Opening
President Rhonda opened the meeting and welcomed our many guests including the 3 visiting members of RC St Peters. Jerry received a special mention.....welcome back!
Rhonda presented Wendy Andrews with a certificate of appreciation for her years of very active service with the club....and her dedicated slashing of onions for the Mitre10 BBQ.....onion lady.
Guest Speaker: Dr Rosh Amrein - Iran
Kathryn Needs introduced Rosh under the byline.....What you don't see in the news. Rosh came to Australia in 1994 after her family escaped Iran. She is a dentist, patient educator, poet, podcaster and fierce advocate for her family's birthplace.
Rosh presented Iran as a country of great beauty with many ancient sites of former civilisations. Its fame emerged in 559BC when Cyrus the Great built an immense Persian empire covering much of the then known world. Vaulting up to the 19th century, the country was poverty stricken and run by corrupt clerics. Its standing in the world then improved under the influence of Reza Khan. In World War 1 they backed Germany and were occupied by Russia and Britain. The country experienced a resurgance after WW2 under Shah Reza Pahlavi until overthrown in 1979 by the islamists and communists, seemingly with blessing from the west. It then became an Islamist Republic with strict sharia law.
Rosh showed photos and videos of the devastation caused by the regime in recent years with countless human rights abuses. Over the 47 years of islamic republic domination, the civilian death toll has been of the order of 1 million people. It is estimated that the protests in the January 26 uprising alone led to the murder of 40,000 people. Iran has the highest rate of executions of any country in the world. This is an evil regime.
There was cheering around the world when the US hit the nuclear facilities in the 12 day war, and with the more recent attacks. The Iranian economy is tanking and inflation is at high levels.
Rosh believes that Iran badly needs a constitutional monarchy [Prince Reza Pahlavi] - good must prevail over evil. Two poems were read - the death of a boy and thank you Australia.
There will be a rally on the steps of SA Parliament House on Tuesday 31 March which we were invited to join.
Rosh was applauded for her address.
Spots
Julia Verran from RC St Peters explained that her club was assembling Birthing Kits on Sunday 12 April starting at 9.30am, and they need plenty of help to assemble 2000 kits which will be sent overseas to needy areas. If interested, please register through trybooking.
Vivienne Wood informed about a charity called Share the Dignity which is a national organisation established in 2015 to provide Australian women and girls from poor, homeless or disrupted families with period products. There is a Dignity Drive in March and August each year. Please buy pads, tampons, period undies, mentrual caps and incontinence products etc from Woolworths (with a discount) and Star Chemists and lodge them in the donation box at the store or via the thift shop or at one of our meetings.
We need a replacement at the Thrift Shop for Vera-Ann on the afternoon of Saturday 28 March.
Good news that David Pisoni will be managing the roster at our Thrift Shop.
Rhonda Hoare - We need at least one table of 10 for the Unley Salvos annual soup night on Friday 27 March at a cost of $20 pp - Robyn to follow up.
Deb Stokes announced a successful progressive dinner with 20 friends ($90 each),hosted by herself, Paul and Rhonda - proceeds for the Afghan women's project.
Marie Rothe asked members to support Unley High School's free music concert 7- 8.30pm on Tuesday 31 March and wishes to make up a table of 10 for the RC Mitcham Quiz Night at 6.30pm on Friday 17 April at the Unley Park Sports Club. Cost $20pp. Please respond.
Jerry Casburn reported on his progress at Alwyndor.
Editor's note - On Tuesday 31 March we members can celebrate the building of the eiffel tower, surviving the biggest Variety Club BBQ yet, enjoying the musical talents of Unley High and participating in the Iranian rally.....does not get any better than that!
Finale
John Peacham won the filthy lucre and Patty the chockies. .
The meeting closed at 8.10pm
Rotary International News
Rotary projects around the globe - March 2026
By Brad Webber
United States
Everett Singleton was an educator who helped integrate schools in Collinsville, Illinois, in the 1950s. When Interactors from Collinsville High School learned that Singleton’s gravesite lacked a marker, they organized a Dine-to-Donate event to raise the $1,700 needed for a proper headstone. Honoring Singleton, who died in 1970, was second nature to the civic-minded students, says Brad Skertich, the club adviser. Singleton, who grew up in the town’s Black neighborhood during segregation, served as a teacher at various schools and as a principal. “Our students have been eager to get involved, give back to their community, and help others,” says Skertich, a member of the Rotary Club of Collinsville, Maryville, Caseyville.
