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President's Message 23 May 2026
Kelly Binyon
President’s Message
Hello,
What an amazing presentation we had by our exchange student, Leo on Monday night. Thank you to everyone who attended both in person and online. It gives me hope for the future to see young people embrace opportunities and gain so much from their adventures to a new country. I received a lovely message from Leo’s family and they are extremely grateful for the care and support we have shown Leo throughout his time in Torquay. With only 5 weeks left make sure you follow up on any planned activities or just invite Leo for dinner! Please liaise with Ben Featherson as host parent.
If you have anyone interested in Rotary Youth Exchange, please direct them to the national website www.ryea.org.au which has lots of information and links to submit an application. This then gets directed back to the nearest local Rotary Club.
We had Director Reports from Linda (Community Services) updating us on BBQ’s, Cowrie Market and our theme of purple to raise awareness of our campaign ‘Say NO to Domestic & Family Violence’.
We also had an update from Trevor Hall on the Torquay Business Awards and a request for assistance to distribute DL flyers to businesses around town.
Youth Services Director Amanda spoke about Mock Interviews for secondary school students at Belmont High School after receiving the following:
“I am looking for interviewers for the Belmont High School mock interviews on Wednesday 3 June. To date I have had one Rotarian who can help out. If you can assist on the day please email me at: peter.mck888@gmail.com
Cheers
Peter McKenzie”
If you can assist please contact Peter direct and a reminder that you may not enter a Victorian School without a valid WWCC.
**A reminder to members to ensure you have a current Working With Children Check (Volunteer). You can check your status or apply at Working with Children Check | vic.gov.au
Program Coordinator Neil has arranged a social night for next Wednesday at Lentils Indian Restaurant. Please register online for numbers.
Environment Director Judy advised us of stand up collection bags and that we are slowly raising funds via the Container Deposit Scheme (CDS). She also had smaller take home bags available. She also is a champion of recycling soft plastics through Woolworths collection bins. It’s the small, simple changes we all make that will lead to a better environment.
We also had Ben step up and speak of his new role as Welfare Officer and to encourage members to reach out and feel comfortable that their privacy will be respected. Thank you Ben for your compassion and care. Our love and support goes out to members and their families that are currently experiencing loss, illness and caring responsibilities.
I will be taking a leave of absence from 24 May – 21 June 2026. During this time IPP Bruce Turner will be Acting President. See you all when I return!
Honorary Member and Past District Governor Chris Sims made a profound contribution to Rotary over 38 years of service. Admired for his wisdom, integrity, and warmth, Chris exemplified the Rotary motto “Service Above Self.” His leadership and compassion enriched not only the Rotary Club of Torquay but the wider community he served so faithfully.
💙 A Life of Leadership and Dedication
Details for the Memorial Service of Christopher Sims are:
Date: Thursday 4 June 2026
Time: 2pm - 4pm
Place: Jan Juc Surf Life Saving Club, 10 Clubhouse Road, Jan Juc, 3228
This was created by Jeanette Johnston of the Rotary Club of Change Makers (D9790). It was designed to give remote communities their first real access to digital learning. Each unit includes a compact server that creates its own Local Area Network (LAN), allowing laptops to connect directly without needing the internet or the World Wide Web. Everything operates locally, making it ideal for schools and villages where external connectivity is limited or unavailable.
The server contains a large internal hard drive loaded with an extraordinary range of educational resources: early‑reader books, the entire PNG Department of Education curriculum, and even materials suitable for university‑level study. Students and teachers can explore a vast library of knowledge entirely offline.
Teacher‑in‑a‑Box systems were supplied and promoted in Papua New Guinea by the Rotary Club of Torquay, with support from the Rotary Club of Mitcham (SA) and the Rotary Club of Boroko (PNG). Distribution across the Gulf Province has been coordinated by the PNG Gulf Association of Queensland, working closely with two dedicated local IT champions, William Avae and Henry Kairi. Their recent deployment journey, involving long road travel, river crossings, and challenging coastal seas, highlights the determination required to deliver these units to remote schools in the Gulf Province .
We were woken in the early hours of Sunday morning to very heavy rain. Would they cancel the market, or would it be business as normal? It was business as normal, but there had been several cancellations, and a couple of stall holders turned up and went home – left us with much easier ability to park and set up.
We did arrive to find lots of puddles – but the rain had basically stopped and to our good fortune, did not come back.
We set up with a purple theme of Say Yes to Respectful Relationships and Say No to Domestic and Family Violence. We did have people reading our signs and looking at the brochures. A short story about ‘Today I got flowers’ was also read. If we save one life / protect one person from domestic and family violence, then our display was worth it.
The day was slow & steady, and we cleared $860. Thank you to all those who worked and were able to enjoy some sunshine. It was even pleasantly warm at times, and we were blessed with no wind. Thanks again everyone.
One more 2025/2026 Rotary Year Barbeque left on 30th May 2026 at Bunnings. Please help out if you can. If you can only do 2 hours – I will make the roster work.
