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| President Soheil Derakhshan and wife Lorraine |
| The Rotary Club of Griffith marked a remarkable milestone, celebrating its 80th anniversary with a black tie night full of pride, reflection, and fellowship. Sponsored by the Rotary Club of Leeton, the evening brought together Rotarians, community leaders, and distinguished guests in recognition of eight decades of dedicated service to the local and international community. |
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| General Sir Peter Cosgrove and Lady Lyn Cosgrove with DG Rob |
 Adding to the prestige of the event was the presence of special guests General Sir Peter Cosgrove and Lady Lyn Cosgrove, whose warmth and inspiring words resonated deeply with all in attendance. One of the evening’s highlights was the awarding of four Paul Harris Fellowships—Rotary’s highest recognition—to deserving club members. These awards, presented by District Governor Rob Uhl, acknowledged the outstanding commitment and service of these individuals to the ideals of Rotary.
Ernie was inspired to become a Rotarian one morning at the Rotary Markets; Joe Catanzariti invited Ernie to join our club. Ernie came to the meetings and was impressed by the comradeship he saw. Although Ernie has only been in Rotary three, going on four years, his eagerness and commitment didn't go unnoticed.
Gordon has always been community minded, serving six community organisations prior to joining Rotary. He is a true humanitarian, definitely a man of service.
Peter is a very successful businessman, his industry is farming, and Peter was heavily involved in the development of No-till Farming. Peter's wife and family mean the world to him, with a strong focus on their life. As a father he believed in his children and taught them independence, good work ethics and how to be your own person.
David's attraction to becoming a Rotarian was and still is community projects both domestically and internationally, his appreciation of the four-way test and the administrative structure of Rotary. David soon discovered the strength of Rotarian fellowship is an added attraction. A beautifully decorated birthday cake was ceremoniously cut by long-time Rotarian Don West, whose nearly 60 years of service to Rotary made him the perfect figure to honour this special moment.   |
The celebration was not just a tribute to the past, but also a reaffirmation of the club’s continued dedication to making a difference in the lives of others, both locally and globally. Here’s to the next 80 years of service above self. |
| Moss Vale Public School proudly celebrated the official opening of its new Peace Garden on Thursday 10th April, a beautiful and tranquil space designed to promote harmony, reflection, and student wellbeing. This inspiring project was made possible through the generous support and hard work of the Rotary E-Club of Brindabella, whose commitment to community service continues to make a meaningful difference. The project came to culmination after three years. The Peace Pole was donated to the school by the Rotary E-Club of Brindabella after partnering with the school on two End Trachoma projects. Mrs Katherine Hurst, the School Principal, had a vision of placing the pole and making a peaceful and reflective place for the young students. The vision of the Peace Garden was born! |
| The Peace Garden is now a focal point of the school, providing students with a peaceful outdoor area for learning, relaxation, and mindfulness. Designed with input from the School and some members of the E-Club, the garden features native plants, seating areas formed by sandstone blocks and curved seating around the pole. |
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| At the opening ceremony, student leaders led the ceremony undertaking the Acknowledgement of Country and introducing each speaker. The Principal expressed the school’s heartfelt gratitude to the Rotary Clubs of Moss Vale and The Rotary E-Club. District Governor Rob Uhl spoke about how the school is a community and how each person in that community matters. Small acts of kindness can make a big difference. The school choir sang (along with the school students) a very appropriate song called “Everyone Belongs” highlighting diversity. |
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Principal Mrs Hurst described the Peace Garden as “a lasting legacy of cooperation, care, and creativity—a gift to our school community that will be treasured for years to come.” The Rotary Club of Moss Vale contributed valuable funds that provided the outdoor musical instruments which are now part of the garden.
This collaboration is a wonderful example of Rotary’s ongoing commitment to supporting education and wellbeing at a grassroots level. The Peace Garden at Moss Vale Public School stands as a symbol of hope, unity, and the power of working together to build a better world.
Oberon (/ˈoʊbərɒn/) is a king of the fairies in medieval and Renaissance literature. He is best known as a character in William Shakespeare's play A Midsummer Night's Dream, in which he is King of the Fairies and spouse of Titania, Queen of the Fairies. Oberon as we know it, is a small village in the Blue Mountains with the Rotary Club of Oberon having seven members! This last weekend the king of the fairies Oberon and his spouse Titania ruled the village! The Rotary Club staged its first Shakespearean Festival with huge success! The troupe “Come you Spirits are a very professional group from Sydney. |
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Thursday saw the troupe of these Shakespearean players, stage a performance at the Aged Care home before also going to the local high school. Friday night at the Malachi Gilmore Hall saw a nearly sold-out crowd dining and being entertained by both Romeo and Juliet and A Midsummer’s Night’s Dream. But that’s not all……Saturday evening at the Oberon Common the Rotary Club put on a Free sausage BBQ and drinks before a free performance of a Midsummer Nights Dream. Rotary Volunteers also arrived from Orange Daybreak, Bathurst and Bathurst Daybreak to assist with the evenings preparations and serving the good sized crowd! It was a warm barmy night in an exceptional setting and the locals came out in force to experience this! A wonderful performance received a long ovation particularly when the troupe stated they would be back next year! This festival is aimed at becoming an annual event! So keep a weekend free about next mid-March and be prepared to book your accommodation and enjoy the hospitality from this amazing Rotary Club. |
 Movers and Shakers to get this festival across the board - Neville Ross and Lin Boswell |
 Oberon Rotary Troupe |
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| Colombia Aged Care Home - 1 resident became Oberon, King of the Faries |
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| Oberon High School - Workshop in progress |
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| The Malachi Feast & Performance - Scene from Anthony and Cleopatra |
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| The Common - with the moon rising in the background |
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| Hermia |
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| The Common - 2 of the 4 local ' after school drama class - join the actors as feries |
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| Titania and the faries |
The Orange Chapter of the Rotarian Wine Appreciation Fellowship was formed in 2014 following the Rotary International Conference held in Sydney that year. Since that time, apart from the COVID years, they have tried to meet at least twice a year and support local wineries while learning more about the agronomic development of the crop plus sampling the produce and evaluating its qualities.
Orange has become known as a premium cool climate wine region with a wide variety of wine varieties. It is particularly suited to cool climate Chardonnay. Riesling, Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Noir and Shiraz. There are now over 50 wineries in the area. Some of the best known are Philip Shaw, Ross Hill, Printhie and Rowlee.
Our latest visit was to Colmar which features wines associated with the Alsace Region of France.
They have tried to make our winery visits affordable, keeping the cost to around $40 including a wine tasting and light food to accompany the wine. They also have asked local wineries to donate a half dozen bottles of wine for a raffle with the proceeds going to local Rotary projects or charities including the Rotary Foundation.
Over the years the attendees have gained an appreciation of the development of the wine industry in the Orange Area from its beginnings in the 1980’s to where it is now as a leading premium cool climate wine producing region in the country.
The most recent event was held at the Colmar Estate Vineyard. It commenced under a different title in 1991 with planting completed in 2000. It was purchased by Bill and Jane Shrapnel in 2013 and renamed Colmar with their affection for and love of the wines in the Alsace Region of France. They specialise in Riesling, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and light sparkling wines which are produced by their winemaker Will Rickard-Bell who specialises in small batches of high quality premium cool climate wines.
