Across Australia, the National Australia Day Council (NADC) has partnered with Rotary to provide a series of events on Australia Day. Local Rotary Clubs were planning a community event in Mona Vale on Australia Day but when lockdown was announced in December they had to look elsewhere.
They decided to put money back into our local economy through restaurants which have been badly hit, whilst recognising the extraordinary work done by our front-line workers, including Covid-19 testing and tracing teams and bushfire fighting personnel.
The grant provided by the NADC purchased over 300 $50 vouchers to be used at specific local restaurants. These were distributed through frontline organisations, including the NSW Health (Northern Beaches section of Northern Sydney district), Northern Beaches Lifeline telephone councillors, the local State Emergency Service, and the Rural Fire Service, to local frontline workers for Australia Day.
This project was implemented by the local Rotary Clubs of Upper Northern Beaches, Balgowlah and Dee Why-Warringah, contacting both the restaurants and the frontline workers.
By honouring our front-line workers, the Rotary Clubs have imparted the sentiment behind this year’s National Australia Day theme – Reflect, Respect and Celebrate, which has been promoted on television and in the press.
All recipients and restaurants have been very appreciative of the initiative.
L to R: - Roger Gray (Balgowlah Rotary, Liz McDougall (President, Dee Why-Warringah Rotary), Lindy Myers (President, Balgowlah Rotary), Donna Favaloro (Crisis Support Manager, Lifeline Northern Beaches) and David Thomas (CEO, Life Line Northern Beaches). More Vouchers being handed over.
RFS (Terry Hills) volunteer Murray Lowe and his wife Lisa, enjoying a meal at Sandstone Café, Terry Hills with restaurant manager Vinnie.
The vouchers are just one of the works undertaken by our local Rotary clubs in the past few challenging months.
In December SHINE for Kids were overwhelmed by the generosity and kindness of local people placing gifts under the annual Tree of Joy at Warriewood initiative run through the Rotary Club of the Upper Northern Beaches.
In November the club commenced it's first crowdfunding campaign, encouraging members and the community to put their Hats on to help the Avalon Youth Hub and donate what they could, quickly raising over a thousand dollars for the Hub.
Members in our other local clubs repair toys for children, organise the annual Manly Fun Run & Walk, knit babies blankets - in fact, everywhere you look you will find a Rotary member doing good in a wide variety of areas and actions in our community.
This year the 79 Rotary clubs in the area stretching from the Blue Mountains to the sea north of Sydney Harbour, reaching across the Hawkesbury River and north to Toukley on the Central Coast of which our local clubs are a part of, will join with the 1100 Rotary Clubs across Australia in celebrating Rotary's Centenary of "Doing Good" DownUnder!!
As part of the Centenary a set of new commemorative coins will put Rotary into the hands of every Australian in this centenary year and beyond.
The Royal Australian Mint recently announced that they will launch a pair of coins in 2021 for the centenary.
A $1 coin will go into general circulation and also be available in a commemorative collectors pack for $15. A special minting of a silver $5 coin will be available for $100 marking 100 years of Rotary service and launching into the next 100 years.
The new coins will be launched in Sydney this coming Thursday, February 4th, along with a set of commemorative stamps.
