March; another month nearly over, we had a good month kicking off with a self catered BBQ at RV followed by a small dinner at the Davidson Restaurant and ten attending. Another very successful Bunnings BBQ followed on the 12th, thank you to everyone who helped. Last Wednesday night we were privileged to be visited by three members of the Pedal for Prostate team Dave Vernon (Phil’s brother) with father & son team Mark and Ben Woodhead. The dedication of these men is amazing, Dave has been riding 14 years, Mark 13 and Ben 8, thousands of kilometres. Our commitment has been great as well, we are the oldest supporter of P4P, we have supported them every year from the beginning, Phil and David Wilson were also backup for the riders. A truly wonderful cause started in Geelong by a group of coppers that has now spread throughout the country. It was a very pleasant evening & nice to be back in the RV dining room, the “vibe” & the “ambience” were great, a special thank you to all the partners who attended, the value of your attendance so important, you make pleasant evenings great.
The Club has also submitted an EOI for a small volunteer grant through local government. If successful we may be in a position to subsidise our annual membership fees a little further. Let's hope we get some recognition for our work within the community.
This month we have our newly sponsored "Story Dog" & owner Natasha visiting the club. They work out of Grovedale West Primary School.
Don’t forget order in pizzas and a FINE session at Mercy Village dining room NEXT WEEK!! Thanks again & best wishes, Bill.
Committee updates
From John
Geelong Science & Engineering Challenge 2026
To be held at Deakin University on Tuesday 23rd & Wednesday 24th June 2026. The State final will also be held at Deakin on Wednesday 2nd September. If you are interested in volunteering for any session please indicate your interest to John ASAP. A current Working with Children certificate, contact details along with car registration details will be required for free parking.
In case you missed it
Story Dogs attending our meeting 22/4/26
If you wish to lodge an expression of interest form for your nature strip please visit Rotary Club of Highton website. Note closing date has been extended.
An extract from our EOI for Volunteer Grant
Our response to the question "what does your organisation do to support the local community?"
Our volunteers raise funds via Bunnings BBQs to provide support to our local communities. We presently sponsor a "story dog" at the Grovedale West Primary School. We have sponsored since their inception a group of locals that Pedal 4 Prostate and cycle Victoria every year to fundraise & raise awareness for prostate cancer. We are supporters of Foundation 61 & House of Hope Mt Duneed. We sponsor annual community, high achiever & science awards at Grovedale Secondary College, Oberon Secondary College & Geelong Lutheran College Mt Duneed. We provide manpower to cook BBQs at Barwon Timber commercial premises for their staff supporting causes such as R U OK Day. One legacy from the club that continues to benefit the community is the Barwon Valley Special School therapy pool. Members were successful in obtaining a grant from the then Brumby government and donated $60,000 of club funds plus many man hours towards the project. Upon completion the club then funded and built a covered walkway to the pool costing in excess of $10,000. The pool continues to be an ongoing benefit to students of the school.
Until next month............
