Rotary Club of Dubbo West Inc

20/06/2026

Our members Marg, Jenna, Mike and Bert provided a Mexican dinner for guests at Macquarie Home Stay on Thursday night.

Guests feasted on enchiladas, chili con carne with corn, rice and Caesar salad.
Desserts of vanilla slice, cheesecake, apple pie and ice cream followed.

Rod Crowfoot tells us that on Thursday night, all but three of the 53 total rooms at Macquarie Home Stay were occupied. Home Stay is a most valuable resource for people across the west of the State, who come to Dubbo for medical treatment. Comforts such as dinners provided by Rotary and other volunteer groups help to make their stay a little more like home, and are gratefully appreciated by the guests.

We enjoy providing the meals, and some social contact with guests away from their serious medical business.

20/06/2026

22/05/2026

Jo Arndell and Jordan Wright from the community around Spears Park in West Dubbo visited our meeting this week.

They told us about their community of young families who want to see safe environments for their children to grow, explore and play. Jo and Jordan told us that Spears Park would be a wonderful place for families, children and dogs to gather and play, if the facilities were cared for as well as other parks in Dubbo. There is playground equipment with shade sails, but until recently, the park has received very little Council attention.

The local families would like to see the weeds controlled so that children (and dogs) can walk on the grass, They would like sprinklers to keep the grass green. They would like bubblers for people to drink from. They would like more trees to provide shade.

Dubbo Regional Council (DRC) northwest structure plan includes a housing development to the north of Spears Park, which will increase the number of people who would benefit from improvements to the amenity of the park. (DRC CEO Murray Wood described this plan to our members in 2022.)

The community members have researched who is responsible for the park, established communication with council, and have shown that they are willing to put their own effort into improving the usability of the park.

Dubbo West Rotary will explore ways we can assist this group of Dubbo West families to make the most of their environment. Congratulations on establishing a local community!

19/05/2026

The Men’s Health Education Rural Van (mherv) is a Rotary project addressing men's health in regional areas.

A custom built caravan with a dedicated Registered Nurse travels New South Wales offering free health screenings to regional and rural men, who are notorious for being completely in the dark about the state of their health.

mherv will be in Dubbo on May 29 and 30. Everyone is invited to visit, to spend 10 minutes which could save a life by making someone aware of a health concern that should be addressed.

16/05/2026

Deb Bourke, from Western Warriors Epilepsy Support Group visited our meeting this week to tell us about their work.

Western Warriors Epilepsy Support Group aims to reduce the social stigma commonly endured by individuals afflicted with epilepsy and to support sufferers and their families. They work in association with Epilepsy Action Australia who have a 65 year history and status as Australia’s oldest epilepsy organisation. Epilepsy Action Australia can help by providing expert speakers to educate the public and people affected by epilepsy.

Purple Day is a global grassroots event aiming to increase worldwide awareness of epilepsy, and to dispel common myths and fears of this neurological disorder. Purple is the international colour for epilepsy. Western Warriors conducted Purple Day in Dubbo ion 15 March 2026.

More information is available at:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/678697668183558/
https://www.epilepsy.org.au/

11/05/2026

Another wonderful day last Friday at Dream Cricket.
Thank you for your help Skillset!

07/05/2026

Last night Matt Bow was inducted into Rotary and welcomed into Dubbo West Rotary by President Nicole and members.

Matt has led a varied work life in agriculture and at Fletchers. After studying accountancy he moved into financial careers at Fletchers and then at Macquarie Credit Union, where he became CEO. He retired from Macquarie Credit Union after it merged with Regional Australia Bank.

He has kept busy volunteering with Terramungamine Bushfire Brigade. He is now semi-retired to catch up with 30 years worth of jobs, run his farm and perhaps travel.

Matt has already shown himself to be a most valuable addition to our club, working hard at the Michael Egan Memorial Book fair last weekend. We look forward to working with him and putting his skills to the best advantage in our work in the community.

Welcome aboard, Matt!

07/05/2026

The Animal Therapy program at Dubbo Hospital brings comfort, calm and joy to patients, visitors and staff. It was set up in 2024 and is run by the dedicated Social Work team in partnership with Learners on Lead.

Last night we were treated to a visit from Scooter and Shine 🐾🐾 with four of their people.

Emma Parkes, social worker at Dubbo Hospital, and Karen Johnston, owner and trainer at Learners On Lead, introduced us to these beautiful animals and told us stories from patients who have been helped and comforted by their company.

Scooter and Shine are trained therapy dogs, but Karen points out that their most important trait is that they love people. Scooter is older and very quiet. Shine is younger and very energetic. Their characters were plain for all of us to see as they circulated amongst us, collecting pats and hugs.

Congratulations to Karen, Emma and the social work team for the help you bring to patients and hospital staff.

01/05/2026

2026 Michael Egan Memorial Book Fair is open!

Come and join the book-lovers who are exploring tens of thousands of pre-loved books in search of treasures to take home.

We're at the Centenary Pavilion at the Showground, enter from Wingewarra St. Open until 4pm today and again from 9am to 1pm tomorrow.

Don't miss out on the bargains!

Help Dubbo West Rotary support cancer research or patient support and RFDS Dubbo Support Group.