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Rotary News Feed
Rotarian brings home mental health support

Rotarian brings home mental health

The Wisdom of the Hot Flash

Many women approaching midlife wonder if they should consider hormone replacement therapy. The evidence on the benefits and risks is clear.

Rotary projects around the globe May 2025

Learn how Rotary clubs are taking action in the United States, Mexico, Austria, Australia, and South Sudan.

You’re the perfect messenger

Katharine Hayhoe explains the enormity of our climate crisis, how it magnifies virtually every other serious challenge, and how all hope is not lost. Not by a long shot

A profitable path

With minority business awards, a Texas Rotary club lifts the fortunes of enterprises with heart, itself included

Rotary helping you transition to work
Here is a link to the complete WorkLife booklet developed by Alex Rotary as a mentoring guide to anyone starting work for the first time. (Also not a bad read for anyone going back into the workforce who would like a bit of inspiration and advice. 
 
We've also found that local businesses use it as a friendly support for their employees to help discussions along on the importance of work, (and how to be happy at work while making the boss happy!!)
 
 
Blue Card Connections
2025 Solstice Swim 
 
 
  • Iconic Sunshine Coast Community Swim
  • 500m dash, 1km, 3km and 5km swim distances 
  • Swim inside bathing reserve - fully chaperoned by Alex Lifesavers
  • Anklets and instant GPS timing by Multisport, rolling wave starts
  • All swimmers receive T shirt, swim cap, fruit, water
  • Free cancellation up to day before swim
  • Ample parking
 
 
Register here
 

Welcome to the Rotary Club

of

Alexandra Headland

2025 Solstice Swim 
 
 
  • Iconic Sunshine Coast Community Swim
  • 500m dash, 1km, 3km and 5km swim distances 
  • Swim inside bathing reserve - fully chaperoned by Alex Lifesavers
  • Anklets and instant GPS timing by Multisport, rolling wave starts
  • All swimmers receive T shirt, swim cap, fruit, water
  • Free cancellation up to day before swim
  • Ample parking
 
 
Register here
 
Club News
Club Helps Out with Donation to Flood Relief
Like most Queenslanders,  Alex Rotarians have been saddened to see the flooding catastrophe affecting the outback. So we were really please to donate $2,000 towards the flood relief fund established by Rotary District. 
 
But wait, there's more !! When member Les found out about this, he chipped in another $500. Rounding up the total donation to $2,500. 
 
Good onya Les, that is just fantastic, and very generous of you.yes
 
 
That's the great thing about belonging to this club, while at the moment we are busy raising funds for our annual fundraiser to help the Sunshine Coast, we rise to the need when we can see funds are "going to make a difference". 
 
And wasn't it very telling when Bill and Melissa from Care Outreach thanked the club for the clubs donation, Bill mentioned that he is seeing a LOT more folks on the coast (not outback) availing themselves of Care Outreach's support. Much more so than in previous years. 
 
So well done all members, and a BIG special thanks to Les for adding to the pot, which will go to family support in the flooded area. 
 
Mayor Natoli and Lillian Muchiri come to visit
 
 
 
 
This week's meeting was very interesting with local nurse Lillian Muchiri originally from Kenya, discussing her work back in her home area of Kenya.
KARIBU WOMEN’S & CHILDREN’S HOME
Lillian purchased two acres of land near her community back in Kenya to build a women’s and children’s home.
The name, Karibu, is a Swahili word that means welcome. The shelter will welcome women and children seeking safety and security from all adversity and provide them with a safe haven. The home will operate confidentially to protect the safety of those seeking refuge.
 
Initially, volunteer staff will provide assistance, security, food, and medical checks. Her goal is to have trained staff in attendance covering the fields of nursing, medicine, pathology, teaching and other areas targeted to train and empower women and young people to grow to be independent.
 
During their stay, staff will help identify their needs, and they will offer the appropriate support. They will receive health checks, medicine, a clean bed, shower, food, personal items, and most importantly, safety. The future goal is to offer workshops to train the residents based on their areas of interest and needs.
 
This is an enormous project to empower vulnerable people in her village. She will travel back and forth to supervise this project until completion.
Lillian has written a book about her life and Exposing the Cultural Taboos Whilst Keeping Traditions Alive
- 'Looking back to Move Forward'
If you would like a copy of Lillian's book or can assist Lillian in any way please go to
Mayor Rosanna Natoli is a great supporter of Lillian and also attended our meeting for which we are very grateful for her time.
Urban Garden gets a helping hand from Alex Rotary 
We had 2 guests join us this morning to discuss Homelessness on the Sunshine Coast - Michael Chittiick and Chris Cooper. It is a major problem on the coast with the number of homeless on the increase.
 
