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Introduction
The Rotary Club of Canterbury has been serving our local & international communities since 1987. We have an active social and project program. Our members love being part of our Club and enjoy participating in all our activities. You are invited to come along to:
Once you get to know us, you might like to become a Rotary Friend or even to join the 1.4 million Rotarians as a club member. We will make you feel very welcome.
 
If you would like to have a chat about the Club please call our Membership Director Steve Clarke on 0411556561 or send an email to him at steve.clarke@canterburyrotary.org  
Revisiting Rotary Centenary Bench
Do You Remember the Eastside Cluster Centenary 2020/2021??
 
Rotary Australia and New Zealand Centennial celebrations in 2020/21 aimed to raise awareness of Rotary’s incredible work through gaining positive publicity, as well as boosting membership for Rotary clubs. Each club was asked to create their own legacy project to propel the organization into the next century. The Eastside Cluster of four clubs was not going to sit down on that job!
 
 
From April 2020, the Balwyn, Camberwell, Canterbury, and North Balwyn clubs, with Boroondara Council and residents, decided to collaborate on the creation of a suitable commemorative piece as a R100 initiative.
 
The Boroondara Council, invited the cluster to fund a park bench as part of the Stage 2 reinvigoration of Balwyn Park, situated at the corner of Whitehorse Rd and Cherry Road, Balwyn. The initiative was to be completed within twelve months, in time for Centennial celebrations on 21 April 2021.
 
 
It was a great day when the seat was installed on 12 August 2020, and the Cluster’s newly completed R100 commemorative seat in Balwyn Park was officially ‘sat on’ in early March 2021.  Joining the Cluster Presidents and Cluster AG was Boroondara Councillor Di Gillies, who endorsed the Project with an emphatic thumbs up.
 
Park users have now enjoyed this comfortable, west-facing bench situated adjacent to a large shady gum tree and overlooking the parklands at the corner of Cherry Road. It’s well located on the largely pedestrian access road to the park and its new sporting facilities, adjacent to street parking and public transport.
 
Getting the inscription on the plaque required consensus on wording from the cluster clubs, Council By-laws, and Rotary standards. The final plaque was approved in October 2020 and after a few interruptions, it was installed on 4 February 2021. The final cost of the seat/plaque was $2,500, jointly funded by the cluster clubs.
 
Our Rotary Eastside Cluster Clubs are justly proud of this R100 project.  Balwyn Park is used year-round, and the public can enjoy resting and ruminating on the Rotary bench, quietly thanking Rotary for the seat of contemplation.
 
 
 
 
MARCH 2021 - Standing – Tony Laycock RC Canterbury, Tim Reynolds RC Balwyn, Murray Anderson RC Camberwell
Seated – Greg Cribbes RC North Balwyn, Councillor Di Gillies, Cluster AG Casey Tan
 
 
THIS WEEK………the 2020/21 Past Presidents re-live the Centenary Project.
 
Sunday 13th July 2025 - Standing – Tony Laycock, Tim Reynolds, Murray Anderson 
 
Seated – Greg Cribbes, Casey Tan
Changeover 2025-26
 
OH WHAT A NIGHT!
 
Changeover nights are magical events which never lose their lustre. The format is often strictly set, and yet the acknowledgement of special people in the Rotary Club is undeniably satisfying.
 
The Paul Harris Awards are timeless in the way they are presented, and in the full understanding that the person who receives them did not see it coming. Well done to John McCaskill, John Pocock, Jillian Woinarski and Joe Flinn.
 
It is our Rotarian of the Year, Steve Clarke, who well-deserved this honour. A prodigious worker with a desire to get all the details right, he produced outstanding results in the drive for membership recruitment. He also has a fabulous sense of humour with a gift of the ability to tell stories in an imaginative way.
 
A changeover dinner is all plus, all positive and uplifting for the soul. For those of us who have been Rotarians for well over ten years, the sense of anticipation at this time of year is well worth the wait. With the mixed company at the tables and the clever structure of the patter, it was very easy to be drawn into it. It has been quite a year, with  four Paul Harris recipients, one Rotarian of the Year and two co-presidents, it looks as if there is much to look forward to in the Rotary Year 2025-2026.
Your Garden Our Future Event
 
 
CREATING A RIPPLE ABOUT POLLINATORS AND GARDENS
 
Rotarians for Bees staged a fundraiser event at Box Hill GC in April which provided a pot-pourri of speakers, stories and projects.
 
One of  the highlights of the event was the presence of four school children  Jacob Niven, Emily Padman, Sophia Tehranitash and Ezekiel Raebel. They are from Parkmore Primary School in Forest Hill and were accompanied by parents Michelle and Jacob Niven and Box Hill Central Environment director John Erlington and his wife Ruth.
 
The students represent the BEAP  (Bee Education and Protection) Team which has been selected to represent Australia at the International Future Problem Solving event in the US in June. They spoke with Costa about the beginnings of their school pollinator project and with great joy about the upcoming trip to America
 
It was fantastic for all in the audience to see such enthusiasm from our junior citizens about pollinators and caring for the environment.
 
Many thanks to John McCaskill and all who contributed to the organisation of the very successful event and the audience who supported the event, the auctions, raffle and other fundraising activities.
Sustainability Festival 
 

Club members and friends participated in the free, family-friendly Boroondara Sustainability Festival which promoted small steps you can take to reduce your environmental footprint at home, work or school.

There were  experts to chat with about:

  • urban biodiversity
  • sustainable transport
  • waste reduction, recycling and the circular economy
  • water and energy saving
  • going all electric.

This event was held alongside the Boroondara Farmer's Market.

The photo below show some of the activities that the Club was involved with.

 
 
 
 
 
Philippines Mission 2024
 
 
image
 
Nikki Olds, Angelica Tranquilino, Olli Staffieri and Melissa Innella, who have just completed their studies at Latrobe University participated in the 2024  Philippines Eye and Ear Mission, gave a presentation  on the recent medical mission at a Club meeting in November. They spoke about the experience, take aways and observations from going on the mission
 
Needless to say, the mission itself is an (pardon the pun) eye opener for any who attend and especially for the students who do not get a chance to observe their type of studies and work in such a different environment. 
 
It is hard to describe in words what the girls presented so this is a link to their video on You Tube which they put together and presented and spoke to at the meeting.
 
Rotary for Bees

The Club over the past months has been working with other Rotary Clubs and a group called Rotary for Bees (R4B's) has been established. This new group is working with the Environmental Sustainability Rotarian Action Group (ESRAG), an international rotary body, to do all they can to ensure the sustainability of bees.
 
Please follow this link page/rotarians-for-bees  on our website to see more details about the group and also links to many useful references and websites. Please find the Rotarian for Bees Website at https://rotariansforbees.org   and you can also find more details on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/groups/395777217740428
 
 
Click to download our Rotary Promo MP3

 

Upcoming Events
Quick Links
Come Along
2 Kendall Street, Canterbury Vic AUSTRALIA (MAP)

Every Monday - Dinner meeting 6:00pm for 6:30pm
Our Next Meeting
 
On Monday 21 July we will be holding a social trivia night at the Harp Hotel in East Kew