https://www.facebook.com/228657540489294/

Rotary Club of Mount Gambier

Home
Australia
Mount Gambier, SA
Rotary Club of Mount Gambier

We provide great fellowship and the chance to serve and strengthen our local community. We meet every Wednesday night from 6pm at the RSL Club.

We also get involved in national and international projects, often in conjunction with other Rotary Clubs. We are one of the oldest Rotary Clubs in SA, having been chartered by the Adelaide Rotary Club on 17th April 1929 in the historic Jens Hotel. Over the years, we have contributed many tens of thousands of dollars and thousands of hours of volunteer effort to many local projects including the b

eautification of our city, tourist facilities, environmental projects, and assistance to worthy community charities and causes. We have also helped fund international causes such as Polio elimination, Interplast surgical teams, and programs that support peace and goodwill. We are always keen to recruit new members and welcome community-minded people from a diverse range of backgrounds. Our meetings are lively, "laid back" and friendly but also include just a few Rotary traditions. None of us take things too seriously and we encourage vigorous and friendly debate. We actively seek to dispel and disprove the myth that Rotary is for staid old business-men who follow strict traditions and join and "old boys' club"!

13/06/2026

Report on Meeting 4791 held on Wednesday 10th June 2026

From President Maurice: President Maurie opened the meeting and welcomed members and guest Kevin Warn. Kevin works with the Elders Insurance Group and we welcome him to our meeting. Next week we will be having a casual meeting with finger food supplied by the RSL Ladies Committee. DO NOT ORDER A MEAL AT THE DESK IN THE DINING ROOM. The cost will be $15. Please bring cash if possible to give to treasurer John. EFT will also be available. We will also be having the June business meeting and forum.

On the 24th June our guest at the meeting will be Lyn Neshoda, the Regional Manager for Foodbank. At the business meeting in May our Club voted to donate the sum of $2000 a year for the next two years to Foodbank, Four Reasons Why, In Home Hospice Care and the Sunset Kitchen.

Today we conducted the re-use market BBQ. It was a quiet day, most Wednesdays in winter are, and we took about $212 with only a little in expenses. The next re-use market BBQ is on Saturday 20th June, with a 9.30 start. We will be looking for volunteers at the meeting on 17th. Reuse market dates for July are Wednesday 8th and Saturday 18th.

Our next Bunnings BBQ will be on Saturday 4th July, followed by 3rd October and finally the 5th of December. We have received an email from Bunnings informing us that the use of electric cords will no longer be permitted at their BBQ’s. We have purchased a warming container for the sausages and we will use an EFT machine with a longer lasting battery.

Unfortunately the Millicent Rotary Club is closing its doors on 1st July after almost 70 years of operation. At it’s peak the Club had forty members. President Maurice and President Elect John will represent our Club at their final meeting in Beachport.

Our thanks to Pat, Pam, Raz and Alan for their presentation last week concerning the possible recruitment of four young people, two from the Mount Gambier Council Area and two from Grant Council Area, to attend Council meetings and learn about how our Councils function. We look forward to further updates as this scheme moves forward.

We need someone to look after our page. Bill has some ideas and will speak with Pam on this matter.

SPOT TALKS: John S: For those members wishing to attend, the District 9780 change-over is on Sunday 28th June at Finlay’s Emporium in Casterton. DG Christine Dufty will pass the Governor’s baton to DGE Tonie Thiel, from the RC Casterton, for the 2026-27 year. The event commences at 11.30am and the cost for the two course meal is $76. Drinks are available for purchase at the venue. Closing date for bookings is next Monday, 15th June. I have the booking details. President Maurice, Incoming President John and I will represent our Club.

The Club has received a letter from “In Home Hospice Care” thanking us for committing to a donation of $2000 each year for the next two years. The funds will be well spent.

Our June business meeting will be held on 17th. As the May business was held late, only two weeks ago, this meeting will be quite short. As the Secretary will be away for several meetings in July, the July business meeting may have to be re-scheduled.

Ian: The Park Hotel has been booked for our June social dinner on Friday 19th June, commencing at 6.30pm. Ian has the names of several people who will be attending and will be looking for more names at the meeting on 17th.

