Stories

Rotary Camberwell is supporting people experiencing homelessness in Boroondara by providing them with Backpack Beds distributed by St Vincent de Paul who are dealing directly with homeless individuals.  

 

Every night, people experiencing homelessness putting their safety and wellbeing at risk. Many need to move from place to place while carrying everything they own, and a way to carry their personal belongings is paramount.

 

A Backpack Bed is a practical solution that acts as both a backpack for storage and a weatherproof bed. This award-winning invention has been shown to improve dignity, health, sleep, warmth, comfort, and safety for people sleeping rough. During the day, the Backpack Bed can also be converted into a weather shelter for wind or sun protection.

 

Above - Joe Hastie, from St Vincent de Paul handing out a Backpack Bed in Camberwell.

The Rotary Outreach Myeloma Program (ROMP) team, an initiative of Rotary Camberwell led a multi club event on 22 October 2025 in greater Shepparton.

The Shepparton News published an article on the purpose and outcome of the gathering

The following is a summary of the article: Local Rotarians from Greater Shepparton recently gathered to support the Rotary Outreach Myeloma Program (ROMP), an initiative focused on bridging the gap in myeloma cancer care between urban and regional Australians.

The event highlighted the importance of specialised cancer care access in regional areas and showcased ROMP's scholarship program, which funds postgraduate cancer care training for nurses.

Funded by community support, the program aims to improve cancer outcomes in country Victoria by equipping nurses with broader cancer treatment skills from the recipients of the scholarship.

The event not only highlighted the pressing need for better cancer care in the regions but also showcased the power of community-driven initiatives. Attendees left with a renewed sense of purpose, inspired to advocate for equal health outcomes regardless of postcode.

By supporting programs like ROMP, local Rotary clubs are helping bridge the gap in healthcare access and ensuring that regional Australians are not left behind in the fight against cancer. To learn more or to make a donation, visit https://rompteam.net/

Now in its second year, the MJI has become a regular fixture in the Year 9 curriculum. The project ran smoothly with students preparing their Cover Letters and Resumes beforehand. This material was organised by four to six teachers involved in teaching the “Connections for Life” subject.

Students had forty-four contemporary career options to consider such as Cyber Security, Business Analytics (Internship), and Environmental Science (Internship). A total of one hundred and eight Year 9 students from a cohort of one hundred and thirty-one participated in interviews. Sixty-six students were allocated on the first day and forty-two on the second.

Rotary International became involved with the Global Peace Index (GPI) through a strategic partnership with the Institute for Economics & Peace (IEP), the independent, nonpartisan Australia-based think tank, creators of the index. Rotary International has "peacebuilding and conflict prevention" as one of its seven Areas of Focus, making the partnership a natural fit to advance this mission. This partnership began after IEP's founder, Steve Killelea, was invited to speak at a Rotary peace symposium in 2015. As a result, Rotary gained a new way to support peacebuilding efforts by using IEP's data-driven research to train its members in community-level conflict prevention and to work on promoting "Positive Peace". 

The GPI is an annual report that measures the relative level of peacefulness of 163 countries and territories. It uses 23 qualitative and quantitative data to assess peace across three key domains: Societal Safety and Security: Measures factors like crime rates and political instability; Ongoing Domestic and International Conflict: Assesses levels of internal and external conflict; Militarization: Looks at factors like military spending and armed services personnel.

CRST was founded in 2011 by the Palti family from Melbourne. CRST is a registered non-government organisation with the Cambodian Ministry of Interior. It operates under the conviction of giving “a hand-up, not a hand-out” to bright students from economically challenged rural families. 

In 2022, CRST supported the Charter of the Rotaract Club of Siem Reap (RACSR), which was sponsored by the Rotary Club of Bangkok and the Rotary Club of Phnom Penh Metro.

 

CRST's mission is to break the cycle of poverty through education by sponsoring high school and university students and providing holistic support including health, dental care, living allowances, life-skills training, and English and computer classes. What truly sets CRST apart is its student-led governance model. Senior students are mentored by Australian business volunteers and manage the organisation and its projects on the ground in Cambodia.

 

The organisation’s overheads and operational costs are paid by a corporate sponsor. 100% of donations go directly to education and community initiatives. RACSR’s mission is to empower youth and the local community through sustainable development projects and global collaborations. 

 

So Camberwell Rotary was well represented with three Members in two cars, and we all had a fantastic time.

 

Murray & Lindy Anderson

They expressed deep gratitude for the opportunity of participating in RYLA. Their achievement in personal development underpinned by self-awareness, identifying one’s leadership style and self-reflection, had the potential to be transformational.

 

Tackling Myeloma in country communities “One nurse at a time”

It’s clearly unfair that people living with cancers in regional communities don’t live as long as their capital city counterparts. ROMP (a signature program of the Rotary Club of Camberwell) brings Rotary Clubs together to make a positive difference for country families who are challenged by myeloma and many other cancers.

 

‘Thank you, Rotary Camberwell for donating winter scarves, blankets, jumpers, coats and more, to the Saint Vincent de Paul’s support for the homeless…’Joe Hastie, from St Vinnies, sent a letter of thanks stating ‘…it makes their day and tomorrow that bit better and warmer.’

Multiple demonstrating artists attracted a large number of art lovers and would be artists were held at various times.

 

The final stage at the end of the week was a call for a big effort for each of over 1,200 paintings be either handed to purchasers or returned to the artists, if unsold. The 60^th year of the Camberwell Art Show was a great success. Rotary Camberwell thanks all those who contributed to its success, made possible with the assistance and commitment of club members, family, friends, sponsors, Swinburne University, local artists, judges, Volunteers, the city of Boroondara, and the local community.

From L to R: Peter Allen (Rotary Camberwell), Bob McMullin (Rotary Club of Warrnambool Central), Chris Rantall (Guest speaker), John Hutson ( Rotary Club of Warrnambool Central & event organiser) and Adrian Campbell (Rotary Camberwell)

 

The City of Warrnambool celebrated the 150^th running of the Grand Annual Steeplechase this week, and the pre meet lunch organised by the Warrnambool Central Rotary Club was attended by 130 guests from all over the State. The charity partner of the event was Myeloma Australia, and our Club members Peter Allen and Adrian Campbell joined the lunch - representing the Club's award winning Rotary Outreach Myeloma Program (ROMP). We are pleased to report about $9,000 was raised for the Myeloma Foundation on the day through very generous donations and raffles - special thanks to local Rotary organisers John Hutson and Bob McMillan (who lives with myeloma).

 

The Warrnambool community are remarkable ambassadors & fundraisers for those living with Myeloma - with this lunch event together with the city's recent 38mate Walk in February, they have now raised close to $20,000 for the cause - which is the best result of any town or city in Australia. Well done Warrnambool.

 

The Camberwell Club's multi District ROMP initiative has sown seeds in Rotary Clubs all over the State, to support those living with blood cancers in regional Victoria and to improve health outcomes for those dealing with cancer. A cause worth fighting for in all our regional communities.