Thank you for visiting Rotary Albert Park's website.
Rotary Albert Park (part of Rotary International) is a group of neighbours, friends, and community leaders providing humanitarian service, encouraging high ethical standards in all pursuits and helping build goodwill and peace locally and worldwide. Our club was established in 1992 and has a long history of service. We have a membership of about 40 with a 50:50 gender balance.
Join us for Dinner where we can introduce you to the Club & its members, and answer any questions you may have about membership. For more information, contact us at any time.
We also have a Facebook Group and share many of our upcoming events there.
Many of our meetings are recorded and available on our YouTube channel.
Interested in volunteering in and around the City of Port Philip? We're always looking for help! Register your details here.
Rotary responds to the Earthquake Disaster in Türkiye and Syria
The Rotary Foundation has responded with specific action in response to the tragedy in Türkiye and Syria. While Rotary and Rotarians are not generally first responders, we do have clubs and members across the devastated areas, and these Rotarians have requested our help. Local clubs and members are best placed to understand the immediate needs of those affected.
In order to provide direct action, the Disaster Response option on www.rotary.org has been replaced with a button that reads Türkiye/Syria Disaster Response Fund. This will stay active on the Rotary website till 31 March 2023. In addition:
- The Trustees immediately made available more than $125,000 to Rotary districts affected by the earthquake through Disaster Response Grants for immediate disaster response.
- The lead story on Rotary.org and My.Rotary.org about Rotary responding to the earthquake has been updated to include information about helping by giving through the general disaster response fund.
- A video from RIP Jennifer Jones has been shared on social media with a call to action to donate to the Turkey/Syria Disaster Response Fund. The video can be viewed on Face Book, Twitter and Instagram.
As New Zealand struggles with its own challenges in the aftermath of cyclone Gabrielle, ROZOPs has set up a NZ Flood Relief Appeal (NZFloods.org) for anyone wanting to help. But for those who have deep connections with Türkiye/Syria and wish to donate, donations from New Zealand should be directed to the ROZOPs ANZ bank account for the New Zealand Rotary Clubs Charitable Trust (NZRCCT): 06-0193-0905286-30. Please coordinate with operations-manager@
For further information, please do not hesitate to reach out to us at risppo.trf@rotary.org
Awards for Excellence - 2022
Each year the Rotary Club of Albert Park makes a number of Award for Excellence presentations to Year 6 students graduating from local primary schools.
Recipients are selected by the year 6 teachers on the basis that they have engaged constructively in school learning and other activities; and that they will be commencing Year 7 at a government secondary school the following year. The award is to assist in meeting some of the expenses associated with commencing secondary school.
Members of our Club attend the graduation ceremonies at our five local primary schools to present the awards. As well as the financial prize each recipient receives a framed certificate.
We started making these awards in 1994. After presenting 16 winners at the 2022 graduations, our total contribution to this program has reached $69,400.
Our 2022 Award presenters were:
- Albert Park Primary School: Lea Ram
- Middle Park Primary School: Stan & Vicki Teschke
- Port Melbourne Primary School: Lea Ram
- South Melbourne Primary School: Jim Prokhovnik
- South Melbourne Park Primary School: Raelene Hunt
Attached (here) are copies of thankyou letters received from the four winners from Albert Park
Primary School.
Primary School.
Industry Excellence Awards
It was an honour to represent Rotary Club of Albert Park at the Industry Excellence Awards held at the Melbourne Pavilion on the 8th of February. We sponsor the Automotive Pre-Apprentice of the Year Award and it was a pleasure to hand the Award to Monique Kolyvas. The amount of $1000 goes to SD Tools, who generously double its retail value to $2000.
The event is extremely professionally organised; there were over 75 recipients to be honoured in two hours. The abiding impression I have is of the quality and enthusiasm of the recipients. It truly was an uplifting occasion.
