ChairmanStuart McIntyre opened the meeting last weekby asking for the Loyal Toast and then introduced President Colleen d'Offay.She then welcomed everyone to the meeting especially guest speaker AshleyOscini from Kieser, Sam Dimopoulos from Brighton Lifesaversandguest Maria Hicks.
Meeting Highlights Thursday 9 April
Photos Wendy Davis
Secretaries Announcements
The apologies were:
PDG Dale Hoy, PP Arthur Hubbard, PP Ian Stacy, Max Martin,
Jo Kwok, John Schmoll & Paul Laband
David Smyth
David publicised the Jazz Night which is coming up on Wednesday 6 May at the Sandringham Club. Ticket sales were going very well and we expect a sellout.
Rob Pinchbeck
Rob Pinchbeck spoke about Brighton Classic Car Show outcome and said it was a very successful event with gate takings up 60%. He is still finalising the final profit figure. Rob thanked the Committee and all those that volunteered on the day.
Anthony Langley
Approval was given by members for the Brighton Secondary College Food Trailer Project, with the vote being 13:4 in favour, one abstaining and some members expressed concern regarding the size of the expenditure on the one project.
The total project cost is $63,000. It was noted that the RCB Charitable Foundation will contribute $45,000, the RC Brighton $8,000, and the school $10,000. The trailer will be co-branded ‘Brighton Secondary College Food Trailer - Proudly Supported by Rotary Club of Brighton.
Cheque Presentation to Brighton Lifesavers
Photo Wendy Davis
There was a presentation of a $7,000 cheque to Sam Dimopoulos,President Brighton Lifesaving Club which was from proceeds of the Kieser Great Bayside Swim 2026. Sam thanked our Club for the cheque and for the ongoing relationship between our Clubs and we in turn thanked the Brighton Lifesaving Club for their continued support
of the Kieser Great Bayside Swim.
Sergeant's Session
Sgt Julie Avery
1. Brendan & Maria & PP Norm Thomas -For being seen socialisingin Church Street frequently;
2. Seng Goh - For doing a great job at the Brighton Classic Car Show;
3. Pres Colleen - For looking far too happy with only 3 months to go;
4. PE David Frauman - For not looking happy enough;
5. Geoff Cunningham & John McKell - For their due diligence
on the Foundation board;
6. Di Allan - For working in the new BGS Uniform Shop;
7. Rob Pinchbeck For leaving the raffle prizes at home last meeting
and for having a 'virtual' raffle. Also a bigger fine for his splendid job with the Brighton Classic Car Show;
8. Keiran Cromie - For being seen having 3 hour lunch with his accountant;
9. Wendy Davis - For returning from her trip to Japan and looking relaxed and happy and for taking some pics for Max who was ill;
10. Glenys Hitchen - For not being away on holidays for a change!;
11. Anthony Langley - For being seen celebrating his 60th Birthday recently and also for fully retiring;
12. David Smyth - For becoming a great grandfather for the first time;
13. Merve Boztepe- For doing a great job on the Front Desk and at the Brighton Classic Car Show;
14. All those not on the Brighton Classic Car Show roster
were fined.
Speaker Presentation
Ashley Oscini
"Metabolic Health'
Ashley, who is the Clinic Leader andExercise Scientist at Kieser Brighton, spoke about the various medical conditions that stem from poor metabolic health.
Your metabolic health relates to how your body processes things like fats and sugar. It’s based on several different factors, which together affect your risk of disease.
Having good metabolic health means your levels of these factors are within a healthy range. People who have a good metabolic health have lower risk of diseases like diabetes and cardiovascular disease.
Strength training will assist you to maintain good metabolic health.
It builds body muscle
Your body will burn more calories, and help to control blood sugar levels
Reduces harmful body fat
Supports healthy blood pressure and cholesterol
Keeps you strong & healthy
Last week's Raffle Results
Photos Wendy Davis
Last week the raffle was presented by Glenys Hitchen
with help from David Finney.
The winners were Rob Pinchbeck (chocolates)and Di Allan (wine).