John B: Last week our Club forwarded A$1400 (US$1000) to Foundation on behalf of members. This donation is in response to District Governor Christine requesting that each Club in the District donate US$1000 to Polio Plus via Foundation. This amount also includes the $450 received when Alan and John S sold a mulcher and donated the funds to Foundation. Individual member’s donations have also been forwarded to Foundation and members should receive conformation of their donation for tax purposes shortly.
——————————————————————————————————————
Member and guest speaker John B entertained us with his history.
John was President of our Club in 2006-07 and added to that presentation. John’s female forbear arrived in Port Phillip from Scotland in 1839. She married James Smith and in 1855 they moved to Mount Gambier to open the first school. At that time Mount Gambier had a population of about 100 people, mainly from Germany and Scotland. The family stayed in the Mount Gambier area.

John was born in 1955 and lived in Allendale East where he attended school until the age of nine years. In 1965 the family moved to Mount Gambier and John attended Reidy Park Primary School and then Mount Gambier High School.
After leaving school John worked for a year before finding employment with CBA (now the Commonwealth Bank) in 1973. John worked locally but finally ended up in Streaky Bay on Eyre Peninsula, where he met his wife, Anne.
After the arrival of children and stints in Adelaide and Port Lincoln, John and his family finally were back in Mount Gambier in 1998.

In 2008 John left the Commonwealth Bank and he joined Elders in 2009, where he was responsible for Elders Banking in the South-East. He then moved to Bendigo Bank for the remainder of his career.
John retired from full time work in 2016 and now fills his time visiting his far flung children and grand-children and enjoying caravan holidays with Anne, mainly in Queensland.
Thanks John for a most entertaining evening.

05/06/2026

Report on Meeting 4790 held on Wednesday 3rd June 2026

From President Maurice: President Maurie opened the business meeting for the month of May. This business meeting is slightly late due to scheduled guest speakers and the unavailability of Secretary John.

Next week our speaker will be member John Buchanan. John will be speaking about his life and career. The following meeting, the 17th June, will be a casual night. Ian has arranged for the RSL ladies to supply us with finger-food for this night. The cost will be $15 per person and should be paid to the treasurer. Do not order your meal in the main dining room on that night.
Our guest speaker at the meeting on 24th June will be Lyn Neshoda, the Regional Manager for Mount Gambier Foodbank.

Next Wednesday, 10th June, we will be conducting the re-use market with a Noon start. Those manning the BBQ are John B, Rob K and Maurie. The following re-use market BBQ is on Saturday 20th, with a 9.30 start.
Our next Bunnings BBQ will be on Saturday 4th July, followed by 3rd October and finally the 5th of December.

SPOT TALKS: John S: Last Sunday six Club members travelled to Strathdownie for the annual get together and lunch for the District 9780 Border Clubs. At a quick count, over 80 Rotarians and friends from the Border Clubs attended. The guest speaker was Kelly-Anne Saffin, the Cross Border Commissioner for SA. (See photo of Kelly-Anne with club Presidents.) You may remember that Kelly-Anne has spoken to our Club on a previous occasion. She has a big job to do.

After an excellent lunch, provided by the ladies of the Strathdownie Hall Committee, a spirited game of Bocce was enjoyed by all those attending. In the finals, the Naracoorte Club was victorious and took home the “Neil Dickins” Trophy. Naracoorte Club will decide the sport/game to be played next year.

DGE Tonie Thiel spoke to the gathering about her plans for the 2026/27 Rotary year and, in particular, shared some information about the re-districting of Australian Clubs, which will come into effect from 1st July 2028. At this stage, our Club will become part of district 9510, which will include all of South Australia, the Northern Territory, Broken Hill and Timor-Leste. DGE Tonie is also confident that the “Cross Border” group of Clubs will remain as they are at the moment.

We have been invited by the Rotary Club of Casterton to the annual District Governor and Club President Changeover for 2026. The Changeover will be on Sunday 28th June, from 11.30am to 2.30pm (Vic time) at the Finlay Emporium, 21 Henty Street. The cost is $76 per person with drinks available for purchase. Closing date for bookings is 15th June and there is a limit of 120 places available. Bookings are available through the District 9780 Changeover 2026 page.
As well as Finlay’s Emporium, some shops in the main street will also be open for business.

Unfortunately, the Millicent Rotary Club is closing its doors on 1st July after almost 70 years of operation. At it’s peak the Club had forty members. President Maurice and President Elect John will represent our Club at their final meeting.

