Rotary Central Melbourne Meeting 15 September 2026.

Notes from meeting

Guest Speaker – Acting Inspector Briony Jones

Briony is a participant the Victoria Police Leaders Mentoring Program, a joint initiative of Victoria Police, the business community and Rotary.  She is mentored by Jon Scheele from Rotary Central Melbourne.  The program provides the opportunity for police members to gain a broader perspective of community engagement and leadership.

Briony has an extensive career in justice and policing she also volunteers with the CFA.  Combined with challenging life experiences, this had led to her being passionate about looking after vulnerable people. 

Part of the mentoring program is the opportunity for participants to develop a community project.  Briony has identified the need to increase community interaction and social cohesion, noting that many people are willing to help others but connection with others is missing.  Her project “Hello Neighbour” is a grassroots initiative to encourage community members to look out for one another. Using the acronym LARA (Look, Ask, Reach Out, Assist) she aims to encourage people to connect with others and offer practical help. She has engaged with a number of organisations and sees Rotary as an important ally in taking the concept forward.

Mentoring discussions with Jon has helped her refine the scope of the project and clarify her approach to marketing and developing networks.  Discussion at the meeting also led to some useful suggestions, including tapping into neighbourhood associations; utilising social media; encouraging listening; and promoting the framework but encouraging others to adapt to their specific circumstances.

Members’ Announcements

Elias Lebbos drew members attention to an email he has sent asking people to see if they would like to provide a Melbourne (or Victoria) experience to Rosa Mendoza, our inbound International Music Program guest.  Elias’ email sets out the available dates.

Neville John noted that Bunnings BBQs this month had raised about $4000.  He also informed the club that we are likely to have a number of new members joining in the near future.

Frank O’Brien reminded people of the Donations in Kind (DIK) working bee on Tuesday September 22 at 9 am at 400 Somerville Road West Footscray. Details are in his recent email.

Rhys Williams asked people to support the club’s Spring Carnival Raffle, with a first prize of tickets to the Members Enclosure for this year’s Melbourne Cup.  A link to the Raffletix site is in the bulletin. He also informed the meeting that there had been a generous response to the call for donations to South Sudan Health Matters.

Sarah Overton (was on line as part of the hybrid meeting trial) provided a view of early morning in the Pilbara as she joined the meeting from there.

Peter Duras advised that with the decommissioning of the Royce Abbey Room at International House, there are a number of items of memorabilia that are available for interested people to have in return for a donation. Contact Peter if interested.

Peter also presented one item to President Paul – a medallion from the City of Houston presented to Royce Abbey when he was RI President.

President’s Announcements

President Paul noted that today had been a trial hybrid meeting, using “ The Owl” technology and it had seemed to had worked well. ( Kerry, Sarah, Ben and Anne had joined on line as part of the trial). The next meeting on October 6^th will be the first formal hybrid meeting. It will also be the occasion of the formal DG visit.

The next meeting will be on the evening of September 29^th and will be a social event at the Carbine Bar in the RACV Club. Check a separate email for registration details. 

District Governor Graeme Hope: Create Lasting Impact – District Priorities for 2026-27

This presentation will link RI President Olayinka Babalola’s message to District priorities for the year ahead. It will include looking at opportunities to connect with the next generation to grow Rotary.

Graeme joined Rotary Camberwell in December 2003 through a personal introduction and was attracted by the success of the club’s Art Show as an iconic annual community event, now in its 61^st year.

He has served as Club President, Chair of the Art Show, Chair Hawthorn Makers Market, Assistant Governor for three years, District Chair of Club Service. Graeme trained as a Chartered Accountant and worked for 35 years as a financial and investment adviser.

He is passionate about the power of The Rotary Foundation, is a member of the Paul Harris Society and a Major Donor.

Graeme and Sue have three children and eight grandchildren. He is also a Life Member of an amateur football club.

Below is a summary of Opal's report about her experience in NYSF. Please contact Nicholas Oei for the full version if interested.

