With the end of the Rotary year fast approaching, we are well into the planning of the changeover dinner. Invitations were sent out a few days ago, and we are keen to hear that you will be coming along. President Elect Lindsay will be back soon - and I know he is looking forward to the year ahead. Payment via direct deposit is encouraged; use the reference 'CO - (your name)'. Alternatively, payment to the Cashiers on meeting night is also available.
In preparing for the Changeover there are a few things that need to be ticked off the to do list - one being the annual report. It would be great if some members could consider a providing a reflection of the year we've had. Naturally, we also require the standard reports as well. Thanks to Lynne, who had already submitted the Youth Report. These are needed in the next couple of weeks - the sooner you submit it the easier it is for us to pull together the annual report. Come on, team, let's get this done!
Winter has arrived! Great to see, hear, and feel the rain falling over the last few days. On the other hand, the number of people out and about and visiting the book shop normally drops off at this time of year, so Rita and her team of willing helpers have revised the book shop's opening hours.
Over the next few months, these new hours will apply -
Our DV Phone collection undertaken for the month of May was a little surprising - apparently no-one has any spare phones just thrown in to drawers at home. This was a worthwhile exercise as it has highlighted just how good our members already are at recycling! Unfortunately we have very few to donate.
Many thanks to those who did a search for us - perhaps another recycling project will have to be investigated to see what else is lurking in the 'bottom drawer' at home.
I was extremely lucky to be invited to visit the Novartis pharmaceutical company headquarters in Basel, Switzerland in April to give a presentation on my recent PhD work. It was really a great stroke of luck how this opportunity arose - but essentially a collaborator from England coordinated this opportunity for me, and my PhD supervisors at Monash were incredibly supportive.
I spent four days at the campus, touring the (INCREDIBLE!) facilities and hearing from others about new research in the field. My field of research is called 'Physiologically-Based Pharmacokinetics', which is basically a mathematical modelling technique which we use to simulate how a human will respond to a medicine before they take it - hoping to eventually support 'personalised medicine' and prescribing decisions of which drug and dose suits each individual person best.
After an incredible week seeing the sights of Basel I went to Zurich for a couple of days, before off to Innsbruck, Austria to visit my German exchange sister Emely who we hosted in Bendigo back in 2017 at Bendigo Senior Secondary College! Emely has since moved from Germany to Austria for her studies, and we've kept in touch, although hadn't seen each other since 2017! It was instant connection from the train station when she picked me up - and we didn't stop talking for the whole week, we had so much to catch up on! We are quite similar people and get on very well, so it was a pleasure to reconnect and see some awe-inspiring sights of her part of the world. I also enjoyed using my German language which I haven't entirely given up on since school!
Two Malaysia Special Education teachers still need home hosts for their time in Bendigo for 20 August to 5 September 2026.
I now need homes to host two of the teachers for the last 17 days of their visit. They will be located at either the Bendigo Special Developmental School or at Kalianna School during their time in Bendigo. They will need to be transported to and from their school. Please let me know if you can home host one or more of the teachers during that time and for how long.
I can be contacted by phone (0416 192 032) or email (lj@joll.net).
There is a 'Minimising Risk' subject provided in Rotary's Learning Centre. The course only takes about 10 minutes to complete and is a vital reminder of our obligations as Rotarians and as a club as to what we can do to protect ourselves, our clubs, districts and the Rotary Brand. It is highly recommended you spend some time working through this exercise. In fact, have a look at the other areas that are provided too - this is a fantastic learning tool for us as Rotarians!
Member Birthdays
Geoffrey Adcock
May 2
Jennifer Sanderson
May 23
Lynne Cooper
May 30
John Pearce
June 1
Eric Smith
June 4
Brian Fitzpatrick
June 8
Ronald Payne
June 10
Gai Porh La Myint
June 12
Carmel Fitzpatrick
June 18
Spouse/Partner Birthdays
Gail Fitzpatrick
May 18
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