Jeremy Paton
Further Update - 12th February
- We have just sold a book to a client who has been trying to buy it since 1973 -
" In 1973 I read the book review of this Paramaount 12000/13000 series on Japanese monthly magazine of music. After that it has long been one of the books on my want list. It is my pleasure to hear that this purchase becomes to fund the projects in the local community."
- And a series of 6 books by Proust for $300 set.
This book project continues to be a mainstay of our fundraising.
Book Update - 18 January
Thought I would give you an update on what is happening in Ken's world of books
The Annual Book Fair was held at Albert Park College in December taking over $5,400 in sales. A huge thank you to Ken, Helen and Greg who put so much passion into this program. Thank you also to Ann, Jeremy, Mark and Lea who assisted in spruiking the event at the local Gasworks market. This program is our major fundraising activity and is growing in its contribution. Thanks to all involved.
My estimation would be that sales from books if totalled would be in excess of $500,000 in the time that I have been involved and this does not include books donated to Albert Park College which would be well in excess of $100,000 plus
Book Storage Update
For our other book project, for some time we have been storing books for our Bay St Stall in an unused facility at The District, Docklands, for a very good price organised by Kim.
We have now moved out of that into a good shopfront location. Kim, Matthew, Dr Phil, Tyra, Carol, Lea, David, Richard, Vicki, Jenny and Glenn (Kim’s husband) moved these into the new facility (for pictures, click on photo at left). Thanks to all who helped.
This now will give us the opportunity to run stalls in the heart of Docklands.
Thanks Carol for all her efforts in operating this project
Days for Girls Enterprise - Homabay, Kenya
Please consider joining our partnership with RAWCS & donating to this very important fundraising campaign being lead by the ROTARY CLUB OF ALBERT PARK to make a difference in the lives of 500 girls plus the sewers & boys who will be receiving a health education with the distribution of the Days For Girls kits! This is a partnership with Bomet Days For Girls Enterprise, Kenya, an endorsed organisation operating under the direction of Days For Girls International.
Please watch this short video to learn more from our on-ground project Manager, Anita Byegon. https://m.facebook.com/groups/D9800discussion/permalink/10160382971918850/?mibextid=Nif5oz
With your help, our aim is for Anita & her team to start sewing the sanitary kits, distribute them & conduct the health education workshops by the end of January.
To donate, please click on the link provided or go to the RAWCS website. Please contact RC of Albert Park International Service Chair, Matthew Proctor, or myself to learn more. Donations of over $2 are tax deductable in Australia
Please consider being part of this story….our gift 
to so many young people! 
to so many young people! Kyebe Maternity Clinic Update - December 2022
The renovation and re-establishment of the Kyebe Maternity Clinic is a project of Rotary Albert Park. The clinic is located in the Kyebe Sub-County, approximately 180km south of Kampala, Uganda. The facility was established in the 1950's to meet the medical needs of the local community.
Albert Park Members are working with the Rotary Club od Gaba, which has produced an introductory video of the project. They aim to improve the facility by concentrating mainly on the maternity ward, which lacks most of the basic requirements. There is a need to fix windows, doors, the roof, ceilung, verandah and water harvesting system at the ward, as well as eventually re-equipping the labour unit. These renovations will not only benefit mothers and babies. but also the midwives.
The closest alternative facility is around 50km away, and is often inaccessable by road due to weather and poor conditions. Recently, the entire area was cut off for two months due to floods - making the renovation of the facility a critical need for the health and well-being of the local community.
Report On Trip to Maubisse November 2022
After a delay of two years due to COVID, Phil Hill was able to take a trip to Timor Leste to review the work of the Solar Smiles Dental Charity there.
To read the report, click on the picture at left
Rotary Albert Park supports Solar Smiles Dental Charity providing free preventative and relief of pain dentistry by taking Australian dental teams to Cambodia and Timor Leste, partnering with local dental professionals using their innovative Solar Powered Backpack dental chairs.
For further information, go to https://www.solarsmilesdentalcharity.com/
Rotary Park - St Kilda
After some time in planning, combined with delays from COVID, the Rotary Park on the foreshore of St Kilda, has reopened.
