We are excited and proud to announce a partnership between District 9620 and Aromas Coffee Roasters.
You will notice that Aromas are a Gold Sponsor for the District Conference being held from May 1 to May 3 at Royal Pines. However D9620 and Aromas were both keen to extend this partnership beyond the conference, and now there is an online shop where you can buy premium coffee beans, grinds, pods and capsules as well as drinking chocolate and some teas. 10% of every order will go to The Rotary Foundation and be returned in dues course to District 9620 for project grants. Shipping is free for orders over $100.
District 9620 Rotary clubs are enhancing volunteer engagement through a partnership with Volunteering Queensland, which broadens access to diverse volunteers beyond traditional member networks, improving project outcomes and community connections. A training session on June 7 will prepare members to effectively use the platform for managing volunteer opportunities, applications, and support,encouraging clubs to expand their volunteer base and project scope while fostering ongoing involvement with Rotary [1][2].
Maila, a Tropical Cyclone lingered for days in the Solomon Sea causing severe damage and devastation to infrastructure and villages in the Western Province of the Solomon Islands before slowly tracking West to cross Bougainville again causing severe damage and devastation to roads, buildings and villages as it crossed the island of Bougainville. Cyclone Maila continued to slowly track west, and although decreasing in intensity, it is continuing to bring damage and devastation to isolated islands in the Milne Bay Province of PNG.
Communities need to be assisted in dealing with widespread damage to buildings and communities including bridge infrastructure and access roads.
Our aim as Rotarians and Rotary clubs is to assist individuals, families and communities who sustained damage and were victims of the cyclone. Where possible we will help with the immediate aftermath of the disasters, but we are also looking to the longer-term recovery of the communities.
Rotary Clubs in Papua New Guinea and the Solomon Islands are currently in the planning stages for a number of projects for disaster relief. As each project matures it will be submotted as a RAWCS Rotary Australia Benevolent Society (RABS) or RAWCS Rotary Overseas Aid Fund (ROAF) project.
In anticipation of these projects, RAWCS has established a disaster appeal to fund these projects and we are seeking donations from clubs and individuals to fund the projects. Your contribution would be very much appreciated.
Support for the 2026 Interact Conference & Promotion of Interact D9620 – Request for Club Contribution
Hello from Interact 9620,
As we prepare for the upcoming Interact Conference on Saturday, 9 May 2026, we are reaching out with both excitement and a sincere request for support. This conference is a vital opportunity for our Interactors to connect, learn, lead, and be inspired – but the cost of delivering a high‑quality youth event has increased dramatically in the current climate.
Interact, as you might not know, does not hold independent funds. Every program, activity, and event is made possible through the generosity of Rotary clubs, and the fundraising efforts. To ensure the 2026 Interact Conference can proceed at the standard our youth deserve, we are asking each club in District 9620 to consider making a modest contribution of $100.
This contribution will directly support essential conference costs, overall including food, conference materials, safety requirements, and program delivery. Promoting the Interact brand in our District. A small donation from each club will collectively make a significant difference and ensure that no young person misses out due to financial constraints. Your support will help us continue building confident, compassionate young leaders who are already making a meaningful impact in their schools and communities. Thank you for considering this request and for your ongoing commitment to youth development through Interact.
Please make your donations to:
Bank Account Name: Rotary International District 9620 Limited Bendigo Bank: 633-000
The Rotary Club of Loganholme warmly invites you to our upcoming Movie Night Fundraiser, featuring a screening of H is for Hawk.
This event supports our Annual Christmas Hamper Appeal, helping us provide essential assistance to families doing it tough during the festive season.
H is for Hawk is a compelling and heartfelt story inspired by real events, following a woman who trains a wild goshawk as she works through personal loss. The film blends nature, emotion, and human resilience in a way that is both uplifting and deeply engaging.
DATE: Sunday 24th May – 4.00pm
Event Cinemas, Loganholme
TICKETS: $25.00 Per person (Includes 3 Raffle Tickets)
We would be delighted to have you join us for an enjoyable evening of fellowship, film, and community impact. Your presence — and your support — helps us continue this important work.
GIST DATE CLAIMER – DISTRICT GRANT APPLICATIONS CLOSE 31 MAY
ROTARY D9620 DISTRICT GRANT APPLICATIONS FOR 26-27 YEAR
Is your Club considering making a District Grant application for the 26-27 Grant year?
Applications are open now and the closing date is 31 May 2026.
Information regarding D9620 District Grants is available on the D9620 website. Just Google d9620 district grants and open the Foundation - District Grants page.
Please contact the District Grants Committee d9620districtgrants@gmail.com if you have any queries or would like assistance in preparing an application.
I look forward to receiving an application from your Club.
David Kearney
D9620 District Grants Sub-Committee Chairman
SUPPORTING THE ROTARY FOUNDATION MAKES DISTRICT GRANTS POSSIBLE
ROTARY D9620 TREE PLANTING CHALLENGE REMINDER – 26 APRIL 2026
IT IS STILL ON !!!!!!!!
A reminder to join us at our D9620 Tree Planting Challenge Day planned for 9am – 11am Sunday 26 April 2026 - (Environment Month).
Brisbane City Council’s Offsets and Restoration Team has assured us that, despite the impacts of what is happening overseas, the nice, flat site at Bald Hills will be prepared and ready for a big planting morning.
Council would like our help to get as many plants as possible in on the day. Last year we planted 3000 plants at the White’s Hill site.
More information about the site has been received from the Council team about the site. Just download the PDF attached.
If you, your family, friends, schools or other community groups would like to join our team and help meet this challenge, please let me know at dkals@aussiebb.com.au so we know how many of our world famous scones we will need.
