Swan Rotary meets on Mondays at 7th Avenue Bar & Restaurant, 75 Helena Street, Midland.
Please be there by 6:15PM, the meeting starts at 6:45PM.

   Club President                              Graham Ekert         

   Club Secretary                              David Uhe

   General Enquiries                         info@swanrotary.org.au

🗓️ Rotary Mondays – October & November 2025

Meeting Date: 13 October 2025
Venue: 7th Avenue Bar and Restaurant

🏁 Opening

• Sgt. David Uhe opened the meeting with a Toast to Australia and an Acknowledgement of Country.

👋 Welcome

• President Graham welcomed:

  • Swan Rotary Members

  • Guest Speaker: Trudi Fitzpatrick.  

  • Partners: Pauline, and Clare

🙋‍♂️ Apologies

• Bill, Eddie, Angela, and Cheriley

📋 Reports

Secretary (David Uhe): 

• This afternoon we had a very good board meeting, more from Graham below.
• AGM documents have been distributed last week. All board and office bearer positions are open, except for Incoming President, which will be Sue Lloyd. Members are encouraged to consider nominate for a board or office bearer position. Some nominations have been received, but please feel free to put your nomination in via email to David Uhe (details below)

• Details for the upcoming Beverley trip have been finalised. The upcoming program is as below, if you are planning on coming for a day trip. 

  Beverly is only a 1 hour 15 Minute drive from Midland, the program is below. Please advise David Uhe (details below) if you are planning to join for a portion.

Please send all apologies via email or SMS (contact details below).

Contact - David Uhe – duhe@bigpond.net.au | 0419 904 010

Here are some of the fun things the gang will be up to in Beverly on their weekend away! 

Friday, 7th November

• 10:30 AM – Depart for Avondale Farm Visit (Historic Homestead & Museum, 6km towards York)
• Afternoon – Free time
• 5:30 PM – Happy Hour at Camp Kitchen
• 6:30 PM – Barbeque Dinner at Camp Kitchen

Saturday, 8th November

• 10:00 AM – Meet at Beverley Bakery, 123 Vincent Street
  • Enjoy coffee and pastries

  • Explore Vincent Street Heritage Walk & Beverley Art Trail 

    (With lots of notable stops along the way)

• 12:30 PM – Lunch at The Red Vault Café, 115 Vincent Street
• Afternoon Options (or Sunday):
  • Beverley Visitor Centre (Open 10 AM – 3 PM)
  • Aeronautical Exhibition & Silver Centenary Plane model
  • Fergusons’ Vintage Collection (22 Hunt Road)
  • Vampire Memorial (WWII aircraft display)
• 5:00 PM – Happy Hour at Camp Kitchen
• 6:15 PM – Walk to Freemasons Tavern, 104 Vincent Street
  • Private room dinner (wait for group before ordering)

Sunday, 9th November

• Free Choice Activities:
  • Dead Finish Museum (Open 11 AM – 3 PM)
  • One Tree Café & Books (Open 12 PM – 4 PM)
  • Glider Flights or watch gliders at Beverley Airport
  • Visit York (34 km north)
  • Drive to Yenyening Lakes (37 km south)
  • Climb County Peak (39 km south) for scenic views
• 5:30 PM – Happy Hour at Camp Kitchen
  • Discussion: Next Rotary Weekend venue & organiser
• 6:30 PM – Dinner at Camp Kitchen

If you want to join for a day trip - please remember to let David Uhe know! 

Treasurer (Betty): Nothing to report. 

📋 Presidents Reports

President – Graham Ekert.

This afternoon the following topics were discussed in the Board Meeting!

🎄 Swan Rotary Christmas Function

The current plan for Swan Rotary’s Christmas celebration

📅 Date: Sunday, 21st December
🕕Time: 6:00 PM
📍Venue: Bassendean Hotel – Gallagher Room
💰Cost: $35 per person

More details to follow

🥞 Breakfast at Betty’s – Swan Rotary Catch-Up

The first unofficial meeting of the new year, relaxed morning of good food and great company!

📅Date: Saturday, 10th January 

(usually on the Sunday but changed this year to accommodate Camp Opportunity attendees)
🕗Time: 9 am
📍Venue: Betty’s Balcony!

More details to follow

🌟 RYLA 2026 – Nominations Still Open!

We are still keen to put someone forward for RYLA (Rotary Youth Leadership Awards) — and we may have leads from David and Aubrey, so stay tuned!

📅 Camp Dates: 10–17 January 2026
📍Location: Serpentine, WA
👥Who Can Apply: Anyone aged 18–28 living in Western Australia
📝Applications Close: 30 November 2025

📣 General Announcements

🍔 Grill’d Local Matters

Earlier this month, Swan Rotary received a letter from the Manager at Grill’d Midland, inviting us to be part of their Local Matters initiative.

What is Local Matters?

Local Matters is Grill’d’s way of giving back to the communities they’re part of across Australia. Every month, each Grill’d restaurant donates $500 to three local groups doing great work — and your vote decides how the funds are split!

How It Works:

1. Buy a burger 🍔 – in-restaurant or online.
2. Receive a token with your order.
3. Vote for the community group you care about most by placing your token in their jar.

At the end of the month:

• The group with the most tokens receives $300.
• The other two groups each receive $100.

If you pop into Grill’d Midland, don’t forget to vote for Swan Rotary!

🥾 Cape to Cape Trek – Supporting ShelterBox

Swan Rotary’s very own Linda Hatton is heading off to Cape Naturaliste to take on the Cape to Cape Track — a challenging 118.5 km trek over seven days, all in support of ShelterBox.

