Rotary Club of Eltham

Alison is a member of the Rotary Club of Eltham and that also means Andrew is involved in the club projects.

The Rotary Club of Eltham is an active and inclusive service Club committed to supporting those in need. We work on many projects to support our local community, support young people through our exchange programs and work internationally to address poverty, disadvantage and disasters. In doing so, we form strong friendships and networks and have fun.

The Club of over 50 men and women of all ages and diverse backgrounds, meets weekly for dinner and has an active and stimulating program of guest speakers. We would like to invite you and your friends to visit, enjoy and be inspired by any of the featured sessions.  Meetings are held every Thursday at Heidelberg Golf Club, starting at 6.30pm.

Some of the major projects of the Rotary Club of Eltham include:

BBQ

Weekly BBQ at the Lower Eltham Park at the miniature train.  Come along and take the children or grandchildren to enjoy the interactive playground and have a ride on the trains, and of course have a sausage in bread for lunch.  We volunteer through the year so you may catch us there on one of your visits.

The volunteer run BBQ operates at lunchtime on Sundays opposite the Diamond Valley model railway station. Proceeds from the BBQ go towards assisting local community projects and groups.

AQUABOX

Has been a long running club project.  It provides emergency relief packs that not only provide essential provisions but also gives recipients access to clean drinking water something they often need more than food. Aquaboxes are distributed both nationally and around the world in response to need  following a natural disaster (eg cyclones, droughts or tsunami).  Photos

ELTHAM FESTIVAL

The Eltham Festival is a community festival held in Alistair Knox Park Eltham every November.  This years dates are 9 & 10 November 2019.
The Festival gives the opportunity to achieve 3 objectives: to showcase Rotary in Eltham and surrounding areas; to encourage membership to the Club; and to raise funds for the club to use in community projects throughout the year.

If you are a visitor to the Festival you may hear Andrew’s voice as the park announcer.

COMMUNITY PROJECTS

These can be various and either hands on or provision of funds.  The club receives a lot of requests for  assistance and decisions as to what projects are accepted are undertaken by the Board.  Examples of projects the Rotary Club of Eltham has undertaken are building pathways for disabled access, medical equipment, help clean up after natural disasters – bushfires and floods, assist other community groups, school student job interview and resume writing assistance.

 
– Hohnes Road Cubby House.  Photos
This project involved the refurbishing of a kids cubby house at the Hohnes Rd childcare facility.  The cubby was painted in blue and yellow and made more weather proof.
– Typo Station.  Photos
The Project involved the construction of a deck onto the Typo Administration Building.  The Team comprised- John @ Kerry Skinner, Mike @ Lorraine Englefield, Alison @ Andrew Cooper, Rob Kilcullen and Brett Linsell. Locals Matt and Lachlan rounded out the deck  construction crew. The King Valley put on a fine but chilly weekend for us. The team worked well together. John (crusher) Skinner on the post hole digger, ably assisted in turn by Matt, Rob, Andrew and Brett, we made quick work of the holes. Matt and Rob were unstoppable with the nail gun laying down the decking boards. Kerry and Alison (the Hammer Girls) hand nailed the ends of every deck board. Mike and Johno kept us on time and on the straight line. Lorraine kept the kitchen and fires running smoothly. Saturday Night was a great night around the fire in the main hall. Overall a fantastic time was had by all and a great result with deck no 2 completed.

INTERNATIONAL PROJECTS

Members have been involved in a number of International projects which include Rotahomes in Fiji,  development of access to fresh spring water in Uganda, rebuilding of  infrastructure in other countries such as Indonesia, Timor and India.  Also the club has a major project where it supplies Aquaboxes to countries in times of flood,  tsunamis or earthquakes so that clean drinking water can be provided to communities, villages, or towns.

MUSKAAN PROJECT

An innovative school for children from the slum communities of Bhopal, India.   Muskaan Project