Dec 05, 2025 (Dec. 04, 2025)

PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE

Dear Rotarians and Friends,

This will be the last President's message from me in the bulletin for this year. There will be a short bulletin following the Carols with some highlights of the event and our other activities before we all take a well-earned break.

Last Saturday, we had our Club Christmas Party at Hunters Hill Club. Great to see some members, our Rotary friends and the youth exchange students Mei and Edith. Our inbound Student Mei will leave the country and return home to Japan early January 2026. A special gift and club banner were presented to her. We also presented a Youth Exchange blazer, some pins and club banners to outbound student Edith who will depart for Denmark at the end of December 2025.

On Monday, I had attended the Rotary Club of North Sydney Sunrise Christmas dinner with Hamish Macdonald and Ian Thorpe and Wendy Whiteley at the Royal Sydney Yacht Squadron. It was a fantastic night especially Ian’s Q & A session.

Our next Bunning BBQ on Saturday 6 December. The proceeds will go to ShelterBox Australia. Cheese boards are also still for sale for $50. They make great gifts for special occasions or for Christmas. Please contact me or Garry Maloney if you would like to purchase one or come to Gladesville Bunning on the BBQ day.

The Christmas Tree is full of gift tags for Tree of Joy at Cox’s Rd Mall. Don't forget to take a tag and donate a gift. Thank you to our generous community for all the donations so far.

The Carols on the Common committee is busy organising the annual event which will be held on Sunday 14th December from 5pm. It will be another fantastic event for the whole family. we hope to see you there!

Our Club AGM will be held as a Zoom meeting on Friday 5 December 7:15am for 7:30am start. This is an opportunity for Club members to nominate for positions on the Board. We will also be voting on our updated Constitution and By-Laws and the updated Child Protection Policy.

Bernie and I will represent the club on 5 December at Denistone East Public School. The school's Student Representative Council have raised enough money to buy two bikes, two scooters and helmets which they have decided to donate to the Trees of Joy in the local area. The students will present the bikes to us and a member from Ryde Rotary Club which also runs Trees of Joy in the Ryde and West Ryde areas. We will then take the bikes to the local charities we support to distribute them to needy families for Christmas.

Next Tuesday 9 December 2025, Bob Selinger OAM and I will make a special presentation at North Ryde Public School Speech Day for their Citizenship Award.

Our first club meeting for the 2026 will be on Friday 6 February at 7.30am via Zoom. There will be a social breakfast at Cafe SaBu the week before on Saturday 31 January. Club Director, Peter Mason will send out more information closer to the date.

We will also be running a Bunnings BBQ on Saturday 17 January at Gladesville Bunnings Warehouse. Garry Maloney will be in touch seeking volunteers to help early in the New Year.

On behalf of Rotary Club of North Ryde, we wish you have a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Best regards

Mandy

For our upcoming Zoom Club meetings and assembly, here is the link details:

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/87821656014?pwd=S1I0T1hBVDVXSVB4OFhTL2p1cFhhdz09

Meeting ID: 878 2165 6014

Passcode: 2113

Stand Against Domestic Violence Walk 2025

On Wednesday 26 November, some of our Club members joined members from the Rotary Club of Macquarie Park and other local community groups in the City of Ryde Make a Stand walk against Domestic Violence.

Some Photos from the Club Christmas Party Saturday 29 Nov at the Hunters Hill Club

The 2025 Carols on the Common - 1 Week to go!

It is nearly time! The Carols on the Common will be a fantastic night of fun, laughter and song. Come along and join the community to celebrate Christmas. Bring a picnic and some friends!

Thank you to our wonderful sponsors and supporters and to everyone who has volunteered to help in some way. We are looking forward to another successful community celebration!

Regards

Pam

Pamela Wood

Volunteer Coordinator

The 2025 Carols on the Common Committee

Mobile 0400803417

Rotary Urgent call for Sri Lanka flood disaster relief support

Dear Rotary Club Members and Friends

Although the Rotary Disaster Relief (RDR) committee is predominately focused on local disasters, I am reaching out today in my role as RDR Chair to share an update on the devastating situation unfolding in Sri Lanka and to invite your support for our fellow Rotarians who are tirelessly responding on the ground.

Sri Lanka is experiencing one of its most severe flood disasters in recent years. Entire communities have been displaced, homes have been swept away, and thousands of families have lost access to basic necessities such as safe shelter, hygiene items, clean water, and baby essentials. The scale of the damage continues to grow each day, and the need for coordinated assistance is significant.

