Club and Board news for this month include the following items:
Rotary Cluster meetings have now moved to North Lakes, with Paul J and Carl N attending the most recent session. A number of interesting activities are underway at all of the clubs represented at this meeting, including a proposed multi-club visit to the QLD Brain Institute;
This year's RCSV Change Over Dinner is currently being organized for 30 Jun 2026 at the Arana Hills Leagues Club (many thanks to Rob R and Carl N for all their work in this space) and invitations to members, guests and Rotary luminaries circulated;
Nominees for Paul Harris Fellow awards 2026 have been identified and will be presented at the RCSV Change Over Dinner 2026;
The annual Great Debate evening was held at Albany Creek this year, with the debate title of: Bulldust Baffles Brains. Although the RCSV won the debate this year as opposers of this topic, winning the famous yellow-vase prize is not always something to be proud of !!!;
If you do not possess and deploy a Drakes Supermarket bar code, then please contact Bob M for one. The annual bar-code rewards that we receive from Drakes, helps us to defray the raw materials cost (top-quality sausages) of our sausage sizzles;
The following RCSV Board positions are currently vacant - Club Service Director, International Director and Community Events Director. Please seriously consider joining our industrious Board for 2026 / 2027 via one of these roles;
Carl N recently attended the President Elect training weekend and found the course material to be highly informative and valuable. We do look forward to Carl N applying some of this up-to-date knowledge and processes to our operations during 2026 / 2027;
Club Runner (CR) is now being employed to deliver a number of services to the club - meeting organization, document and photo storage, bulletin production, membership management, Rotary International integration and calendar entries. Please note that for full CR functionality, one will need to use the PC version rather than the mobile phone edition. Only the PC version has all the functions that you need. Bob M and Ian R have offered to update CR in terms of historical data and upcoming Board Members;
Zone 8 District restructuring - Zone 8 (Australia, New Zealand and associated islands) is in the process of undergoing a re-districting process with new districts in place starting 1 July 2028.One of the main purposes of this redistricting exercise is to address declining membership numbers. It is understood that QLD will be grouped with Fiji, the Solomon Islands, Nauru and Timor Leste;
Speaker program - Miles R continues to deliver a fascinating group of speakers for 2026 / 2027 (many thanks' Miles). On the horizon, presentation subjects will include advocates from the medical world, humanitarian services, riding for the disabled, disaster response and Rotary specialist groups - all well-worth listening to !!!;
Rotary Youth Training - if you have not done so, please complete the MyRotary online training-segment as soon as possible. It is a requirement of our insurance that we have all completed this online course.
The following Community Service activities have been initiated / delivered this month:
A recent bush care expedition at Undambi Park was well attended (refer to above photo) with the weeding of two distinct riparian-zones being the main task. Although separating weeds from native plants was always going to be challenging !!!;
We await the outcome of a grant submission to the Bendigo Community Bank for additional works along the Rail Trail. The proposed works include both a seat and sign to be installed along this trail. News of the success (or otherwise) of our submission is expected at the end of this month. Many thanks to Janelle Y, Gary B and Bob M for submitting this grant;
Preparations are underway for organizing the Samford Show Bar 2026. Carl N has recently attended a planning meeting with the Show Society to ensure that this year's show bar is a resounding success;
A Samford Historical Society event will be held on 04 Jul 2026 and a Classic Car show at the Samford Showgrounds will be scheduled for 04 Oct 2026.
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Earlyact and Interact News
Earlyact activities that have been delivered this month are as follows:
The Samford State School Earlyact club has decided to collect items of stationery from all of the children in the school and donate it to Stationery Aid. This is a Queensland-based charity, that collects excess or lightly used school supplies (like pens, pencils, and exercise books) to create personalized school booklists and packs for disadvantaged students;
In addition, the club will prepare handmade items for sale at a Market Stall and donate the money to The Smith Family. This is an Australian, independent non-profit children's charity whose goal is to create opportunities for disadvantaged Australian children and their families and encourage them to participate more fully in society, using education as a key tool.
Activities conducted by the Interact Club include:
Janelle Y continues to liaise with Ferny Grove State High School (FGSHS) in order to get an Interact Club set up at this establishment. We will advise as soon as a decision has been made by the school on this subject.
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International News
The following RCSV International activities have been initiated / delivered this month:
Future international activities will include fund raising for the Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief Institute (HADRI), to provide water filtration units for the displaced Myanmar refugees trying to survive in Mizoram State, India;
The post of RCSV International Director is currently vacant and as soon as this position is filled, we can look forward to more international activities in this sector.
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Upcoming Speaker Details
Valerie Simons - ShelterBox 28th Jul 2026
As a member of the Rotary Club of Paddington Brisbane since 2017, Valerie Simons has a long history of volunteer work around the globe. For our elucidation, Valerie will be briefing us on how ShelterBox's delivery methods have changed recently and demonstrate how this organization continues to apply their disaster response services around the world.
