This month has been filled with gratitude, friendship, and the spirit of service.
We acknowledge Greg Cooper, a long-serving member, who has stepped down after 15 remarkable years as Chair of our club’s Rotary Recycle Op-Shop Board. Greg played a key role in building this vital community initiative, which has also been a financial cornerstone for our club. Our heartfelt thanks go to Greg, and to all volunteers and customers who make Rotary Recycle thrive.
We also celebrated our charter member, Craig Hoath, and his 35 years of dedicated service. The evening was full of fellowship and memories, reflecting our club’s values of service, connection, and growth.
Our Environment Sustainability Committee enjoyed a warm gathering at Julian and Jessica’s home, where their generosity fostered friendship, inspiration, and shared purpose. Our projects with HealthAbility Community Space Garden and the Nunawading Community Gardens Shelter Refurbishment are well underway.
Our Community and Youth Service team has had an exciting period, hosting the District Four-Way Test Speech Competition, presenting the Koorie Award & Scholarships at Box Hill Institute, and supporting the “I Am Mindful” program at Mont Albert Primary School.
Internationally, Operation Cleft Australia continues to grow, and Operation Toilets Australia has launched a refreshed branding, “we can’t wait.” Tony Stokes, Chair of OTA, and partners recently visited our Ethiopia E-WASH projects, where our contributions are helping to improve conditions for 5,400 students and staff in rural schools.
Finally, we launched the International Women’s Day 2026 project — a collaborative effort across all Rotary and Rotaract clubs in the City of Whitehorse, showcasing the power of united service.
We are proud of the positive change unfolding locally and internationally and deeply grateful for the dedication of our members and the support of our partners, friends, and neighbours.
Warm regards,
Wendy Zhang
President 25/26
Dec 2025/Jan 2026
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improves sanitation infrastructure and delivers hygiene education in schools and commun-ities, keeping girls in school longer and improving overall community health,
bringing empowerment and hope to the marginalised.
Rotary Club of Box Hill Central has been a long standing sponsor of the Koorie Student of the Year Award at Box Hill Institute. Since 2019, we have extended our support through annual Koorie Access and Equity Scholarships, providing practical financial assistance early in the year for student with financial difficulities.
On Thursday, November 13th, President Elect Niranjan Ramjee and Community Service Lead Malcolm Chivertonproudly represented our club in presenting scholarships to three outstanding recipients.
Four Rotarians and a Rotaractor travelled to Ethiopia via Singapore Nov 2025, accompanied by INA's International Programs Manager, Davide De Micheli. We welcome trip participation from Rotary Clubs of Bendigo South, Chelsea and Rotaract Peninsular 2.0 with us.
We travelled to Ethiopia Central Regional State to visit the work in Lemo (Hadiya Zone) and Ezha (Gurage Zone).
We were enthusiastically welcomed at five primary schools where we helped fund improved segregated latrine blocks and hygiene education, thus enabling girls to continue in school longer. Directly impacting 5,400 students and their staff.
Around30 club members and partnersgathered atDumpling Kingfor a special dinner to celebrate and farewellCraig Hoath, one of the chartermembers of our club and a dedicated Rotarian with35 years of community service.
Craig has recently relocated to Seymour and has now transferred his membership to theRotary Club of Seymour. The evening began with remarks fromCharter President Brian McPhail, who reflected on Craig’s remarkable Rotary journey and his family’s deep roots in the Box Hill community:
It was a great honour for our club to host the Rotary Four-Way Test Speech Competition for District 9815 Year 10 students at our meeting venue on 11 November.
This annual program promotes excellence in public speaking and encourages students to explore and reflect on the principles of Rotary’s Four-Way Test. Sponsored Rotary Clubs work in partnership with local schools and Toastmasters International to provide students with a valuable development experience.
Participating students gain exposure to the ideals and ethical values of Rotary, along with the opportunity to build confidence, strengthen self-esteem, and develop proficiency in presenting to a large audience.
Bookings now open for the annual IWD breakfast at Box Hill Town Hall.
7:15-9:15am Wednesday March 4 2026. Book here for a single or table.
Join us Addressing Classroom Hunger as we prepare cheese sandwiches monthly at Forest Hill Chase for participating local primary schools with students without lunch. Next date: Wednesday Jan 28 10-11am Text Robyn 0406607310 to confirm.
