Club Information
Welcome to the Rotary Club of Warragul!
Warragul

Service Above Self

We meet In Person
Wednesdays at 6:00 PM
Railway Hotel
81 Queen Street,
Warragul, VIC 3820
Australia
First four Wednesday's of the month (no meeting on a fifth Wednesday). Meet at 6:00pm for dinner at 6.30pm. For more info. contact via secretary@warragulrotary.org.au
Home Page Stories
A wreath was laid by club members Di and Tony Carson at the Indigenous Memorial Service recently held at The Shrine. The wreath was laid on behalf of the Rotary Club of Warragul.
 
Warragul Rotarian Diane Carson presents a wreath at the Victorian Aboriginal Remembrance Service
 
“Would you like to recognise a small business in the Warragul district for their outstanding service?” asks Warragul Rotary President Teresa Mitchell. With this in mind the Rotary Club of Warragul is now calling for nominations for their annual “Excellence in Small Business”. 
The Rotary Club of Warragul was proud to join the millions of volunteers across Australia participating in Clean Up events over the past 34 years.
 
On Saturday 4 March, members gathered at Rotary Park, donned gloves and took bags to collect rubbish. Teams cleaned up the park and along the linear trail and Hazel Creek from Bowen Street to behind the Burke Street sporting precinct before enjoying a well earnt morning tea.
 
 
Geoff Chilver delivered the safety talk before the clean-up activity was started.
 
Left to right: Anthea Dacy, Ross Dawson, Paul Vaughan, Richard Habgood, Geoff Chilver, Tony Carson
Rotarians have been busy at Working Bees on 7 November, 12 December, 16 and 30 January. The indigenous gardens is now starting to take shape with a lot more work to be done in coming months.
 
Grant for Tree Planting for Rotary Park Indigenous Garden
 
To celebrate 100 years of Rotary in Australia, the Rotary Club of Warragul decided to develop the grassed area of Rotary Park into an indigenous art garden to celebrate the culture of the Kurnai people.  The club engaged the services of landscape architect Prue Metcalfe to translate the painting “Art from the Air” by renowned local indigenous artist, Dr Auntie Eileen Harrison, into a plan for the park.
 
 
Planting the first tree in the indigenous garden are (from the left) Cr Peter Kostos, Member for Monash Russell Broadbent, mayor Michael Leaney, artist Dr aunty Eileen Harrison, landscape designer Prue Metcalf and Warragul Rotary president Teresa Mitchell.
 
The new President of the Rotary Club of Warragul, Teresa Mitchell was inducted Rotary District Governor Paul Mee on 13 July at the Smith and Albert restaurant. Full story and more photos below.
 
 
Warragul Rotary Club President for 2022/23 Teresa Mitchell (front left) with new board members (from left) Diane Carson, Alan Tatlow, Fluer Craig, Rosemary Allica and Sunil Bhatt.
Excellence in Small Business Awards - 2022
 
Four Warragul small businesses were recently presented with business excellence awards by the Rotary Club of Warragul at a club dinner meeting. In presenting certificates to the proprietors of Rowe’s Nursery, Choo Choo’s Coffee, Gifts and Glamour and The Press Cellars, Warragul Rotary President Diane Carson said these businesses represent both outstanding customer service and a support for their local community.
 
 
Warragul Rotary President Diane Carson was pleased to present “Excellence in Small Business” awards to four outstanding Warragul businesses. 
 
Top row, left to right – Steve Rowe (Rowe’s Nursery), Diane Carson (President, Warragul Rotary), Stewart Hay (The Press Cellars) and Coral Smith (Gifts and Glamour). Bottom row, left to right – Alan Tatlow (Vocational Director, Warragul Rotary), Saffron Hay (The Press Cellars), Deb Green (Choo Choo’s Coffee) and Jenny King (Gifts and Glamour).
The Rotary Club of Warragul, our Indigenous community and Baw Baw Shire Council are working together to create a new garden of local cultural significance.
 
Works began on Friday 3rd June with excavation of the centre piece for stage one of the Indigenous Art Garden at Rotary Park, Warragul.
 
“Would you like to recognise a small business in the Warragul district for their outstanding service?” asks Warragul Rotary President Diane Carson. With this in mind the Rotary Club of Warragul is now calling for nominations for their annual “Excellence in Small Business”. 
 
 
Staff at Suzie’s Fine Jewellery was one of 100 small businesses in the Warragul CBD to receive a “welcome back from lockdown” gift bag from the Rotary Club of Warragul.
 
Rotary Club of Warragul handed out over 100 bags to small businesses in the CBD that had been forced to close during the recent COVID 19 lockdown. Each bag contained: 
  • a pamphlet entitled "Rotary. Humanity in Motion" with the question "What in the world does Rotary do? The fold out provided information on Rotary projects world wide; and
  • a Moccona coffee sachet and two high quality chocolates
  • a sticker on the front with the Rotary logos and the message "The Rotary Club of Warragul welcomes you back from lockdown and thanks you for your service to the community. Take a break and have a coffee on us!"
The immediate past president of the Rotary Club of Warragul, Sunil Bhatt, has released the club’s annual report for 2020/21 (see Home Page Download Files below left for access to the full report.
 
