Seven members gathered for a breakfast catch-up at 7:30 am on Thursday, 8 October 2026 at Bulguardio Expresso Bar & Osteria (970 Toorak Rd, Camberwell), as part of a new initiative to help recently inducted members connect with the club. The informal session focused on Club Runner, guiding members through the website’s key features and helping them download the Club Runner app. It provided practical support in a relaxed, small-group setting.
Proposed topics for future meet ups will cover:
- Understanding how a club organises its projects and operations through the five key avenues and the importance of Club Committees and participating in Committees.
- An overview of the Rotary Foundation and its role in providing grants for club programs.
- The role of District and the upcoming District Conference.
- Opportunities for leadership development in club service engagement.
The breakfast catch-up is planned for every second Thursday, offering members—particularly those who work full time—another opportunity to meet outside the weekly Wednesday evening dinners. It is not intended to replace the regular dinner meeting, but to strengthen ongoing connections and provide time to explore useful topics together. All members are warmly invited to attend.
International:
Our Sponsorship of Sreypeou Mao for another year, in Cambodia as part of our Global Rotaractor Scholarship program via Rotary Passport Melbourne. Monthly Report from Sreypeou Mao;
Hello Vijay and the Rotary Club of Camberwell,
I hope this email finds you.
Time flies when every day is filled with purpose. Welcome to my October update. It has been a wonderful month ever since I have done many things for myself.
Without any delay, let’s start from my studying–the final results were released and it was not that bad since those 4 subjects, I got one with B+ and others were respectively A-, A, and A+. I also just started a new term this week and I cannot say anything yet, let see how they are going! Likewise, Chinese class is straight up from day to day. We are now learning to do presentations in Chinese language and of course it is a bit challenging because we still struggle with intonation and its vowel sound. Connecting to France class–everyone and I are improving. Doing exercise, playing Kahoot, having pair conversation in class–was all a teacher does and that is a part of teaching methodology to make the students catch lessons well. Being in this class I have never ever gotten bored or stressed.
Moving forward to the social activity I did, I joined cycling with a company called Intrepid Cambodia which is one of our Partnerships. It was my second time doing fundraising by cycling with them. Our destination was Angkorwat–well, it was so funny, especially because I had the chance to make connections with many people from different places which I never knew before. That was really fantastic since we reached the target 30 km at 9 AM. Alongside my social activities, I also joined football training. I really enjoyed it because, as you know, we played, had fun, and bonded as a group. Even when the drills were tough, sharing those laughs and challenges made the whole experience unforgettable.
As usual, I participated in a community service activity to help build a house for a disabled single mother and her two children in a rural area. From morning until evening, enduring both scorching sunlight and sudden rain showers, everyone worked tirelessly to construct a safe and secure shelter for her family. Once the house was almost finished, I still couldn’t forget the moment she stood, looked at her new house, and smiled at us with a million grateful eyes. She seemed extremely excited for this beautiful home. It touched my heart deeply—no words could express how I felt at that moment. Finally, this meaningful house was completely finished; she was really thankful for the house that was left with hearts full of fulfillment and a true sense of helpfulness.
Last but not least, I also had the opportunity to join the Family Support program in which we deliver food supplies to families located in rural areas. We spent time talking and having a great conversation with them. It is much beyond providing food and basic supplies, this visit reminded us that spending time with someone and listening to them can also be a meaningful form of support. It was a remarkable moment for everyone and I. It taught us to pay attention not only to what we can give but also to what the family truly needs. Even a small act of kindness can make someone's daily life a little easier and brighter.
