Rotary International

The Rotary Club of Richmond is involved in a variety of community endeavours throughout the year and has a long list of projects we have undertaken in the past.

Hawkesbury Show
Christmas Carols in the Park
Christmas Day Richmond Nursing Home
Onus Lane Regeneration
GSE Group Study Exchange
Australiana Pioneer Village Restoration
Queensland Flood Appeal 2011
Bowel Scan Kits
Richmond Rotary Markets
Tree of Joy
Winter Clothing Appeal
DIK Donations In Kind
Moybern Trust

Moybern Trust

This was established after a generous donation by a member of the community to the Richmond Rotary Club. The profits of this trust will be used for youth and community purposes.

Donations In Kind

Health and Education and the donation of wheel chairs and beds and various goods to worthy institutions in Australia and Pacific region.

Hawkesbury Show

The Hawkesbury Show is an annual event and involves all club members, partners, family and friends. A huge effort is put in by all to assist with monitoring traffic, contributing to Show catering and administering entry fees.

Winter Clothing Appeal

In association with the Richmond Mall Shopping Centre the Winter Clothing Appeal is set up over the colder months to benefit those in need in the local community.

Tree of Joy

In association with the Richmond Mall Shopping Centre the Tree of Joy is set up over Christmas to benefit those in need in the local community.

Richmond Rotary Markets

Our markets were initiated in November 2010 and continue to go from strength to strength. Held in the Richmond Club car park they are a community endeavour with proceeds going directly to the Richmond Nursing Home.

Christmas Carols In The Park

All club members are involved in the set up and cleaning up of the event. With community attendance at around the 2500 mark this is an annual event which is enjoyed by children and adults alike in the Hawkesbury District.

Bowel Scan Kits

One of our club members, David Stone and his wife Bea have worked tirelessly for a number of years to distribute and collect bowel scan kits throughout the Hawkesbury district.

Queensland Flood Appeal 2011

Initiated by Rotarian Pat Clerke along with the assistance of twenty seven volunteers from within the club and community 40 pallets loaded with clothing, toiletries, blankets, linen and many more items which had been donated by the local community were distributed to victims of the Queensland floods. Pat was able to obtain the services of a 22 wheel semi and driver so that these pallets were transported up to Ipswitch within a fortnight of the disaster.

Onus Lane Regeneration

Our members have been part of the restoration and regeneration of Onus Lane in Richmond. Tasks included mowing, pruning, weeding and sometimes replanting trees which had been knocked down by careless drivers or vandals.

Australiana Pioneer Village Restoration

Richmond Rotary was involved in repairs to the village church and graveyard. On the opening of the village, we were also involved with helping to park the old “T” model fords.

District 9690 Group Study Exchange to District 3860, Central Visayas, Philippines.

The GSE team left for the Philippines on Saturday 12^th February and returned to Sydney on Saturday 12th March. For four weeks, team leader PP Ian Jordan (Richmond Rotary Club), Media Photographer Kylie Pitt (Hawkesbury R.C.), Fire Fighter Martin Crew (Kurrajong Nth Richmond R.C.), Senior Police Constable Rebecca Rose (Richmond R.C.) and Westpac Bank Manager David Martin (Strathfield R.C.) toured the Central Visayas Region of the Philippines.

While the travel time took a gruelling 22 hours, the team eventually arrived in good spirits to an extraordinary warm welcome which was to become the norm of all our experiences while travelling throughout the Visayas Region, visiting the Islands of Cebu, Bohol and Ormoc.

Reporting on this marvellous experience is difficult. For the five of us it truly has been a life changing experience which is hard to explain. Life experience, vocation, previous travel, family life and 5 months of meetings and ‘bonding’, gave each of the team members a 'head start' to perhaps what to expect of such a trip. However, none of us expected what happened.What happened!

The team was treated in the most heart warming and welcoming way imaginable. Rotarian families took us into their homes as 'family members' and many times an emotional attachment was formed with the team to the Rotary club and families who hosted each team member. The Filipinos often mention how Rotary is a ‘way of life’ in helping the poor in their Rotary Programs. To understand this is to understand that the Philippines is a third world nation where 1in 5 live on ‘a dollar a day’. Rotarians in D3860, being more privileged and successful in their vocation and business life, understood clearly the ‘moral imperative’ to help those less well off. It was very impressive to observe ‘close up and personal’ these Rotary clubs being vitally imbedded in their communities. The programs of feeding underprivileged children, organizing free medical missions (involving minor surgery), 'Leaders are Readers' (providing books and reading to kids!) and many more such programs had to be seen to be believed!

Each team member saw first hand at these events, the way Rotary made a huge difference in 'every day life'. It did note take long for the team to get involved in these programs. It became the norm for the team to assist each Rotary club in what they were doing with some of the highlights being the Medical Missions at Lorega and Ubojan, visiting the small island of Balicasog where 1200 villagers (many children) only have electricity from 6pm to midnight, the orphanage of Holy Trinity Angels and the very poor village of Doljo where the health and hygiene of the children are at great risk. There is so much more.

Each team member can tell their own story. Their responses are genuine and heartfelt and all were emotional and affected on departure after four weeks being with such a happy, loving, family oriented, giving and dedicated nation of people.

Richmond Rotary Changeover Bulletin 1st July 2011

All intend to return to the Philippines and have friendships and connections that will stand the test of time.

I am most proud of these team members. They acquitted themselves as wonderful ambassadors of District 9690, of the Hawkesbury and of Australia and all are most grateful for the opportunity to be a part of such a wonderful Rotary Program.