Pat: Over the last couple of weeks a small committee consisting of myself, Pam, Raz and Alan have been discussing the possibility of our Club sponsoring four young people, two from the Mount Gambier Council area and two from Grant Council. The sponsorship would enable these young people to participate in Local Government meetings, initiatives and sub-committees. At the forum tonight we would like to discuss the proposal and obtain the Club’s approval to move on with this idea.
———————————————————————————————————————
At the AGM of the Rotary Club of Mount Gambier held at the RSL on Wednesday 19th November 2025 the following positions for the 2026-27 year remained vacant. The President, Vice-President, Secretary, and Treasurer.
The AGM was re-convened at the RSL on 3rd June and the following positions were filled:-
President for 2026-27: John Fatchen was nominated to be Club President for 2026-27 by Maurice Watson and seconded by John Sullivan.
Vice-President for 2026-27: Ian McDougall was nominated to be Club Vice-President for 2026-27 by Maurice Watson and seconded by Trevor Buck.
Treasurer for 2026-27: Pam Ronan was nominated to be Club Treasurer for 2026-27 by John Buchanan and Seconded by John Sullivan.
Secretary: John Sullivan was nominated to be Club Secretary for 2026-27 by Maurice Watson and seconded by John Buchanan.
The four nominated members were elected un-opposed.

29/05/2026

Report on Meeting 4789 held on Wednesday 27th May 2026

From President Maurice: President Maurie opened the meeting and asked John Fatchen to pass on our congratulations to son Travis for being elected as the new state Member for Mount Gambier and for the presentation of his first speech to Parliament. President Maurie also thanked Alan for organizing last week’s excellent guest speaker, CEO of the City of Mount Gambier, Paul Simpson.

The Re-use Market barbecue last Saturday did not have large numbers attending but nevertheless, we sold out of snags and hamburgers, so it was a good result, raising about $400. Re-use market days in June are Wednesday 10th, Noon start, and Saturday 20th, 9.30 start. We will be looking for volunteers at the meeting next week. Our next Bunnings BBQ will be on Saturday 4th July, followed by 3rd October and finally the 5th of December.

In some good news, President Maurie informed the club that Louse Waters was now on her way home from Adelaide after an extended stay in hospital. Hopefully it’s a good sign that she’s well on the road to recovery.
And on medical related issues, Maurie reported that he very recently received a jab for the potentially nasty Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) and he recommended fellow Rotarians follow his lead as it’s free if you’re over 75.

SPOT TALKS: John B: Rotary Foundation direct deposits close this Friday for the current financial year. He also strongly urged members to consider becoming President in 2026/27 as current President Maurie WILL be stepping down.

Pat: It’s been 6 years since Pat joined Rotary and he fondly recalls the social events we have held. However, these seem to have ceased lately, especially fellowship with other Rotary clubs. Can we all think about how we can generate more social events, and especially those including the other two clubs? President Maurie noted Pat’s comments and said he’ll start by asking Westies to join us at meetings in future.

John S: Program for Strathdownie lunch this coming Sunday, 31st May.
We have eight members and one partner attending the lunch.
The schedule is as follows:-
(SA Times) 10.30am: Border Clubs RCL meeting. (Club Presidents, Secretaries, Treasurers and other interested members)
12.00pm: Lunch service, with speaker to give talk during lunch service. Lunch will be followed by desert, thank you and meeting close.
1.30pm: Club Challenge sporting event for the Neil Dickins Trophy. We will be playing Bocce and will provide the Bocce balls and take over the trophy.
There will be table water available and, don’t forget that unlike other years, the lunch is BYO refreshments.
See you there on Sunday.

23/05/2026

Report on Meeting 4788 held on Wednesday 20th May 2026

From President Maurice: Welcome members to the meeting. Welcome also to Paul Simpson, CEO of the City of Mount Gambier. Paul will be speaking with us later in the meeting about his vision for the future of our City. Thanks to Bill who stepped into the President’s position when I was unavailable last week.

Recently Trevor and Maurice worked over the weekend at the Generations in Jazz. Alan and Rob K have been assisting preparations for GIJ for most of the year and several other members volunteered in different capacities during the week leading up to GIJ.

Last week we visited the Bedford Industries facility in Mount Gambier. We were hosted on the night by Graham Harris, and we were surprised with the amount of training that they are able to offer to their clients. The factory is really up-to-date with machinery and they have fifty clients in the hub and another fifty working on outside projects. One of the courses they offer is cooking classes, to better enable their clients to care for themselves.