Canada
The Rotary Club of Chilliwack Mt. Cheam in British Columbia aced its volleyball tournament in November, attracting 28 teams to a fundraiser that the club has hosted since 1995. “Many local businesses participate by registering a team, and they have their staff come out and play,” says Kim Ashley, the club’s president. “Each player brings a new toy to donate to Chilliwack Community Services as part of the Christmas Sharing Program.” The project supports the club’s foundation, which focuses on the needs of children, including dental work, medical assessments, and counseling. In all, the matches have raised more than $300,000 and collected 15,000 toys over the past 30 years.
England
An event to celebrate Indian culture featured local luminaries with Bollywood connections and raised about $2,200 for the Rotary Club of Maidenhead Bridge’s service work. Attendees included Chittal Shah, choreographer to celebrities, and vocalist Atul Pushkarna, both of whom now reside in the United Kingdom. Ten of the club’s 55 members are from India or have Indian heritage. “The laughter, dancing, and genuine sense of connection in the room showed just how powerful cultural celebration can be in bringing people together for a good cause,” says Lisa Hunter, charter president of the club. The November event helped fund a Parkinson’s disease support group and a trip by the club’s vocational training team to Uganda for a maternal and child health initiative.
Malta
The Rotary Club of Gozo has discovered a formula for civic and social media engagement: Tell community members just how much they’re appreciated. After rolling out the glitzy Pride of Gozo Awards in 2022, the club saw a burst of interest in the work of Rotarians on Gozo, one of Malta’s three populated islands. “The event is our showcase of the year,” says Tom Welch, a past president of the club who proposed the ceremony, which is supported by the
Times of Malta newspaper and a government ministry. “While not a fundraiser, it raises our profile: a touch under 40,000 views on Facebook, 600 new followers, and over 2,000 engagements. It also provides us with a collection of wonderful speakers and drives membership growth.”
Japan
The Rotary Club of Tokyo Hiroo embarked on a melodic mission in October, collaborating with the Rotary Club of Beverly Hills in California to bring the music therapy program
Music Mends Minds to people with Alzheimer’s. Over several visits, club members brought drums, cowbells, and other percussive instruments to care facilities and encouraged participants to clap along as the Rotarians struck up tunes. “Music Mends Minds helps older adults with memory loss reengage,” says Miyuki Ochi, president of the club. “Watching older adults’ faces light up through music is one of the greatest joys of our service.”
Coffee Chat at Impressa, Unley Shopping Centre
10.30 am on the first Friday of the month is good for a chat with Rotary friends and a caffeine fix - Next one is Friday 6 March 2026
Upcoming Meetings
Tuesday 7 April 2026
Living Choice Nature's Providore
Guest Speaker: Dr Meredith Forsyth - Paediatrician and NYSF participant Desandi Juwan
Welcoming team: Christina Way and Vivienne Wood
Tuesday 21 April 2026
Living Choice Nature's Providore
Guest Speaker: Tara Belton CEO of RSL - Anzac Day
Welcoming team: Christina Way and Vivienne Wood
Apologies and Meeting Enquiries to: Secretary Greg McLeod on 0417 811 838 or email to secretary@unleyrotary.org.au
Venue Set-up Enquiries to: Bulletin Editor Stephen Baker on 0403 687 015
Saturday Thrift Shop Roster
Early Shift: 10.00am to 1.00pm Late Shift: 1.00pm to 4.00pm
Week 1: 4 April 2026
Early:Haydn & Sue Baillie | Late: Robyn Carnachan & Leonie Kewen
Week 2: 11 April 2026
Early: Stephen Baker (Greg Mcleod) & Wendy Andrews | Late: Vera-Ann Stacy & Reno Elms
Week 3: 21 March 2026
Early: David Middleton & Nathan White | Late: Vera Holt & Rhonda Hoare
Week 4: 28 March 2026
Early: Deb Stokes (Stephen Baker) & Judi Corcoran | Late: Jason Booth & ????? (Vera-Ann Stacy)
Week 5:
Early: Bob Mullins & Wendy Andrews | Late: Virginia Cossid & Paul Duke
Rotarians, who are unable to attend as rostered, please arrange a swap or as a very last resort contact: Vivienne Wood 0408 819 630; e-mail: vwood@ozemail.com.au
Mitre 10 and Bunnings Barbeques
The Mitre 10 BBQs are the first and third Saturdays of each month. Morning shift 8.30am - 12 noon; afternoon shift 12.00 - 3.30pm, then clean-up.....next scheduled is 4 April 2026
ALL the Bunnings Mile End Barbeque shifts are from 8am to 5pm
Morning shift: 8.00am – 12.30pm | Afternoon shift: 12.30 – 5pm
We have been allocated the last Monday of each month. Our next one will be 30 March 2026
AND DO NOT FORGET VARIETY CLUB AT THE ZOO on Tuesday 31 MARCH
The Tale End.....
Helpful reflections
