The District Project for 2026-2027 is the Queensland Rotary Centenary Breakthrough Queensland Brain Institute Endowed Chair project. Click here to donate
A catastrophic flash flood has swept through northern Nepal, including the Rasuwa district, killing hundreds of people and leaving many thousands homeless. More than 1400 people are still missing as entire villages have been destroyed by the floodwaters.
The speed and force of the flood caught everyone completely off guard. Homes were engulfed in seconds, leaving families with little chance to escape. Those who managed to reach safety could only watch as their homes, belongings and livelihoods were swept away.
The situation is urgent. Families need safe shelter now. Please donate today.
ShelterBox is responding, and we're working hard to find out how we can best support people affected by the flood. We’re ready to provide emergency aid, such as thermal blankets, water filters, and family tents. As soon as we know more about the needs of the communities affected, we’ll let you know. We cannot do it without your support.
However, the danger isn't over. There is a risk of further flash flooding in the region, putting even more lives at risk and communities in danger.
Our hearts go out to all those affected in Nepal and around the globe.
Please give what you can today. Your donation will help provide emergency shelter and support for families who have lost their homes to the devastating floods in Nepal.
Please accept my sincere thanks if you have recently given.
Rotary District 9620 will soon conclude our agreement with Queensland Health for the use of Bostock House.
In preparation for this change, we need to ensure the building is fully cleared and all contents accounted for.
To assist with this process, we request that each club please confirm the following:
Whether your club currently has any documents, equipment, or other items stored at Bostock House.
If so, please arrange for all items—including your steel cabinet—to be removed no later than 30 September.
Access to Bostock House will be available on the following dates: • Sunday 30 August (9:00am – 1:00pm) • Saturday 26 September (9:00am – 1:00pm)
A skip will be onsite for disposal of unwanted goods.
We are also arranging a secure disposal bin for paper documents containing sensitive or personal information.
Items suitable for secure paper disposal include: • Office paper (white or coloured), letterhead, invoices, notepads • Stationery such as staples, paper clips, rubber bands, manila folders • Mail and envelopes (including those with plastic windows) • Records such as cheque books, receipts, docket books
Items that cannot be placed in the secure paper bin include: • Plastic sleeves, folders, binders (metal rings must be removed from lever-arch folders) • Heavy-weight cardboard boxes • Magazines, newspapers, glossy photo paper
If your club does not have anything stored at Bostock House, a brief confirmation would be appreciated.
Thank you for your cooperation as we work through this transition. Should you have any questions or require access outside the dates listed above, please contact:
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.