Seyha's Journey
Dear Colleen and the Members of the Rotary Club of Brighton,
I believe that you all are doing well and staying healthy from day to day.
First of all, let me share with you about my classes. As you had known before, that will be a French class conducted in our organization. Yes, I also attend the class, and this class we study on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday as a TDSO class. In this class, I study for half an hour. But I found something interesting in this class. One more thing, the students are mostly Gen Z. So, we kind of had a great class and great energy with our young teacher, Celia. She is a wonderful teacher. You know, sometimes, we spoke French and also mixed with Spanish. But the class is still chill and very enjoyable. But it was a problem because we studied while the construction also worked on the rooftop. It was so tricky, and the sound was not surrounded for us. Anyways, the rooftop will be finished soon. So, we could enjoy our class better than this. Even though I was enjoying everything about the class, there still one thing I didn’t like. It is a Kahoot competition, and I have never been in the top 3 at all. I hope my next competition will be a win. HAHA. Even though it is just a game, it would be great if I won sometimes. Well, I forgot to tell you about my struggles while learning French. It was a bit weird to say it, but it is my favorite fact. While I am learning French, Spanish words sometimes pop into my mind. Then, I sometimes confused pronunciation in both languages. Right now, I haven’t done well in pronunciation yet. But I always try by watching French Videos or French native speakers.
Moving to another unforgettable activity was joining the village street library with the Rotaract Club of Siem Reap. It was a reading campaign with all kids in Prasat Bakong district, and that activity was conducted to lead the students to read books together, and then our team exchanged new books for them in VSL. As I also love reading, seeing those kids read while smiling at each other is my happiness while I join the event. But sometimes I also appreciate those kids who don’t really like reading; anyway, they still chose to join us on that day. Actually, they do not really live in the same environment, and it is hard for them to start loving reading books. They still need more time to adapt to that. I clearly understood that because I grew up in a family where my parents couldn’t provide me with books to read daily when I was little. One more thing, it is not only about reading books that my parents could not access for me, even though it is about health care. My parents did not provide for me well. So, seeing them and their condition was touching and extremely emotional. I saw some kids who pretended to be reading, but they were not. So, it reminded me of Aviv’s words, “Act it until you make it”. Sometimes, I also did the same thing, because sometimes I also find it difficult to stay focused as well. Well, having a chance to join these amazing activities with lovely kids and students over there made me feel very excited and emotional. I believe that what I can do to help my community create a great impact on those young people is by building their reading habit.
Well, in our activity in CRST, I joined the Community Service to build a home in one day with our students. Usually, I join them as a structure builder, I mean to be a part of the house. But this time, I was delighted to join the Cook team instead. As I used to help cook breakfast instead, this time I joined the cook team. I am happy to learn something new from them. Yes, I might consider it for next month. I will join it again. Another incredible activity was joining Project B- Bicycles for Education in the bike donation program. Actually, I already moved to the Bikes fixing program, but I will still help in this program until this event finishes. I am happy working with my team, they have different personalities, but for me, they are sisters and brothers to me. Sometimes, it's hard, but it's better after we solve the problem. Then, I found that something was the matter. I was thinking that if people don’t work well together, there might be many problems involved. But what I was deeply thinking about is people's mindset, if we don’t even understand each other, even by just talking to each other. So, it is the matter. However, our team is a Gen Z one. We work so well together. I love them so much. I almost didn't say anything happened on the event day. In the event on that day, there was something that impressed me. It was the students’ parents. They were very genuine and helpful. They helped us a lot with installing the bicycles; they were very reliable people. I love the energy that they bring to us.
Even though the ladies looked at us and demonstrated their satisfaction when we helped their child. That was very impressive. Actually, the people in that area
speak very respectfully.
Last but not least, thank you so much for reading my email. I appreciate your time and look forward to sending you my monthly email next month.
