Grafton Midday Rotary

25/10/2026

🌟 MAKE AN IMPACT. LEAD. SERVE. CONNECT! 🌟

💙💛 HEY, YOUNG PEOPLE AGED 12–18 — YOUR NEXT ADVENTURE STARTS HERE! 💛💙

Want to make new friends, build confidence, develop leadership skills and make a real difference in your community? 🙌

It’s time to turn your ideas into action — JOIN INTERACT! 🚀

Grafton Midday Rotary Youth Services invites you to discover how Interact can help you:
✨ Make a difference in your school and community
✨ Develop leadership skills and confidence
✨ Explore new cultures and connect with the world
✨ Meet like-minded young people and make lifelong friends
✨ Have fun while creating positive change!

📣 READY TO GET INVOLVED? TAKE THE FIRST STEP!

📅 CHOOSE AN INFORMATION EVENING:
🗓️ Friday 30 October 2026
🗓️ Friday 20 November 2026
🗓️ Friday 11 December 2026

⏰ 6:00pm – 8:00pm

📍 Grafton Rowing Club House
Memorial Park, Grafton

✅ DON’T JUST WATCH CHANGE HAPPEN — BE PART OF IT!

👉 Register your interest NOW! Email [email protected] to let us know you’d like to attend an information evening.

Bring your curiosity, bring your ideas and bring a friend! Find out how YOU can be part of something bigger.

💥 YOUR IDEAS + YOUR ENERGY = REAL IMPACT!

We can’t wait to meet you!

24/10/2026

Today is - A day to recognise how far we’ve come to End Polio Now.

Did you know? When Rotary International launched its global polio eradication initiative (PolioPlus) in 1985, polio was endemic in 125 countries, paralysing over 350,000 children every year.

Thanks to decades of relentless effort by Rotary members, volunteers, and global health partners:
🔹 Wild polio cases have dropped by over 99.9% worldwide
🔹 Over 3 billion children have been vaccinated against the disease
🔹 More than 21 million children have been saved from paralysis
🔹 Today, wild polio remains endemic in only two countries (Afghanistan and Pakistan)

We are closer than ever to eradicating polio, making it only the second human disease in history to be completely eliminated from Earth!

But "nearly zero" isn't zero.

As long as polio exists anywhere, children everywhere remain at risk.

How YOU can help us finish the job:
✅ Donate: Every $1 raised helps deliver life-saving vaccines to children who need them most.
✅ Spread the Word: Share this post to help raise awareness.
✅ Learn More: Visit https://www.endpolio.org to see how you can get involved.

Let's make a polio-free world our legacy for future generations ❤️

17/10/2026

Learning to read in front of a ‘story dog’ can change a child's life 🐾

Kathleen Lark and Rusty from Story Dogs recently joined us at a picnic lunch on the Clarence River.

Story Dogs is a wonderful program that helps primary school children build reading confidence.

Volunteers from Story Dogs are making a lasting impact in our communities by:

🐶 encouraging and listening to a child read for 20 mins every week for a whole year
🐶 improving a child’s confidence with reading (because dogs don’t judge!)
🐶 bringing kindness, respect, safety and joy to reading

There are:
🐶 574 volunteer dog teams across Australia
🧒 Helping 2870 children every week!!

Kathleen leads the Clarence Valley team who visit 11 schools - 5 in Grafton and 6 in the Maclean area. Rusty is the inaugural dog who started in 2020.

Story Dogs are looking for:
🦮 Friendly dogs and their owners to join their volunteer teams (all dogs are sponsored).
🏫 Local schools to partner with.
🙏 Generous sponsors to support their programs.

Story Dogs supply all books for a child to read.

If you have a quiet gentle dog, consider contacting Story Dogs and getting involved. Don’t have your own dog? No problem! You can use another dog with permission of the owner.

🙏 Rusty is sponsored by Verto Grafton
🙏 Thankyou Vines @139 for lunch

~ Amanda

29/09/2026

⚖️ Rotary vocational visit by CJM Lawyers ⚖️

We love learning from people in our community!

Tansie Higgins, Cameron McQuhae and Kim Parbery from CJM Lawyers joined us for lunch and shared their knowledge about wills and estate planning.

They made an important topic fun with a quiz. Things got a little competitive as we tested our knowledge 🧐

Do you know the difference between a Power of Attorney and an Enduring Guardian?

Find out more here: https://www.cjmlaw.com.au/estate-planning-lawyers-gold-coast/powers-of-attorney

In October, Rotary International recognises the people and organisations helping our community thrive.

At we believe that when we connect, and support one another, our whole community benefits.

Thank you Tansie, Cameron and Kim for sharing your expertise and helping us better understand an important part of planning for the future 🤝

~Amanda

22/09/2026

EXPRESSION OF INTEREST NOW OPEN! ✨

🎄 CHRISTMAS ON THE CLARENCE 2026! 🎅🏼

We’re looking for a variety of passionate food vendors and handmade market stallholders to be part of this year’s celebration! ✨

We're looking for Christmas Presents and Delicious Dinner! 🎄

Click the link below to fill out the form 👇🏼
https://forms.gle/qungAeYWiREdRtfi7

🛍️🎪🍔🧁🍩🍦🎨🎶🥁

20/09/2026

If you’re keen to see Outback Spectacular, consider supporting our Jacaranda Festival Candidate 2026 Brooke Harvey

🐴 Outback Spectacular Day Trip from Grafton 🇦🇺

2026 Jacaranda Candidates Brooke Harvey & Arliah Montague are teaming up for a trip to the Australian Outback Spectacular!

