left).
6:00 PM Meet and mingle
7:00 pm FILM STARTS
CALL FOR VOLUNTEERS THIS WEEK - Thursday 23 October (FREE LUNCH)
We're calling on all hands for one of the most heart-warming events of the year – the Kids Picnic, taking place this Thursday, 23 October at Wellington Point. This cherished event, run annually by the Rotary Club of South Brisbane since 1947, brings joy to children and carers in our community who are living with disabilities or special needs.
We’re seeking Rotary Club of Brisbane members and friends who can volunteer for just a few hours from 8:00 am to help make this day extra special.
Volunteer duties will include general marshalling, distributing drinks and ice creams, and most importantly—being a friendly and welcoming presence throughout the morning. It’s a relaxed, joyful event that perfectly reflects Rotary’s spirit of service.
If you’re free this Thursday and able to help, please CLICK HERE to volunteer.
🐎 Volunteer Call-Out: Raffle Fundraiser – THIS Saturday 25 October (ALSO FREE LUNCH)
The Rotary Club of Brisbane has once again been invited to take part in the Brisbane Racing Club’s 50/50 Raffle Fundraiser this Saturday, 25 October, and we’d love your support. It’s a fantastic way to raise funds for our club while enjoying a fun, social day out—it even counts as a make-up meeting! Volunteers are asked to arrive at 10:30am for a short briefing. There’s free on-site parking and lunch is reimbursed up to $25 (just keep your receipt). A big thanks to Hamilton Rotary Club for the invitation. If you can lend a hand for a few hours, CLICK HERE for more info and to register as a volunteer and join us at the track!
Did you know we post at least every day on our club Facebook page? If you want to keep up with the club and our members, ‘LIKE' and follow us on Facebook.
We were thrilled to induct three new members into our Rotary family:
PDG Ian McKay, referred by IPDG Paul Roger and Sue Roger
Carolina Gesser
Charlie Christopher, our newest Junior Member
A special thank you to Matt Christopher and President Dan Adler for leading the inductions, and to Paul and Sue for joining us on this special occasion.
🌏 Rotary in Action – Local & Global
Peter Coronas from Rotary Club of Gladstone South dropped in with fantastic news: his club has already raised $1,500 for the QBI Rotary Queensland Next Century Breakthrough Project.
Shingai Gwatidzo provided an exciting update on our Global Grant application to support our soon-to-be twin club in Harare, Zimbabwe. Plans are underway for a 2026 trip to support water, sanitation, health, education, and women’s initiatives.
Matt Christopher also reminded us of the upcoming HADR Institute Event, hosted by Rotarian Mitchell King, happening 10 November.
🌟 Member Spotlight
Secretary Monika Christopher shared her Rotary journey and why she chose to join the RCoB. Her vision of using her "superpowers" to help unify and strengthen our team left us all inspired.
🧭 Presidential Vision
President Dan Adler chaired the meeting with a reflection on our year so far, walking us through the four strategic phases of his term:
Discovering what matters to members
Defining our strategic focus
Developing values-aligned tactics
Delivering action that makes impact
🎬 Reminder – no meeting at the Normanby tonight!
Instead, we’ll be enjoying our Movie Night in collaboration with the Rotary Club of Paddington. Tickets are still available HERE
Our club meeting last month brought together 20 Rotarians and guests for an inspiring evening focused on the power of Rotary’s global connections—reminding us how this network makes the world feel smaller, while empowering us to take bigger, bolder actions.
A heartfelt thank you to Rhoda and Corne Kriek for both chairing the meeting and delivering a memorable Member Spotlight, where they reflected on their transformative experiences through the Rotary Youth Exchange program. Their stories reminded us of Rotary’s incredible reach and the lifelong impact it has on young people across the globe. CLICK HERE for more photos and updates.
We also looked ahead to the many action opportunities available for members to get involved in right here in our own community.
Thanks to all who joined us in September. It’s clear that the Rotary Club of Brisbane is heading in the right direction—working together to make a big difference in the lives of those in need.
The Rotary Club of Brisbane had a grant to support and encourage our newer members to attend wider Rotary Events. The Rotary Club of Brisbane Development Grant, is etan annual grant of up to $300 per person to help our members attend events such as the 2026 District Conference (which we really should all be attending in support of our club member and District Governor Mark Williams) The Rotary Leadership Instituteand District Assembly.
This grant aims to empower our members to deepen their Rotary knowledge, build connections, and enhance their contributions to our vibrant club and the broader Rotary community.
Click Read more .... and scroll down for the application form.
Kelly Bartle MBus, CAAM is an executive adviser and board director with extensive experience in governance, risk management, strategic delivery and organisational leadership across Australia and Papua New Guinea.
Based in Port Moresby, Kelly serves on the board and committee of Rotarians Against Malaria PNG and is a Regional Supervisor for Australian Rotarians Against Malaria. She has also contributed to community initiatives addressing family and sexual violence and supporting people with disabilities in PNG.
Kelly is a member of the Rotary Club of Port Moresby and an honorary member of the Rotary Club of Brisbane. Her professional expertise, community involvement and firsthand experience of life in PNG give her a valuable perspective on the partnerships needed to tackle major public-health challenges.
Tonight, Kelly will speak about the work of Rotarians Against Malaria and its continuing efforts to control and eliminate malaria across Papua New Guinea.
Do you have something you'd like to see in the Bulletin or up on our club website (Keith - you know you do!)? Club Members are invited share information by uploading their stories directly into ClubRunner for publication.
Learn how to create your own stories as these become the assets that feed into our website and bulletin.
Log into ClubRunner and give it a go!
And another thing, this Bulletin is created with the assistance of ChatGPT.
The entertainer and philanthropist Dolly Parton died 25 August 2026. This Q&A was originally published in the March 2010 issue of The Rotarian (now Rotary) magazine. Later that year, she spoke at the Rotary International Convention in Montreal, Canada.
(If you have any comments or questions, please contact the editor)
We acknowledge the Traditional Custodians of the land on which we live and meet, and recognise their continuing connection to Country. We pay our respects to Elders past and present.
This acknowledgment sits alongside our respect for all who have helped shape this country—including those who’ve lived, worked, and served across generations.
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Club Information
Service Above Self
Mondays at 6:00 PM
The Normanby Hotel
1 Musgrave Road
Red Hill
Brisbane, QLD 4059 Australia
We meet for an hour at The Normanby Hotel.
Most meetings are also available live via Zoom.
Free parking at 18 Kelvin Grove Rd. Feel free to join us for a meal after the meeting.
No meeting on public holidays - check website for details.
The Rotary Club of Brisbane had a grant to support and encourage our newer members to attend wider Rotary Events. The Rotary Club of Brisbane Development Grant, is etan annual grant of up to $300 per person to help our members attend events such as the 