Next week Alan will be presenting the video detailing the proposed redistricting of our District 9780. The May business meeting is being delayed by one week and will now be at our meeting on 3rd June.

We will be conducting the BBQ at the re-use market this coming Saturday, 23rd May. Volunteers are John B, Brenton and Maurice. Please be at the market at 9.30am. Re-use market days in June are Wednesday 10th, Noon start, and Saturday 20th, 9.30start.
Our next Bunnings BBQ will be on Saturday 4th July, followed by 3rd October and finally the 5th of December.

We have recently contacted “Framing Solutions” about the best way to display our President’s badges. As yet we have not discovered a solution.
We have a small group of Pat, Pam, Alan and Raz looking at sponsoring some young people in their chosen vocation. They will report back to members at a future meeting.

We are also looking at recognition of “She’s Apples” as sponsors of our BBQ’s.

Spot Talks: John S: If you will be attending the Strathdownie meeting on Sunday 31st May, please inform Treasurer John and pay the required $35 either by cash or into our No 1 account. I will be informing the organisers of the numbers attending in a few days. At the moment we have eight members and one partner attending.
The schedule is as follows:-
(SA Times) 10.30am: Border Clubs RCL meeting. (Club Presidents, Secretaries, Treasurers and other interested members)
12.00pm: Lunch service, with speaker to give a talk during lunch service. Lunch will be followed by desert and thank you and meeting close.
1.30pm: Club Challenge sporting event for the Neil Dickins Trophy. We will be playing Bocce and will provide the Bocce balls and take over the trophy.
There will be table water available and, don’t forget that unlike other years, the lunch is BYO refreshments.

Guest speaker Paul Simpson: Paul Simpson was born and raised in the Adelaide Hills. He has had a long career in Local Government, both in South Australia and in Victoria. Paul and his partner now live in Mount Gambier.

The City of Mount Gambier is located in the Limestone Coast Region of South Australia, about 440 kilometres south of Adelaide and 440 kilometres west of Melbourne. The City of Mount Gambier is surrounded entirely by the District Council of Grant. The City is South Australia's largest regional city, including residential, commercial, industrial, rural-residential and undeveloped areas. The City encompasses a total land area of over 30 square kilometres.

Mount Gambier functions as a regional centre to the wider agricultural, horticultural and forestry area. The estimated population in 2025 was just over 25,000. In the 2025/26 financial year there were 242 residential dwellings approved to be built.

The Council raises revenue mainly from Rates levied on residents and business. In 2025/2026 approximately 63% of Council’s operating revenue has come from overall rates revenue. Council will raise $26.801 million from general rates (excluding Regional Landscape Levy and service charges).

Council’s rating strategy uses a combination of a fixed charge on every rateable property and a differential or variable rating system, based on land use, when calculating general rates. We compare favourably with other areas as far as cost of rates is concerned. The average rates for all Metro Councils $2,033, The average for all Regional Councils $1,769 and the average for the City of Mount Gambier $1,342.

With this rate money Council maintains the Library, infrastructure, sponsors events and supplies grants, runs waste collection, regulates food safety and more.
At the moment the Council is doing a masterplan for the city and is engaging with residents and requesting submissions. The Wulanda Recreation and Convention Centre is the newest multi-purpose facility in our city. It is designed to be a community space, with facilities and activities for all ages and abilities.
This facility provides substantial year-round indoor facilities, addressing many community needs both now and for future generations. This is an example of what Council is doing in Mount Gambier.

Whilst Paul is quite new to his position in Mount Gambier and has a five year contract, he is looking forward to the future in our city.

15/05/2026

Report on Meeting 4787 held on Wednesday 13th May 2026

From President Maurice: Welcome to the Bedford Industries facility in Mount Gambier. There will be a review of the visit at our meeting next week.

We conducted the BBQ at the re-use market today. It was a quiet day, typical of a Wednesday. The next re-use market is on Saturday 23rd. Our next Bunnings BBQ will be on Saturday 4th July, followed by 3rd October and finally the 5th of December.

The May business meeting is being delayed by one week and will now be at our meeting on 3rd June.

Spot Talks: John S: Unfortunately I was unable to make the meeting at Bedford Industries so President Maurice will speak about the visit next week.

