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Acting President's Message 27 June 2026
Kelly Binyon
ACTING PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE
Greetings and welcome. Thank you for joining our online news and updates.
Following a Monday night off on the King’s Birthday long-weekend, it was great to catch up with fellow members again on Monday 15th June. While it was a slightly smaller gathering as the number of people heading off on holidays increases, many arrived at the suggested time of 5:30 which provided a fantastic opportunity to have a general chat and catch-up prior to official proceedings getting underway.
Our speaker for the night was Lauren Kelly, our sponsored participant at the most recent RYLA Experience. It is always refreshing to hear these presentations and be reminded of how valuable the Rotary Youth programs are to those who take the opportunity to participate. Lauren was no exception to this as she gave us an overview of her experiences, without breaking the rule of “what happens at Kangaroobie stay at Kangaroobie”. Lauren explained that she had been a little apprehensive about attending the camp, but after making the decision to go ahead and on arrival meeting her first fellow participant, who also happened to come from her local area, she settled in and enjoyed every experience from that moment on. Lauren expressed her immense gratitude and appreciation of our support and the opportunity we had provided for her. Lauren has also requested that we keep her informed on our activities as she is keen to maintain a connection with Torquay Rotary. With Lauren’s links to other youth programs, she will be a great advocate for the RYLA program. If you would like to know a little more about RYLA, please visit this link https://ryla9780.org/ or here for facebook.
We were also presented with a range of reports and updates for members; which included a reminder from Gerard regarding Club Fees (please pay ASAP), Ben gave an update on several members who are currently facing challenges, and Gail reminded us of the upcoming fireside chats (see details later in this edition).
This was our first hybrid meeting with the club’s new computer set-up. I am very happy to say that it all seemed to work very well and overcame many of our “streaming” issues. It is our aim to provide both a face-to-face and on-line experience that enables all involved to easily follow the proceedings. We had a good response on Monday night to our request for more members who would be prepared to take on the setting up of the technology. By the time you read this we will have held a “tech training course” for the members who indicated their willingness to assist in setting up our equipment for meetings. If there is anyone else who feels they can assist in this area, don’t hesitate to reach out – it is getting easier with each step we take!
Regards Bruce Turner
Addit:
Hello All,
Please accept my apologies for the lack of production of the Bulletin for last week.
The above Acting President's Message was written by Bruce Turner 13th June 2026 Bulletin.
Welcome back President Kelly Binyon, who will write the President's Message for next week's Bulletin.
I officially gave notice of resignation as Bulletin Editor, as of the end of this financial year after nearly two years of being in this role (with Lesley Shedden's assistance as back up).
I am happy to return to assist in the Bulletin writing in the future, after having some time off.
Thank you all for all your support to me in this position over this period.
URGENT - URGENT - URGENT - URGENT - 2 more members to open their homes to a small group of Rotarians and partners.
At least 2 further host homes are required for our Fire Side Chat on Monday 6 July.
As a couple of our 'usual' hosts are out of town, if you are able to assist, please contact me on 0418379491 as soon as possible.
The essence of this social event is not about the food - it's about the opportunity to get to know your Rotary family in a more casual, intimate and cosy setting. Hosts may choose to ask their guests to bring a plate, or share the cost of takeouts eg. pizzas, fish and chips, rice and chop suey! Once hosts and guests have been allocated and notified, a suitable discussion can take place.
My mantra is always KISS - it’s about the fellowship more than the food.
I'll wait for your call!!
Cheers, Gail Birchall, Mobile: 0418379491
For new members, this ‘dinner’ event is spent in small groups, hosted at a member’s home instead of our full group at Lakehouse Kithbrooke. Partners are very welcome to attend with you.
These nights can be quite memorable as it is a more relaxed and intimate group and setting - a good recipe for interesting and personal chatter and getting to know more about each other.
Hand knitted rugs have found their home in the Ali Curung community.
I am delighted to now close the loop on the rug creation project we started in 2024 across D9780, and which was led by Linda Neale and Gail Birchall at Torquay Rotary.
As you know, half of the rugs were donated to Our Village in Geelong last year. The second half have now been delivered to the Ali Curung Clinic and Community in the NT thanks to the assistance of Jane Myers of Bayside Geelong Rotary.