In his president’s report Sunil Bhatt reported that despite the pandemic, we still went ahead with some of our important, planned projects and created some new ones along the way. We held a successful Art Show at the Logan Park Exhibition Hall along with the Baw Baw Arts Alliance. Our sale of Christmas trees was particularly successful, in a year where festive spirit was particularly important to our local community.
 
 
Sunil Bhatt congratulated as he becomes 2020/21 president of the Rotary Club of Warragul at the Zoom change over meeting.
“Rapid access to a defibrillator (also known as an AED or Automatic External Defibrillator) can save the life of someone experiencing a cardiac arrest. This makes the installation of a defibrillator at the Warragul Police Station which is accessible to the general public 24 hours a day a welcome addition to communities health and safety” said Warragul Rotary President Sunil Bhatt.
 
 
Left to right – Constable Joshua Weaver, Alan Tatlow (Warragul Rotary), Paul Lewis (Neerim South Men’s Shed), Sunil Bhatt (President Warragul Rotary), Ross Salathiel (Paramedic Community Support Coordinator) and Alison Crombie (Local Area Commander)
“It was with great pleasure I was able to present “Excellence in Small Business” certificates to five small businesses in Warragul” said Warragul Rotary President Sunil Bhatt. “Despite difficult trading conditions over the last twelve months or so these businesses continued to provide outstanding service to the public in terms of value for money, customer service, business ethics and reliability” continued Sunil.
 
Proprietor of specialist wool shop Baa Baa Wool, Sandra Roberts (centre) receives her award from Warragul Rotary President Sunil Bhatt (left) and Alan Tatlow (right).
Between Covid 19 lockdowns the Rotary Club of Warragul was able to squeeze in its change over dinner in mid July 2021. It was an opportunity to thank outgoing president Sunil Bhatt and his team for a great job in leading the club in difficult times and welcome incoming president Dianne Carson and her team. It was also an opportunity to recognise the outstanding service of four club members each with a Paul Harris Fellow.
 
 
“Would you like to recognise a small business in the Warragul district for their outstanding service?” asks Warragul Rotary President Sunil Bhatt. With this in mind the Rotary Club of Warragul is now calling for nominations for their annual “Excellence in Small Business”. 
“With COVID19 restrictions easing a small group of Warragul Rotarians were recently able to plant 1,000 pine tree seedlings” says Sunil Bhatt, president of the Rotary Club of Warragul.
 
 
Warragul Rotarians, suitably masked and socially distanced, planting Christmas tree seedlings at the club’s Burke Road Christmas tree plantation. Left to right – Ron Gardner, Geoff Chilver, Chris Major and John Gallienne.

Rotary Exchange student, Martina Navarria arrived last week for her year- long stay in Warragul with the Rotary Club of Warragul.  Martina comes from Italy and lives in Darfo about 100km north east of Milan.

 
Chris Morris club youth director welcomes Martina Navarria to Melbourne
 
This year’s Rotary Club of Warragul change-over was a champagne afternoon tea held at Wesley of Warragul. With over fifty people in attendance guests included District Governor Adrian Froggatt and District Governor Elect Mark Humphries and their partners, Ruth mele carlot from the Port Villa (Vanuatu) Rotary Club and 2016 club exchange Dutch student Vivian Eschuis.
 
 
 

Warragul Regional College year 12 captain Kelsey Lubberink reported back to Warragul Rotary on her recent experience attending the National Youth Science Forum. From the left Warragul Rotary President Ross Dawson, Kelsey Lubberink, Lesley Lubberink and Rotary Youth Director Chris Morris.

After attending Rotary’s National Youth Science Forum earlier this year, Warragul Regional College year 12 student Kelsey Lubberink says a career in science is definitely on the cards. In January Kelsey spent 10 days in Brisbane with 200 year 12 students from across Australia looking at the opportunities for a career in science.

The Rotary Club of Warragul recently held their Annual Business and Fund-Raising Dinner with guest speakers Mr Allan Klindworth and Ms Victoria Chantra from consulting firm AECOM speaking on “Building Business Resilience”.  One hundred Warragul business people, Rotarians and partners were treated to an interesting perspective centered around “How well prepared is your business to respond to more frequent and intense extreme weather events, such as extended periods of heat, bushfires and storms”.
 

One hundred Warragul business people, Rotarians and partners attended the club’s annual business and fund raising dinner to hear Allan Klindworth and Victoria Chantra from AECOM talk about business resilience when confronting natural disasters.

 
Club Executives & Directors
President
Treasurer
President Elect
Immediate Past President
Vocational Services
Rotary Foundation
International Service
Community Service
Public Relations
Membership
Club Protection Officer