"My NYSF Experience

By Opal Scheele, Year 12 student at St Catherine’s School

I was recently sponsored by the Rotary of Central Melbourne to attend the National Youth Science Forum (NYSF) in January 2026. I went to the Forum held in Brisbane, by University of Queensland (UQ) with 230 other participants to experience university life by living in the Kings College dorms.

I initially went into NYSF only with a passion for STEM, medicine, and the environment but I was then blown away by a multitude of different areas of science, technology and engineering that I would not have known otherwise. I visited the bioplastics manufacturing lab at UQ, went to the careers networking day, and donned a lab coat and safety glasses. I also became a huge fan of this amazing PhD candidate because of her genius, impressive research! 

I also want to give my special thanks to the staff members – we call them ‘staffies’ – who made sure we had a smooth but fun experience. They were so energetic and I made so many friends and memories over those 8 days. I am truly grateful for Rotary of Central Melbourne for sponsoring my attendance of this wonderful, once-in-a-lifetime experience."

This continuing project supports the DV Safe Phone National Plan to End Violence Against Women and Children, with the objective to end gender based violence within one generation.

Our Club assists DV Safe Phone, a registered charity based in Mooloolaba, Queensland by collecting unwanted mobile phones which are then repaired and given to domestic violence survivors, through domestic violence and law enforcement agencies, safe houses and hospitals Australia wide.

We have had successful collections in 2024, 2025 and earlier this year. It is time for our next call for phone donations

We ask you to locate any unwanted mobile phones you or friend or work colleagues may have, and either:

• bring them to our “in person” Rotary meetings in September 2026; or alternatively
• contact Tom Callander (mobile 0418 332 019, email tcallander@rigbycooke.com.au) or Rebecca John (email beng1@iprimus.com.au) to arrange for drop off or collection; or
• There is another simple choice – you can drop off your phone/s at the DV Safe Phone Collection Box in the TAL foyer, 500 Bourke Street, Melbourne (opposite the RACV).

DV Smart Phone will ensure your phone has been erased, but it is helpful that you sign out of your devices and erase your data the correct way to save time and give peace of mind. Tom can email you simple steps to do so if you need them – just ask.

"You will be interested in the following news from Ashton Wood, the founder of DV Safe Phone Australia:

Creating safer futures together

Spring has arrived, and as many of us clear out cupboards and drawers, it’s worth remembering that an old mobile phone gathering dust could have an important new purpose.

From individuals donating unused phones, to communities rallying behind collections, frontline services connecting people with support, and corporate partners contributing funding, technology, expertise and volunteer time - every contribution strengthens the network that helps Safe Phones reach people experiencing domestic and family violence.

Whether you donated one phone, made a financial gift, volunteered your time, hosted a collection or encouraged your workplace to get involved, you are part of this impact.

This month alone, we’ve seen hundreds of phones collected in Victoria, new funding helping Safe Phones reach communities across Queensland and New South Wales, important conversations about technology-facilitated abuse in Melbourne, and corporate teams helping us prepare hundreds of devices for frontline services across Australia.

Behind every one of these achievements is the same purpose: helping someone experiencing domestic and family violence have access to a safe, reliable way to connect.

Thank you for being part of the DV Safe Phone community. And if your spring clean uncovers an old phone or two, I hope you’ll consider giving them a new purpose.

Together, we’re creating safer connections in communities across Australia - one Safe Phone at a time.”

As part of Foundation Month we are pleased to launch our 2026 Spring Carnival raffle.  There are currently four raffle items to win and we can still accept new items if you have something to contribute. 

This years major prize is 2 tickets to the members enclosure to this years Melbourne Cup valued at $790.

Tickets will be drawn on Friday 16th October at 9.00am and you can purchase them from Raffletix.  If you aren't a horse racing fan but would still like to contribute go to Rotary Foundation Australia.

Thanks for your ongoing support of the Club.