Rotary District 3220 has activated a centralised Disaster Relief Coordination Committee, working closely with government authorities, Divisional Secretariats and local clubs across the island. These Rotary teams are embedded in the affected communities and delivering exactly what is needed now – baby food, sanitary items, diapers, bottled water, hygiene essentials, mosquito nets, bedding, and other non-food items identified as top priorities.

Here in our district, we have already begun supporting District 3220 by working through Rotary Australia World Community Service (RAWCS). A dedicated project has been established for this disaster, ensuring that all donations are fully tax-deductible and handled in accordance with strict humanitarian governance and accountability standards. Funds raised in Australia are transferred directly to the official disaster-relief account opened by Rotary D3220 to support urgent needs.

For clubs and individuals wishing to assist, the RAWCS project link is:

Project: Sustainable Lanka (Project 39-2025-26)
Information: https://directory.rawcs.com.au/39-2025-26
Donate: https://donations.rawcs.com.au/39-2025-26

Every contribution, no matter the size, helps a family regain dignity, safety and hope. Rotary has always led with compassion and action, and this is an opportunity for us to stand alongside a Rotary district that is facing a humanitarian crisis of great magnitude.

I ask you to please consider sharing this appeal within your clubs, and if possible, offering support through the RAWCS project. Together, we can make a meaningful difference at a time when our help is urgently needed. Thank you for your continued commitment to “Doing Good in the World.”

Warm regards,
PDG Mina Howard
Rotary District 9685
Rotary Disaster Relief Chair

The 2025 Tree of Joy at Cox's Road Mall

The Tree of Joy will be set up again at Cox's Road Mall from Monday 10 November.

We are collecting gifts for St Vincent De Paul, Christian Community Aid (CCA)NSW and Macquarie Hospital.

If you would like to donate a gift, come along to the tree, take a tag or two buy the gift and return it to the collecting cage at the Tree.

Thank you to Bendigo Community Bank Homebush and North Ryde for the continued sponsorship of the Tree of joy this year.

Thank you also to our Community supporters: Cox's Road Mall Management, Ritchies IGA, North Ryde Pharmacy, Cafe Sa Bu, Rev. John Chappell and St John's Anglican Church and Kwik Kopy North Ryde.

For any inquiries regarding the Tree of Joy, or if you can help with the collection of gifts over the four weeks please contact Tree of Joy Coordinator Bernie Mason email: bib_59@hotmail.com or mobile: 0411134530.

Bendigo Community Bank Homebush and North Ryde - Doing Good in the Community.

Bendigo Community Bank Homebush and North Ryde is once again sponsoring two very important Rotary projects which will be held over the pre-Christmas period in the North Ryde community.

The Rotary Club of North Ryde has appreciated the ongoing support and sponsorship for the Tree of Joy and the Carols on the Common. We look forward to continuing to work in partnership with the Community Bank and our local Rotary clubs to make a difference through the local community and broader projects that we undertake.

Community Bank Homebush and North Ryde. had invested 94% of the previous year’s after-tax profit to community outcomes”, said Michael Brewer, Chair of the Community Bank.

This year, we are supporting the Ryde Eisteddfod, 2RRR, Carols on the Common and many others in Ryde.”The Community Bank also announced their partnership with the Child Abuse
Prevention Service, launching the Safe Communities, Safe Children program into North Ryde Community Pre- School and Explore & Develop North Ryde Public School,

supporting over 200 families and will also contribute to an efficacy study run by the Australian Institute of Health Innovation.
“Our Community Bank Founders Scholarships will also be available for students in North Ryde from 2026 and applications can be submitted from
December”, Michael said.

As a customer, you are part of this giving process, got a home loan that you want to know if we can beat?

Call us on 9878 5559 or send us an e-mail at northryde@bendigoadelaide.com.au

The Rotary Club of North Ryde Trivia Night 7 March 2026 - Save the Date!

Cup Full of Connection Picnic - Save the Date

Carols on the Common
The North Ryde Common
Dec 14, 2025 10:00 am – 10:00 pm

Bunnings Gladesville BBQ, Sat 17 January 2026
Bunnings Gladesville
Jan 17, 2026 7:00 am – 5:00 pm

View entire list

Member Birthdays

Binoe Verghese

December 7

Pamela Bennett

December 27

Garry Maloney

December 29