Proudly Supported by Action Coaches, who are providing the bus transport for the day! 🚌

📅 Sunday 27 September
🎟️ $120 per person
🤠 12:30pm Show
👉🏼 https://tinyurl.com/OUTBACKSPECTACULARBUS

Your ticket includes:
🚌 Return bus transport
🐴 Australian Outback Spectacular Entry
🥘 Three-course Aussie-inspired meal + drinks
🎤 Onboard games, raffles & entertainment

Pick-up times:
📍 Grafton Market Square - 7:30am
📍 Ferry Park, Maclean - 8:00am
☕ Stop at Ballina Service Centre along the way

We’ll arrive early so you can enjoy live country music, Bazza’s Bar and photo opportunities before the show begins!

Grab your friends, jump aboard and enjoy a great day out while supporting Brooke & Arliah’s 2026 Jacaranda fundraising! 💜

Jacaranda Festival Candidate 2026 Brooke Harvey
Jacaranda Festival Candidate 2026 Arliah Montague
Grafton & District Funerals
Grafton Midday Rotary
Village Green Hotel Grafton NSW

19/09/2026

🌷Parkinson’s NSW is with people with Parkinson’s, their carers and families.

Yesterday at our awareness event and fundraiser, Rebecca Manners from Parkinson's NSW shared information about the disease.

Parkinson’s has more than 50 symptoms, making it difficult to diagnose and complex to manage.

There is no cure. But there is hope and support available from Parkinson’s NSW - whether you’re newly diagnosed, living with Parkinson’s, or supporting someone who is:
🌷counselling
🌷support groups
🌷information seminars
🌷Parkinsons specialist nurses
📞 Call 1800 727 567
📧 Visit www.parkinsonsnsw.org.au

We were also privileged to hear from Evelyn and Terry Shinn who shared their journey with Parkinson’s, since 2008. Between the challenging moments, they still get a little bit of dancing in every now and then 🕺

Evelyn and Terry lead the Grafton Parkinson’s Support Group once a month at the GDSC. The group meets every second Thursday. Contact the GDSC for more information.

The event was a reminder of how challenging life would be without the support of family. A huge shout out to everyone who is caring for a loved one, and a reminder to also take care of you 💕

Congratulations to our raffle winners:
🥇Chuck clarke
🥈Sue Hughes
🥉Thelma Bremer
🏅Leanne Warwick

A huge thank you to our partners and generous donors:
🙏 Sylvia and The Crown Hotel Motel
🙏 Monique from Sway for flowers
🙏 Kindred Folk for flowers
🙏 Di Chapman for the balloon arrangement

Keep an eye out for education initiatives launched by Parkinson’s NSW later in the year.

❤️ to our members Leila, David, Adrian and Ann.

~ Amanda

15/09/2026

MEMBER SPOTLIGHT: Patty Hewitt

Meet our Rotarian who has been volunteering since she was 5 years old!

Patty’s dedication to Grafton Midday Rotary is deeply rooted in her own experience of community .

After devastating floods left her family and many others with little, neighbours, churches and local organisations came together to share what they had and help families rebuild.

Those memories shaped Patty’s lifelong commitment to giving back.

Through , she has supported local families, community projects, youth scholarships, defibrillator initiatives and birthing-kit programs for women overseas.

Patty’s compassion, and tireless service have made a lasting difference throughout and beyond.

She is an inspiring example of community spirit, and we warmly acknowledge and thank her for all she contributes 💕

An open invitation:
Grafton Midday Rotary meets every Wednesday at the Crown Hotel Motel from 1-2pm.
If you’d like to come and see what we’re about, email 📧 [email protected]

Rotary International

13/09/2026

💚 Every missing person has a story waiting to be told 💚

Today, Sally Leydon and Jo Greensill, along with families of missing persons, unveiled one of the first green seats in NSW.

The Green Seat Project will raise awareness of the missing, those who are forgotten, those who are swept aside and lost in the system, as well as those families that are left behind suffering the trauma of not knowing.

“THE MISSING MATTER” seat at Corcoran Park is a space for people to sit, reflect and remember.

The seat may also make a difference to someone thinking of going missing … a potential catalyst to change the direction of someone’s life.

THIS is community in action.

It is a privilege to serve in our community as a Rotarian, supporting projects of great human value like this one.

A sausage sandwich is a great conversation starter 😉

Clarence Valley Council

www.themissingmatter.com

12/09/2026

📚Celebrating the power of stories in ’s education and literacy month ✨

When Claire Aman started a writing competition called ‘The Long Way Home’ in 2018, the responded … submitting more than 2,500 stories to date.

The overwhelming response has resulted in the publishing of 501 stories, mostly written by children.

The stories capture our community, from COVID and bushfires to local landmarks, special people and deeply meaningful experiences.

The project has brought stories to life in partnership with local organisations … live readings at Grafton Regional Gallery, a podcast by Radio 2GF Grafton - Maclean - Yamba, and the embedding of stories in the footpath in Prince Street.

Now that’s impact!!

Don’t miss this year’s book launch for stories from ‘Under the Bridge’

📅 8 December at 5pm
📍 The Grafton Regional Gallery

What a wonderful way to celebrate the voices and stories of our community!

~ Amanda

Rotary International Clarence Valley Council