If you will be attending the Strathdownie meeting on Sunday 31st May, please inform Treasurer John and pay the required $35 either by cash or into our No 1 account. Final numbers will be required next week.
Schedule is as follows:-
(SA Times) 10.30am: Border Clubs RCL meeting. (Club Presidents, Secretaries, Treasurers and other interested members)
12.00pm: Lunch service, with speaker to give talk during lunch service. Lunch will be followed by desert and thank you and meeting close.
1.30pm: Club Challenge sporting event for the Neil Dickins Trophy. (Challenge hosted by last year’s winner, RC Mount Gambier)
There will be table water available and, unlike other years, the lunch is BYO refreshments

07/05/2026

Report on Meeting 4786 held on Wednesday 6th May 2026

From Past President Bill: In the absence of President Maurice, Past President Bill welcomed members to the meeting this evening. Tonight our special guest is Greg Megaw, from Group Training Employment. GTE are a local not-for-profit Group Training Organisation based in Mount Gambier and we will hear from Greg later.

Don’t forget that our meeting next week will be at the Bedford Industries facility on Attamurra Road, commencing at 4pm. We will be having dinner afterwards at The South Eastern Hotel, instead of the RSL, as our normal meeting room will be occupied by a Lions Club special event.

The next re-use market BBQ will be on Wednesday 13th May, from 12.30 to 3.30pm. Volunteers are Maurie, Rob K, John F and Julian. Be at the re-use market by Noon on the day. The other re-use market in May is on Saturday 23rd.
Our next Bunnings BBQ will be on Saturday 4th July, followed by 3rd October and finally the 5th of December.

The 100 year committee of Bill, Alan, Bruce and Ian will meet next Monday afternoon at 3.30pm.

Spot Talks: John B. John and Brenton have cleared the wishing well and recovered all the coins donated since last December. The total recovered was $578. Whilst at the wishing well, John and Brenton also took the opportunity to repaint the seat near the well.

John S: We have received an email informing the Club of the “Defying the Drift Ag Careers Program” for 2026. The program will be residential and is being held at Longerenong College Horsham from 21st to 23rd September. Applications from Year 10 or 11 students interested in Agriculture are now open. There are 30 places available on the program and application forms need to be filled out by the sponsoring Rotary Club, the student, the parent or guardian and the school. Students will only be considered to have applied when ALL FOUR of these forms are submitted.
If you know of a student who may be interested in the program, please contact Secretary John.

We have been advised that Past District Governor, in 2009/2010, Chris Sims passed away last Saturday the 25th April.
There will a private cremation this week, and a memorial service will be held in June on a date yet to be set. The service will be held at the Jan Juc Surf Life Saving Club.

Details about the Strathdownie meeting Sunday 31st May .
(All times Vic time). 11.00am: Border Clubs RCL meeting. (Club Presidents, Secretaries, Treasurers and other interested members)
12.15pm: Welcome and toast.
12.30pm: Lunch service, with speaker to give talk during lunch service. Lunch will be followed by desert and thank you and meeting close.
2.00pm: Club Challenge sporting event for the Neil Dickins Trophy. (Challenge hosted by last year’s winner, RC Mount Gambier)

The cost is $35 a head for Main and desert, plus tea/coffee and slice.
There will be a maximum of 110 attending with final numbers to be confirmed by 24th May. Please notify any dietary requirements at the time of booking.
Payment should be made at the time of booking to the Treasurer in cash or to our No 1 account. Please advise the Treasurer if making payment into our bank account.
There will be table water available and, unlike other years, the lunch is BYO refreshments.
————————————————————————————————————————
Guest speaker — Greg Megaw
Group Training Employment are a local not-for-profit Group Training Organisation based in Mount Gambier and Naracoorte. They service the entire South East and Limestone Coast region and have two offices, located in Mount Gambier at 173 Commercial Street West and in Naracoorte at 17 Ormerod Street. Greg is the General Manager.

GTE was formed in Mount Gambier back in 1985 with the aim of providing training and skills to young people, who then found homes as apprentices and trainees with local host employers. The goal is to provide quality opportunities for employment and training of Apprentices and Trainees in the Limestone Coast.

The first intake of apprentices was in 1986, and these trainees went on to become local mechanics, plumbers, chefs and greenkeepers. Some of these apprentices have gone on to open their own thriving local businesses and become host employers, passing skills onto the next generation.

