Here’s hoping all the Dad’s within the Club have had an enjoyable Fathers Day, experiencing a range of activities and gifts received from appreciative children and grandchildren

Thanks to all who attended the Information evening on creating and increasing our Club Membership. Thanks also for all the great ideas recorded on the chat sheets. It was great to chat with those of you who have made contact and presented further ideas. Currently I am coordinating all the notes and will be passing this onto the Membership group first. They will then be able to look at the ideas and work on a plan moving forward.

I spent 2 days volunteering at the Royal Adelaide Show in the last week - assisting at the CWA Cafe. What an amazing experience - at any one time, there are 15 volunteers on the ground floor, serving customers, clearing tables,making coffees, sandwiches, rolls and heating all the hot foods and then the enormous no of dishes. Upstairs there are another 15 volunteers making the scones (2000 per day, sometimes more), preparing the cakes, biscuits, and hot foods for lunch and dinner. Shift times varied from 4 - 6.5 hours. If you multiply that by the 9 days of the RAS and the 2 weeks to ‘bump-in’ to the event, and the 1 week to ‘bump-out’ you have/need an amazing group of people. The most amazing part was that very few of the team were CWA members - rather relying on volunteers from across the state to complete the teams under the watchful guidance of CWA ‘volunteer leaders’. Over our coffee and lunch breaks, we discussed the general lack of volunteers in any service club and we are all facing the same issues - increasing membership - but when the ‘chips are down’ and volunteers are needed - service clubs put the call out and the volunteers appear. There are people out there who want to serve - it appears they are not looking for that strong commitment to just one Service Club. Something for our Membership group to consider.

Another exciting event on Friday night, when Jenny and Peter Phillips and I were privileged to attend the 2025 mteSA Employee Excellence Awards.  Our Club was a sponsor and Rotarian Jenny Phillips was one of the judges. An excellently organised event where over 300 trainees/apprentices and their host employers attended the Murray Bridge Events Centre for a night dedicated to recognising the hard work, dedication, and achievements of regional apprentices, trainees and employers. While Jenny networked with the group of employers, I enjoyed the opportunity to see my students be successful in the next chapters of their careers - some making quite dramatic changes to the career paths expressed while attending school. The presentation booklets contain lots of information for checking out possible connections for Rotary Programmes for the youth as well as possible new membership ideas within the employer group. I would like to encourage all members of the Vocational Committee to consider attending in the future - an amazing opportunity to see the changing world of work in our region. (See a more detailed report below from Jenny Phillips)

Thanks to Robin LeGallez for working with RDU to have our newest banners up to the standard we, as club members, have expected over the past. To be able to have professional banners available to display at meetings and public events is most important and the latest ones we ordered were not of the quality we have come to expect from RDU - issues already noted at the second time they were used, and the carry bags were not going to last.

Don’t forget that the topic for this week's meeting is Committee Meetings under the guidance of Directors - an opportunity for Club members to consider opportunities and plan activities for the coming weeks and months. This was one of the most documented ideas for being able to increase membership in the club - offer the opportunity to volunteer with one of our causes - and see and hear  first hand What Rotary is and What Rotary does with a view to attracting more locals for our busy Service Above Self

Looking forward to another great week, remembering ‘Sometimes, life doesn’t unfold the way you want, But the detours, heartbreaks and closed doors often lead you to something better. It’s not failure - It’s redirection, Guiding you toward the path you are meant to walk’

Roxanne 

mteSA Awards

On Friday evening (5^th September), President Roxanne, PP Jenny Phillips and her husband Peter, attended the mteSA Awards at the Murray Bridge Racing Club Function Centre (Gifford Hill).  The Rotary Club of Murray Bridge was a minor sponsor, giving us an opportunity to see what is happening in the various Vocational Training areas, not only in the Murraylands, but Riverland and Barossa as well.  Past President Jenny was also a member of the Judging Panel along with Bruce Davis, (mteSA former Board Member and Life Member), and Noel Kneebone (retired Primary School Principal and Education Officer.   

Approximately 300 guests were in attendance, including Hon. Tony Pasin, Federal Member for Barker, Hon. Blair Bowyer, Minister for Education and Vocational Education, Hon. Adrian Pederick MP for Hammond, Mayor Wayne Thorley Rural City of Murray Bridge, and Mayor of Karoonda East Murray, Caroline Phillips, who is also the Regional Manager for the TAFE SA Study Hub.  Radio presenter, Stacey Lee, was the MC for the evening.  