While difficult to have actual numbers the estimate is 1,378 people homeless of which 202 are aged between 12-24 which is a terrible statistic. They provided some good news in that there is hope of Sleepbus being resurrected after its recent demise.
 
It was great to meet some of the team from Urban Garden on Friday at Bunnings. Craig had been in touch with Simon prior to Christmas but it wasn't till now that the club was able to show its support for the great work this NFP does in teh community and in turn supporting the Maroochy Neighbourhood centre. 
 
It was coincidental that Michael and Chris , Sleepbus volunteers were present as guest speakers.
 
They were most appreciative of our Christmas Sleepbus donation, albeit the company is in a bit of bother we received from very, very, welcome news that steps are being taken to resurrect this great community cause.
 
We are looking forward to Simon from Sleepbus talking to the club, and meanwhile your club will be making a donation to the Urban Garden at the Maroochydore centre to show our support for the great team of volunteers.
 
Here's the afternoon shift - front of office Meghan, with Chloe, Catherine and Yoku with head chef Graeme, and dogsbody John in the background.  
 
 
 
Michael and Chris..
 
 
Well done girls, and boys. 
 
...and don't forget this Wednesday there is a Mothers Day drive in support of Care Outreach...
Youth Science Forum - changing young lives

Inspiring New Scientists

 
A few months ago Sarah and Maddie spoke to the club about their aspirations is attending the National Youth Science Forum in Brisbane. At that time they were very impressive young students who had a passion for Science and a curiosity about what was going on in the scientific world around them.
 
Today, Maddie and Sarah spoke to the club about their experiences at the Science Forum held in Brisbane. 
 
 
It's fair to say that they were blown away by the overall 9-day experience, from visits to Forensic labs, Computer labs, Robotic labs and state of teh art medical labs. From the pics you can see the group from all over Australia who attended the forum, and who met various leaders in their fields in Brisbane. 
 
Maddie and Sarah were put up at UQ Kings College Halls of residence which added to the experience of future student life. 
 
Thank you Maddie and Sarah for your talk today, Alex Rotary is delighted to have sponsored you to go to NYSF and look forward to hearing about your journey ahead in the scientific field.  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Australian Rotarians Against Malaria

Who knew about this killer?

Neil Bradley represented ARAM (Australian Rotarians Against Malaria) to bring us up to date with latest information.
Australia has been declared Malaria Free, but with malaria being a major problem in PNG it could filter into Australia.
Malaria kills about 600,000 people a year around the world which is why Rotary has a focus on malaria eradication.
 
 
Three types of vaccine are being used …. The first is reported as being effective at about 10% and if that saves 60,000 people a year it is worthwhile.  The second is about 75% effective.  The third vaccine is still undergoing tests but is considered valuable because it  allows mosquito population to produce more males and it is the female mosquito which bites looking for blood!!!
 
Neil is a retired educator and a member of Loganholme Rotary.
 
​​​​​​​
 
 
Pride of Workmanship 
 

Another Successful Pride of Workmanship Awards!

The Pride of Workmanship awards evening on Wednesday 30th October was a great evening.  Well done to all involved and a BIG thank you to the Alexandra Headland Surf Lifesaving Club for looking after everyone so well.
The award recipients are pictured below with our club representative John Malloy and MP Fiona Simpson.

Left to right:
Matt Champion (BOSS Australia), Tascha Quinn (CFT Security), Nathan Andrews (IFYS Limited Youth Transition Services), John Malloy (Alexandra Headland Rotary Club), Tania Gonzales (Bank of Qld Maroochydore), Amanda Johnson (Maroochydore State High School), Fiona Simpson (MP Member for Maroochydore), Kath Walgers (Maroochydore State High School).
 
The below excerpt is from an article that is expected to be published in My Weekly Preview shortly, thanks Caitlin.
 
Rotary Club of Alexandra Headland spokesperson, Mike Storkey, said “The Pride of Workmanship Award is designed to acknowledge an employee, irrespective of age or vocation, who, in the eyes of his or her employer, displays outstanding qualities in terms of dedication and commitment to their work.”
 
This year’s seven awardees represented a range of different industries from the Sunshine Coast business community including education, banking & finance, building maintenance, security and community support.
Rotary Club spokesperson, Mike Storkey said “Our club is proud to present the Pride of Workmanship awards and acknowledge these individuals who have made a valuable contribution to their organisations and the Sunshine Coast community.  Being able to recognise some of the amazing work being done each day by every day workers is truly an honour,” he concluded.
 