GTE was the first community-based apprenticeship scheme in South Australia, and to date they have assisted more than 3000 apprentices and trainees find employment and complete their training.

What is the role of GTE? GTE assists businesses by taking care of the work associated with employing an Apprentice or Trainee. They find them, pay their wages, and handle Workcover, GTE coordinates their training and more. GTE currently employs over 260 Apprentices and Trainees in a wide variety of vocations, including engineering, automotive, building, hospitality, agriculture, horticulture, clerical, retail and beauty industries. You can find a GTE trainee in almost every field you can think of.

Thank you Greg for the insight into apprentice training in the Limestone Coast.

03/05/2026

Report on Meeting 4785 held on Wednesday 29th April 2026

From President Maurice: President Maurie welcomed members to the meeting this evening. Tonight our special guest is Don Dyson. Don will speak with us later about the Mount Gambier Aviation Museum.
President Maurie will be away from Mount Gambier next week. Past President Bill will be in the chair for the meeting.

Don’t forget that our meeting on Wednesday 13th of May will be at the Bedford Industries facility on Attamurra Road, commencing at 4pm. We will be having dinner afterwards at The South Eastern Hotel, instead of the RSL, as our normal meeting room will be occupied by a Lions Club special event.
We have more information about the annual Rotary meeting and lunch at Strathdownie. John will be speaking about the Strathdownie meeting in a spot talk.

The next re-use market BBQ will be on Wednesday 13th May, from 12.30 to 3.30pm. Volunteers will be required next week. The other re-use market in May is on Saturday 23rd.
Our next Bunnings BBQ will be on Saturday 4th July, followed by 3rd October and finally the 5th of December.
As well as Alan and Rob K volunteering at Generations in Jazz each week for the whole year, this weekend Trevor and Maurie will be volunteering at the event. As with last year, our Club will be responsible for replenishing drinking water supplies around the area. Other members of our Club are volunteering at GIJ for other organisations this weekend.

If you intend going, this is a reminder that the President Elect Learning Seminar (PELS) and District Assembly are being held in Horsham this Saturday 2nd and Sunday 3rd May.

Spot Talks: John B: The final date for donations to Rotary Foundation to be recorded in the current financial year is the 31st of May. Any donations after that date will appear in the 2026/27 year. Please ensure they are paid into the Number 1 Account by that date and inform the treasurer and secretary when you complete the transaction.

John S: Further to my mentioning of the recent e-mail from Paul Barrett, District 9780 Secretary, concerning the discussion at the Zone level about restructuring Districts within the Zone, each member should have received an email in the last few days with the link to a recording of the District 9780 presentation about redistricting. The link is available until the end of May and the presentation runs for 45 minutes.

We have received an email from the Strathdownie Memorial Hall Secretary outlining the program for the lunch on Sunday 31st May. Please note that all times are Vic times.
11.00am: Border Clubs RCL meeting. (Club Presidents, Secretaries, Treasurers and other interested members)
12.15pm: Welcome and toast.
12.30pm: Lunch service, with speaker to give talk during lunch service.
1.20pm: Desert service.
1.45pm: Thank you and meeting close.
2.00pm: Club Challenge sporting event for the Neil Dickins Trophy. (Challenge hosted by last year’s winner, RC Mount Gambier).

The cost is $35 a head for Main and desert, plus tea/coffee and slice.
There will be a maximum of 110 attending with final numbers to be confirmed by 24th May. Please notify any dietary requirements at the time of booking.
Payment should be made at the time of booking to the Treasurer, who will be responsible for the bulk payment to host club.
There will be table water available and, unlike other years, the lunch is BYO refreshments.
————————————————————————————————————————
Don Dyson. After a career in the television media, including a nine week trip to Paris for the Olympics, Don is now involved with the formation of the Mount Gambier Aviation Museum.
The objective and purpose of the museum is to collect, preserve and promote the heritage and history of aviation in the geographical area of the Limestone Coast, South Australia, and Western Victoria. Mount Gambier Airport has been located at its current location since 1 July 1936. It was constructed by local aviation pioneers Messrs H.S. May and S.C. Davis and operated as a civil airfield with regular flights to Adelaide and Melbourne until 1939 when the Royal Australian Air Force assumed control of the facility to establish No 2 Air Observers School (AOS), RAAF Mount Gambier.