The evening gave President Roxanne and myself an opportunity to network with other guests, including employers, trainees and apprentices.

We congratulate all the winners in the multiple categories and can assure you that Vocational Training is alive and well in the many small to medium businesses in our region.  

Jenny Phillips

PP Rotary Club of Murray Bridge

Green Sheets!

Green sheets have been in use for many years in our club but last week saw a larger than normal amount circulated which was discussed at the Club Service Committee meeting.

One of the comments received at my table last week related to the fact that if you miss a meeting, then you don't have an opportunity to volunteer which further leads to the question, “is there a better way”.

Club Service asked me to trial a PRETEND EVENT WITH ONLINE REGISTERATIONS.

Please have a look at this PRETEND EVENT and register for a time slot. Be assured you will not be required to do anything. I have allocated 10 positions to be filled (purely to enable responses).

REGISTER HERE

Who could it be?????

CALENDAR WINNERS 

 September

 

Value	No.	Winner	Location	Sold By
$100	324	Andrew Butler	Murray Bridge	Rotary
$50	561	Michael Fix	Strathalbyn	Strath Darts

 

RI Acts On Membership

The Rotary International Membership Growth Committee spent the last two days at #Rotary headquarters. Our productive time together led to five formal recommendations that we will be sending to the #rotaryinternational Board of Directors for its consideration. These recommendations are related to growing Rotary membership; modernizing the Rotary awards nomination, review and selection process; reaffirming the board’s priority focus on new club development within each region’s multiyear goal setting and membership action plans; supporting the general secretary’s ongoing efforts to provide specialized outreach and support to those Rotary districts that have not formed a club in recent years; and endorsing the continued development of external relationships to expand Rotary’s reach and in support of Rotary’s growth strategy.

RI President Elect 2026-27

Nigeria's Yinka Babalola Emerges As Rotary International President-elect

Rotary International has announced Nigerian Rotarian Yinka Babalola as its President-elect for the 2026/2027 Rotary year.
Babalola’s emergence marks a historic milestone, making him only the second African – and the second Nigerian – to lead the global humanitarian organisation. The first was Jonathan Babatunde Majiyagbe, who served from 2003 to 2004.
A member of the Rotary Club of Trans Amadi, Nigeria, Olayinka Hakeem Babalola was selected by the Rotary International Board of Directors following the resignation of SangKoo Yun, who stepped down to focus on recovery after cancer treatment. Babalola will formally assume office on 1 July 2026.
A statement by Ibim Semenitari, Rotary Public Image Coordinator, Africa Zone 22, Region 27 indicates that Babalola joined Rotary in 1994, six years after starting out as a Rotaractor in 1988. His leadership journey has seen him serve as District Governor (2011/12), Vice President of Rotary International (2019/20), and a member of the RI Board (2018/20). He has also played active roles on high-profile committees, including the End Polio Now Countdown to History Campaign Committee and the Nigeria National PolioPlus Committee, where he continues to serve as adviser.
Beyond Rotary, Babalola is an accomplished professional. An engineer by training and an attorney, he has more than 25 years of experience in the oil and gas sector, having held senior positions with Shell PLC across four continents. He is founder of Riviera Services Ltd., an oil and gas infrastructure company, and Lead and Change Consulting, an executive coaching and advisory firm.
His professional affiliations span the Nigerian Society of Engineers, the Institute of Safety Professionals, and the Association of Change Management Practitioners. He also belongs to the Jericho Business Club in his home city of Port Harcourt, where he and his wife, Preba, reside.
A passionate Rotarian and philanthropist, Babalola supports The Rotary Foundation through a named endowment and as a member of the Arch Klumph Society. His humanitarian footprint extends to service as a trustee of ShelterBox UK and as director of the Safe Blood Africa project. His service has earned him several honours, including the Africa Centennial Heroes Award, the RI Service Above Self Award, and The Rotary Foundation Citation for Meritorious Service.
As the Rotary International president, he will serve a one-year term, providing inspirational leadership, presiding over the Board of Directors, and representing the organisation globally.
Babalola’s election is being celebrated across Nigeria and Africa as another proud moment of continental leadership on the global stage.