It is exciting to see the work that has been done and the facility being used.
We are thrilled to inform you that our global grant application (GG25234199) for funding to provide training to Palestinian and Israeli physicians to treat trauma patients, submitted by the Rotary E-Club of District 7610 (Northern Virginia) and the Rotary Club of Holon (District 2490 Israel), has been approved by The Rotary Foundation and The Rotary Foundation Canada. The award is in the amount of US$ 85,350.00. Many thanks to you and your club members for your support.
A great video from Alfred Health, one of the amazing projects we support! Thanks to everyone in the club who've helped out, and continue to help in the future. https://youtu.be/iItCCN_T3X4
Thirty five aged homeless and socially insecure residents live in Port Melbourne at Wintringham Hostel. They pay 85% of their pension to live in the facility and struggle financially with hygiene products, clothes and some small items of furniture for their rooms. This club project will be filling the needs directly of the residents through a strategic partnership with Wintringham management.
Wintringham is a specialised welfare company that provides housing and care to elderly, frail men and women. The sole motivating philosophy at Wintringham is that of social justice. For more information, go to (here) 
We have recently donated some lounge chairs to the hostel, see right
If you would like to help with this project, go to 
Donations above $2 are tax deductible in Australia.
Donations above $2 are tax deductible in Australia.
Women over 50 are the fastest growing group of people experiencing housing instability in Australia – often as a result of pay inequity, little to no superannuation or savings, divorce, domestic and family violence and time taken as unpaid carers. Adequate supply of social housing and affordable housing remains an enduring issue across Australia. Currently there are more than 40,000 applicants for social housing, on the Victorian Housing Register alone.
The Lakehouse is Melbourne's first Pop Up Shelter for women in need of temporary housing. For the Study report, go to (here)
Presentation of donation to One Ball. For more photos, go to (here)
OneBall is a free community program designed for young people aged between 8-18 years. The program provides opportunities for young people from CALD (culturally and linguistically diverse) backgrounds across Melbourne to play soccer in a social setting and encourages them to:
- be fit and active, and to enhance both their physical and psychological health and wellbeing
- develop positive cross-cultural relationships with others, and
- feel more connected and empowered to make a positive contribution to their community.
Presentation of donation to Geoff Amor to support Orange Sky Laundry, see https://orangesky.org.au/where-we-are/melbourne/
The shortage of emergency response vehicles is a serious problem being faced in the Western Cape, South Africa, with the numerous fires that need to be contended with. The lack of vehicles often leads to emergency services taking up to 40 minutes to arrive at disaster scenes, especially in more remote areas. It goes without saying that the vital lost time can literally mean the difference between life and death. With the help of Rotary Albert Park, The Rotary Club of Newlands were able to donate a multipurpose vehicle to the Emergency Volunteer Services (EVS).
Below are some stories and video of the project:
Book Stalls at Gasworks Farmers' Market, Bay Street and Docklands
Rotary Albert Park runs a book recycling project where it collects books from local libraries and from direct donations, sort, redistributes and sell them in various ways (including on-line) to benefit the community.
- On the third Saturday of each month at the Farmers Market at Gasworks Park (weather permitting). We are located at the rear of Gasworks Cafe, 21 Graham Street, Albert Park.
- We also hold a book store on most Saturdays in front of the Holy Trinity Church on Bay Street, Port Melbourne
- And our latest venture is a popup shop in Docklands.
Every dollar we raise goes back into local community projects/ We have quality recent release books as well as some old time favourites in almost every genre. Starting at just $1, you can't go wrong finding that next holiday read.
Come check us out before running to the big shops in the CBD, I'm sure you'll find something to grab your interest
Cash and Eftpos available
For more information on our book recycling project, go to (here)
Other Media Pages
The club is also on Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter & Instagram. There are often additional posts entered by members and by other clubs, and it is a great way to get notified of events and functions.