Participating in this event gives all Clubs a great ‘hands on’ project as well as contributing to Rotary’s latest area of focus “Supporting the Environment”.
We are looking forward to your help in taking up Council’s challenge and making this another successful District Planting Day.
GROW MORE, DO MORE
David Kearney Coordinator - D9620 Tree Planting Challenge Kenmore Rotary Club dkals@aussiebb.com.au 0419700647
Because small connections can create a big impact.
Any further questions about Mirror of Hope and Tommy's visit, clubs are free to contact me, Valerie Simons, Rotary Club of Paddington, +61 458 149 028 or email valeriesimons@gmail.com.
A reminder that our D9620 Tree Planting Challenge Day is planned for 9am – 11am Sunday 26 April 2026 - (Environment Month).
For Brisbane and surrounding area Clubs, Brisbane City Council’s Offsets and Restoration Team is looking at a site in Bald Hills which they have already started work on.
More information about the site has been received from the Council team about the site.
DGE Ian Hope has already indicated that he is keen to have a District Tree Planting Challenge Day in his year.
For Brisbane and surrounding area Clubs, Brisbane City Council’s Offsets and Restoration Team is looking at a site in Bald Hills which they have already started work on.
The site is part of a Glider corridor and has Rakali on it which they are really excited about.
They have assured me the site is nice and flat with no steep banks as there were last year.
They have allocated 6000 plants to this site and would like our help to get as many as possible of these plants in on the day. Last year we planted 3000 plants at the White’s Hill site.
If you, your family, friends, schools or other community groups would like to join our team and help meet this challenge, please let me know at dkals@aussiebb.com.au.
This will help us work out how many scones we need and determine how many plants we think we can get in the ground on the day.
There will be more information about the site and site access as we get closer to the day.
For the non-Brisbane area Clubs, if any of your Club members happen to be in Brisbane on the day, they would be more than welcome to join the team at Bald Hills. We will need all the help we can get.
We are incredibly lucking to have the continuing support of Brisbane City Council for what has become one of the highlights in our Rotary year.
Participating in this event allows all Clubs to continue to contribute to Rotary’s latest area of focus “Supporting the Environment”.
We are looking forward to your help in taking up Council’s challenge and making this another successful District Planting Day.
Is your Club considering making a District Grant application for the 26-27 Grant year?
Applications are open now and the closing date is 31 May 2026.
Information regarding D9620 District Grants is available on the D9620 website. Just Google d9620 district grants and open the Foundation - District Grants page.
You need to consider the timing of your project as the 2026-27 District Grant funds are not likely to be available before August.
Please note that any funds expended on the project before the date of the Grant approval letter cannot be claimed against the Grant.
District Grants are available to all Clubs in our District and are a great way to boost the funding you have for a planned project.
DG Mark has set a target of 50 applications for the next round of Grants so your application will help meet this goal.
Please contact the District Grants Committee d9620districtgrants@gmail.com if you have any queries or would like assistance in preparing an application.
I look forward to receiving an application from your Club.
David Kearney
D9620 District Grants Sub-Committee Chairman
SUPPORTING THE ROTARY FOUNDATION MAKES DISTRICT GRANTS POSSIBLE
Welcome to the Gist! Rather than send multiple messages per week to club officers in the hope that they will channel your interests and pass on what is important to you, we will be sending one digest email per week using the Clubrunner platform which lists new things in the top section, and reminders of old news in the bottom section. That way, you only need to scan the top half of one email per week to get the Gist, and everyone gets the Gist!
This e-bulletin is published by your District Administrator and Webmaster to let Rotarians and any other subscribers know about what is happening in the district. The GIST is for time-sensitive brief stories sponsored by the District, a Rotary club, or a Rotary RAG or Fellowship.
District Announcements
Club event announcements
RAG and Fellowship event announcements
Event notices will run once only in the "Breaking News" section, and events will continue to be published down below in the "Event Reminders" section until the event has passed.
Articles that report on past events and projects, anything of enduring significance, and anything else that does not fit the GIST publishing guidelines should be sent to the District Newsletter editor at newsletter@rotary9620.org.
How to get an Event in the Calendar
To get an event in the Calendar, please send the following information to gist@rotary9620.org:
Mandatory: The text that you would like to appear in the calendar entry. Should include a teaser as to why someone would like to attend the event, ticket prices, etc etc. The text cannot include potentially sensitive information like email addresses, phone numbers and bank account details. If you wish to communicate these, put them in an image or PDF file that can be linked as a download document.
Mandatory: Date, Time, Location. Please include the postcode in the location as this is needed to generate the location map. (Or the event could be online of course.)
Mandatory: Name of a Rotarian in the district who is the primary contact for the event.
Strongly recommended: An image to go in the calendar entry detail page. Landscape format works best.
Optional: Documents about the event like event flyers, etc etc. Max size: 5MB
Optional: Links that might be useful like bookings links, the home page of the charity you are supporting, etc.
How to get an event notice in the GIST
The GIST is published on Sunday. The deadline to get an event notice in every Sunday's GIST is midnight Friday. Requests coming in after Saturday morning will be handled on a "best effort" basis. To get an event entry in the GIST, please do the following:
Mandatory: Get the event in the Calendar (see above)
Mandatory: An image in square or landscape format to be the article. If you send an image that is in portrait format, it will be cropped to square according to the GIST editor's judgement. It's OK to send a PDF Flyer - the editor will just do a screenshot and use that.
Optional: SHORT explanatory text which will go under the image. 200 words max. Long explanations should go in the calendar entry.