 
...and from around the tables (thanks Jo-Anne)
 
 
        
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Year in Review ...Can YOU help us this year? 
Big thanks to Ray S who has done a fabulous job of summarising The Alex Rotary year in Review. It's been one of the busiest and most productive years in the clubs history.
 
To the amazing guest speakers we have had at the club, thank you to every speaker who shared their community programs and interests with us.
 
It is truly a great part of being a Rotarian to hear directly at our meetings what is going on in our community. We heard from all sorts of speakers through the year, from tourism executives, local education leaders, artists and writers, disability advocates, overseas volunteers, mental health professionals, etc. etc.
 
We also heard from inspiring local students that we have sponsored to go on Rotary development programs. They are following on the path of the many Rotary exchange students, scientists and exceptional boys and girls who have benefitted from Rotary Australia and International opportunities.
 
It was a HUGE year for fundraising and helping the Sunshine Coast community. The thousands of dollars in donations that our members generated for local causes, (club record) was great testament to the "can do" attitude of our members and supporters.
 
Our donation program continued through the year, and we were pleased to make substantial donations to local volunteer clubs who are primarily working with folks suffering through cost of living issues. 
 
Also, it was pleasing to see the wider Rotary organisation recognising Alex Rotary for its work in helping others and our increasing club membership. 
 
In summary ....A great year ....and we extend an invitation to folks on the Coast who may be considering "making a difference" to their community in 2025 by joining Alex Rotary. The only requirement is a "can do" attitude and to be available (now and then) for a breakfast meeting at Alex Surf Club where we meet every Wednesday morning between 6.45 - 08.00.   
 
Here's some pics from Ray's presentation...
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Scouts stop over and enjoy Alex Rotary and Inclusive Kids Hospitality

RCAH provides breakfast for 300 Jamboree - bound scouts and their leaders 

The Rotary Club of Alexandra Headland recently hosted 300 scouts and their leaders for breakfast when they stopped off at the Sunshine Coast on their way to Maryborough for the for the 26th Australian Jamboree (AJ2025). The three yearly event was held at the Maryborough Showgrounds and Equestrian Park January 6–15, 2025. 

Six buses left Canberra at midday on Sunday January 5 and travelled through the night, planning to arrive at the Sunshine Coast at 6:00am. You can imagine the surprise for the Rotary Club of Alexandra Headland members who arrived just before 5:00am to start setting up and found two buses already in the carpark! A better run than expected partly explained the early arrival but the main reason? – they hadn’t taken daylight savings into account, or the lack of it, in Queensland! 

 
 
 

As more buses arrived, the scout group patiently waited as the Rotary Club of Alexandra Headland volunteers feverishly set up for breakfast. No doubt the scouts were just grateful to be out of a cramped bus and able to walk around in the pleasant Queensland morning air – and go to the toilet!

 
 

Breakfast was served and the Scouts enjoyed a hearty meal of pancakes and spreads, a choice of cereals and milk, juice, and fresh fruit. 

 

 

They then settled in for what initially appeared to be a longer than anticipated wait to depart as they were not required to be at the jamboree site until their allotted time, due to many buses arriving that morning. However, an earlier time slot was arranged and scouts were quickly assembled to express their heartfelt thanks for the breakfast that had been provided. They promptly boarded the buses for departure and set off for Maryborough. 

All that was left for the Rotary Club of Alexandra Headland crew to do was clean up. This took no time at all and was made much easier due to the negligible amount of rubbish left behind. All of our volunteers commented on the spirit, politeness, and helpfulness of the scouts group.
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Special thanks to our hard-working volunteers and our long-standing partner IFYS Inclusive Kids, who very kindly assisted us with sourcing the breakfast foods required for this event. 

Monique Kelsey, RC of Alexandra Headland

Alex Rotary WorkLife Coaching Program 
 
Community Projects
Who helps our club to "make a difference"??
Here's some of the amazing folks who help us with our community fundraising. ..
 
The Sunshine Coast is blessed with businesses small and large who want to give back to folks "doing it tough" and we would love to hear you if you are already supporting a local cause (we maybe can help) or of you are looking for cause to support.
 
We generally support Sunshine Coast VOLUNTEER organisations who have some amazing locals just looking for a hand up with their project activities. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
1
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
RIP CURL MAROOCHY
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Who we've helped...
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
SPECIAL OLYMPICS SUNSHINE COAST
 
Rotary / USC Community Fund
 
 
 
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Rotary is run by volunteers and Rotary is always in the top 5 most effective charities in the world.
 
You can be sure that your dollars go to where they are needed. 
Helping save lives in Uganda. See YouTube video
 
 
Links to Rotary & Projects