📅 When: January 2026
📍Where: Cape to Cape Track, WA
🚶‍♀️Distance: 118.5 km over 7 days
👥Participants: Only 6 trekkers this year
💚Cause: ShelterBox – providing emergency shelter and aid to families affected by disaster

This is Linda’s fifth trek for ShelterBox, and Swan Rotary is proud to support her efforts with a $2,000 donation.

ShelterBox delivers life-saving shelter and supplies to families in crisis around the world — and Linda’s journey helps raise awareness and funds for this vital cause.

👕 Swan Rotary Shirt Orders – Final Call!

We’re placing the order for our new Swan Rotary shirts this week. 

Styles Available: Men’s and Ladies’ cuts
💰Cost: Approx. $25 per shirt
🏦Payment: Please pay to the Bendigo Bank account. 

Bank: Bendigo Bank  BSB: 633000   Account Number: 218966901
Reference: [Please use your name as the reference]

We will hopefully be doing a second round of ordering - so if you have missed this order never fear!

📅Upcoming Events

🕺💃Inner Wheel - Fashion Parade - 23 October 

• Fashion Parade by Kimbo’s Fashions
• Ascension Parish Hall, 17 Spring Park Rd., Midland @ 10.00 am.
• Cost: $30.00.
• RSVP via Text to Lorraine 0439 967 964 or Shannon 0439 394 540

🚆 World Polio Day – Train Ride for Awareness

• Date: Friday, 24 October 2025

Time: 8:00 AM – 6:00 PM

Location: Various train stations across WA

Purpose: Raise awareness for Rotary’s End Polio Now campaign and help reach the goal of $50,000 through club sponsorships.

Rotarians from District 9423 will ride the WA Railway Network wearing red Polio T-shirts to promote the cause.

✅ Free to join – but registration is required for insurance.
👕T-shirts available (subject to stock).

Special Events:
📸Yagan Square Photo Shoot – 5:45 PM
🎉Shoe Bar Celebration – 6:00 PM

Book here - https://www.trybooking.com/events/landing/1350143

🧠Tails for Trivia - Quiz Night - 1^st November 

• Ticket sales have improved!
• David has sent out emails to local businesses asking for donations for prizes, with a few replies!
• https://www.trybooking.com/events/landing/1454284 

🚶‍♂️🚶‍♀️Midland March That Matters

• 📅 Friday 5 December
• Let’s show up in our new shirts!

👥Rotary WA District Conference

• 📍 Northam | 📅 13–15 March 2026
• Book accommodation early!

https://www.rotarywa9423.org.au/page/district-conference-2026

🎤 Guest speaker 

🧑‍💼Trudi Fitzpatrick – Resilience 

About eight years ago, Trudi’s life was turned upside down when her husband was rushed to the emergency department. What followed was a traumatic and life-altering experience:

• He was placed in a coma and remained on life support for six weeks.
• Diagnosed with endocarditis, a serious infection of the heart.
• After surviving, he faced ongoing health challenges including:
  • Photosensitive epilepsy
  • Severe anxiety
  • A heart valve replacement — but the valve was too small, adding further complications.

Now aged 60, he has had to relearn many aspects of life. Through this journey, Trudi has shown extraordinary resilience — adapting, supporting, and growing stronger through every challenge.

Her story is a powerful reminder of the strength found in adversity, and the importance of compassion, perseverance, and hope.

🌱 Resilience
The ability to adapt, recover, and grow stronger in the face of adversity. It’s about gaining strength through every challenge life throws your way.

R – Reality
In the midst of a crisis, pause and check in. Reframe what’s happening and ask: How can this help me grow?

E – Energy
Take a moment to assess your energy levels.

• Where are you now?
• Where do you want to be?
• What steps will help you get there?

S – Skills & Strategies
Build your toolkit with:

• Curiosity
• Mindfulness
• Gratitude for the little things
• Physical exercise
• Breathing techniques like Box Breathing:
  Inhale for 4, hold for 4, exhale for 4, hold for 4 — repeat a few times.

I – Identity
Reflect on how you see yourself and how others see you.
Your identity is shaped by your experiences, personality, and the roles you play in different areas of life.

L – Language
Notice your self-talk.
Empower yourself — don’t pull yourself down.
Reframe: “This is hard, but it’s just for now.”

I – Intentionality
Shift your focus outward.
Contribute to your community.
Remember: Loneliness is one of the biggest killers in Western culture.

E – Engage
Do activities that fill your cup.
When your cup is full, you’re better able to support others.

N – Now
Ask yourself:

• How am I right now?
• Can I reframe this moment?
• Do I need to reach out to someone?

C – Care
Don’t isolate.
Practice self-care, connect with others, and learn to manage your emotions.

E – Evolve
Keep growing.
Resilience is a journey — continue to develop and strengthen it over time.

🔋Recharge. Renew. There’s hope for a better something.

🎯 Sergeant’s Session – David Uhe

• Chase the Joker –. Trudi found David C’s ticket, unfortunately he found the Ace of Diamonds ☹
• Fines – Assisted by Kathy

Fred – Fined for doing good things in the board meeting. 

Linda – Off to NSW under false pretences, off to pick waratahs, despite the season being over.. 

Allan – Sold his house in just one day. 

David – Did not burn the sausages at Thursday’s BBQ even though he isn’t a meat eater.

Manny – Late to the meeting, and apparently cruising around NZ in a Mercedes. 

Allan, Naru & John – Caught on their phones during the meeting. 

Graham – Usurping the sergeant - Banging his gong. . 

Maureen – Required a technical assist. 

Linda, Manny, Clare, Allan & Fred – No badges.

🔚 Closure

President Graham thanked everyone for attending.

Next meeting is Monday 20^th October - AGM/Projects night. 

Following meeting is Monday 27^th  - Currently TBA 

Linda Hatton closed with the Rotary Charge.