With sincere regards, Seyha
Seyha Mek, Public Image Committee Member, Rotaract Club of Siem Reap
NYSF Reflection written by Jerry Pei
– Supported to 2026 NYSF
Melbourne Grammar Year 12 student
Knowledge can be acquired anywhere, whether at home, at school, or
even on the bus, but the environment in which one is exposed to learning
is what truly matters. The National Youth Science Forum (NYSF) is a
perfect example of the power of community and connection in the
pursuit of knowledge.
What I once thought would be a heavily academic experience turned out to be one of the most engaging and people-centered programs I have ever attended. The NYSF provided deep insights into career opportunities, I personally found the Careers Open Day and Speed Meets helpful for providing a general idea of the daily lives of professionals in certain industries. Similarly, the presentations by various Australian universities, including the Australian National University, Melbourne University, The University of Canberra, and Swinburne University, offered extensive insight into the countless opportunities available for students to pursue their personal interests. Further, the NYSF provides platform for specific aspects of STEM, including the CERN live cross, focusing on Nuclear Research and the ITER live cross, focusing on Fusion energy.
Beyond listening to professionals, students had the chance to step into labs and research centres, experiencing the practical side of various scientific fields firsthand. The program also offers a strong insight into college life, allowing students to explore campuses and their facilities, as well as events that is part of it (including but not limited to - Disco).
The breadth of opportunities offered at the NYSF, both academic and experiential, ensures that regardless of one’s particular interests, every student can gain useful information about their future studies and/or careers.
In the end, with the passing of time, the data might be forgotten or misremembered, but the connections with other people will prevail. The memories you made as you danced your heart out during the disco or successfully landed your first drone will stick with you forever.
From Natasha Leung Year 12 Student STL
The NYSF was a lot of fun and I really enjoyed it (despite the heat)!! It’s so amazing to meet so many people that hold the same passion for science. The lectures and visits were eye opening, especially the specialist lecture with Dr. Bertoldo. The process of creating proteins for pharmaceutical use genuinely wowed me. Aside from the ‘serious’ part of the journey, the social side was also surprisingly enjoyable! I was a bit hesitant and confused about the chants and riddles towards the start but as everyone joined in, I started to feel the ‘science fan’ energy. It really felt like we are indeed a big family of the nysf at the end.
I just wanted to say a massive thank you again to the Rotary for supporting me through this wonderful journey. The NYSF is indeed a once in a lifetime experience and I’m so grateful for this opportunity.
Natasha Leung
From Rhea Fernandez Year 12 Student
John Monash Science School
This January, I was lucky enough to spend a week in Canberra for the NYSF program. Throughout the stay, we stayed at the Burgmann College at ANU, a great insight into the residential experience of university students. After the first day - that was mostly spent in the games room making friends - the pace immediately hastened, with long days full of energy and activities.
There were usually two STEM Visits a day, each one aiming to bring exposure to a variety of fields. My constellation group, Aquilla, got to visit the John Curtin School of Medical Research, UNSW Canberra School of Engineering, ANU Research schools of Chemistry and Computer Science, and Geoscience Australia. What really stood out to me was the way each visit challenged and extended what I learnt about in school. For example, the Medical Research school emphasised the importance of biophysics - combining two fields not usually thought about together to conduct cutting edge research. The exposure to material and civil engineering really piqued my interest when I wasn’t expecting it to, giving me new insights into what I might want to study at university. Breaking up the science was a cultural visit; I attended the National Gallery of Australia and really enjoyed the guided tour as we got to see both recognisable art like Nolan’s Ned Kelly series as well as more niche pieces.
Additionally, there were a lot of specialist lectures that allowed us to get more in-depth exposure to specific subjects. Over the course of the week, I attended talks about the BERST system, Exploring the Universe, Science and Policy-Making, and the Great AI Debate. Attending these talks really encouraged us to think critically about cutting edge science, and about how we might contribute to it in the future. The Career’s Day furthered this theme by giving us exposure to future pathways via an expo and presentations, with the day finishing sweetly with Connections and Confections - an event allowing us time to network with alumni and other volunteers. As I reflect over my time in Canberra, that’s what stands out the most; the bonds that were forged over sweltering summer days and card games before bed. This experience was so inspiring and helped me see a future for myself in Australia’s STEM industries.