Since the end of the Second World War, the airport has been an active facility with regular public transport flights still operating to this day. The airport is now operated by the District Council of Grant after being handed over in 1989.
Although the Museum is not complete and officially open, the museum committee recently held an open day with over 6000 people attending the event. The museum volunteers are working hard to have an official opening in the near future.

26/04/2026

Report on Meeting 4784 held on Wednesday 22nd April 2026

From President Maurice: President Maurie welcomed almost a full house to the meeting this evening. Tonight is our business meeting and forum and we also have a special guest, our 2025 Les Hill Award recipient, Zoe Norman. (see photo of Zoe with Rotarian Steve.)

Don’t forget that our meeting on Wednesday 13th of May will be at the Bedford Industries facility on Attamurra Road, commencing at 4pm. By member consensus, it was decided we’d have dinner afterwards at The South Eastern Hotel, instead of the RSL, as our normal meeting room will be occupied by a Lions Club special event.

The annual Rotary meeting and lunch at Strathdownie will be on Sunday 31st May, at the Strathdownie Hall, commencing at Noon Vic time. There will be a meeting of Border Club Presidents, Secretaries and members commencing at 11am and our Club will host the Bocce competition after lunch.

The re-use market BBQ last Saturday was very quiet, due to other activities happening locally. In May, the Re-use market dates are Wednesday 13th and Saturday 23rd. Our next Bunnings BBQ will be on Saturday 4th July, followed by 3rd October and finally the 5th of December.

Spot Talks: John B: The final date for donations to Rotary Foundation to be recorded in the current financial year is the 31st of May. Any donations after that date will appear in the 2026/27 year. Please ensure they are paid into the Number 1 Account by that date and inform the treasurer and secretary when you complete the transaction.

Willem: A reminder to members that, when they receive letters with a stamp, save the stamps and give them to Willem. The used stamps are sorted and eventually sold and the funds used to continue the work of Rotary.

John S: In the past week I have received the Rotary Club Insurance and Compliance declaration document for 2026-27. The document has been filled our and returned to our insurance provider via email. In return, I have received a copy of the declaration for our records. The completed document has also been sent to the District Insurance Officer.

Late last week I forwarded the plan detailing changes we wish to make to Shed 14 to the City Council. The plan was prepared by Alan and was very detailed. I received a query from Council about the positioning of the solar panel and, after replying to their query, Council have advised that we can proceed with the changes to the shed without having to obtain building approval. Great news. Also last weekend Alan and Rob connected the battery pack to the shed lights and they had the system running. We can now proceed with the work to position the solar panel on the roof and complete the upgrades to shed 14.

I recommend that all members read the recent email from Paul Barrett, District 9780 Secretary, concerning the discussion at the Zone level about restructuring Districts within the Zone.
Contained in the email is information about a draft (possibly final) proposal for the redistricting and attached are three documents that, in some way, explain the proposal. From my reading our Club would become part of a District spanning South Australia, the Northern Territory and Timor-Leste. The change to Districts is proposed to occur on 1st July 2028.
——————————————————————————————————–
Steven: Each year, for the past twenty-eight years, our Club has made the Les Hill award to the highest achiever in year 12 at Grant High School. The award is named for former Club member, Les Hill. The award consists of a medal and $1500, and tonight the award winner in 2025, Zoe Norman, is here to tell us about her year and her plans for the future.

Zoe: Zoe has been studying year 12 subjects since year 9 and 10. This has meant that she could concentrate on just a few subjects when she did year 12. At the end of year 12 Zoe obtained an ATAR of 93.15. The Australian Tertiary Admission Rank (ATAR) is a percentile rank between 0.00 and 99.95 used for university admission. It ranks student performance on Year 12 results.

This year Zoe is working locally before heading off to University in 2027. She intends to study in Melbourne at the Swinburne University of Technology.
Well done Zoe and the best of luck for your future.

Address

Mount Gambier RSL (Corner Of Ferrers Street & Sturt Street)
Mount Gambier, SA
5290

Opening Hours

5:45pm - 8pm

Telephone

+61435356674

Website

facebook.com

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Rotary Club of Mount Gambier posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Contact The Organization

Send a message to Rotary Club of Mount Gambier:

Shortcuts

Address
Telephone
Opening Hours
Alerts
Contact The Organization
Claim ownership or report listing

Want your organization to be the top-listed Non Profit Organization in Mount Gambier?