Club Assembly
Nov. 12, 2025
6:45 a.m. – 8:00 a.m.
Board meeting face to face
Nov. 18, 2025
7:00 p.m. – 8:30 p.m.
DG Visit Mark Williamson
Nov. 19, 2025
6:45 a.m. – 8:00 a.m.
Bunnings BBQ
Nov. 21, 2025
7:45 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.
CLUB AGM
Dec. 03, 2025
6:45 a.m. – 8:00 a.m.
Bunnings BBQ
Dec. 05, 2025
7:45 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.
Club Christmas Party - Buderim Croquet Club
Dec. 07, 2025
3:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m.
Early Learning Centre BBQ
Dec. 13, 2025
8:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.
Christmas at Alex
Dec. 14, 2025
8:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.

What's the show all about ??

CLICK on video or THIS LINK

Our Meeting Details

We meet In Person

Wednesdays at 6:45 a.m.

Alexandra Headland Surf Life Saving Club

167 Alexandra Parade
Alexandra Headland , QLD 4572
Australia

Enter from the beach side, next to coffee kiosk. Magnificent morning views of the sun rising over the South Pacific Ocean. RCAHsecretary@gmail.com

District Site

Bulletins

Venue Map

WorkLife

Solstice Swim Page

Pride of Workmanship

Who we help

Rotary Care Garden

Kids Playground Project

Trivia Quiz Champs

Solstice Swim Results Here

Rotary’s History in Korea

Rotary’s History in KoreaThe first Rotary club in Korea was chartered in Seoul on 10 November 1927. Since then, Rotary members in Korea have maintained their commitment to fellowship, service, and leadership through difficult times —

Tastes of Taipei await convention attendees

From night markets to tea plantations, American chef Rick Bayless leaves no avenue unexplored as he tastes his way through Taipei. Find out what flavors he’ll never forget. Then, get ready to pick up the culinary journey yourself during the 2026 Rotary International Convention.

Rotary projects around the globe November 2025

Learn how Rotary clubs are taking action in Peru, the United States, Canada, Scotland, India, and the Philippines.

The gift of mothers’ milk

Sustained by donations from nursing women, milk banks provide a lifeline to vulnerable newborns

Peace center thrives on common ground

From vastly different countries and cultures, the first fellows at Rotary’s Istanbul peace center unite around a shared purpose

Here is a link to the complete WorkLife booklet developed by Alex Rotary as a mentoring guide to anyone starting work for the first time. (Also not a bad read for anyone going back into the workforce who would like a bit of inspiration and advice.

We've also found that local businesses use it as a friendly support for their employees to help discussions along on the importance of work, (and how to be happy at work while making the boss happy!!)

Worklife program pages

WorkLife Booklet Link

Welcome to the Rotary Club

of

Alexandra Headland

Club activities

Alex Rotary helps the Fight to defeat Motor Neurone Disease

The club was pleased to be invited again to provide the catering for the amazing team of MND fighters at Rotary Park on Sunday morning. On offer was gourmet sausages, with hand cut onions, fresh woolies bread and a selection of condiments - which was surprisingly reminiscent of Fridays Bunnings BBQ for Inclusive kids.

Anyway business got underway once customers got used to the shock of "no bacon and egg burgers?" and before too long the walk was underway ...see pics below. Mayor Rosanna was there and our very own federal MP Andrew Wallace, but the star of the show was Dr Anthony Winkel, neurologist at SCUH who spoke from his personal experience about the need to support MND research, to defeat this terrible disease. Anthony gave a very emotional talk about his frustration and desperation when folks are diagnosed with this disease, and no cure.

So from Alex Rotary its a real privilege to turn up with our trailer and snags for a few hours to help out and donate (with a bit extra) to this worthwhile cause.

Heading off....

The walk raised over $30,000 - much needed as this cause receives NO state funding and relies entirely on community fundraising.

The gang...BIG THANKS to John and Elizabeth who joined the club stalwarts ....Wendy, Megan, Tony & John

BBQ with help from inclusive Kids

On Friday we were joined by Paul Morton and Troy del a Roche from Inclusive kids for the Friday BBQ fundraising. Inclusive Kids are going gangbusters with waiting lists for corporate teams to go to the kitchen in Kelly Court to assist with the packing if snacks for the "Fuel for School" program. And the great thing for Alex is that every group who goes to the facility to help out passes by the entry plaque that acknowledges that the kitchen would not have been possible with out the support of Alex Rotary and Cricks as the major donators.

Nothing too interesting to report from the BBQ, except there's a new BBQ plate (thanks Bunnings) and during the morning Mark Ellis from MNC popped in to say hello which was nice. We updated Mark on the project (see below).

Club Xmas Party

This is all you need to know....

Youth BBQ

A few weeks ago Titania, Megan, Tony, Peggy and a certain scribe spent a very wet Saturday morning at Cotton Tree serving snags to the folks at the Youth Justice Fair.

Big Thanks to YouTurn for following up on the clubs offer to help, and inviting us to help raise some funds for you...but please organise better weather next time !!

The rare time when the sun was out...

Snapped just as the downpour began..

MNC Project

Following the clubs successful breakfast morning with sponsors, supporters and beneficiaries we followed up with the Neighbourhood centre to see how things were going, and if they needed any help.

It turned out text there was big renovation about to start (Thats to O'Brien industries) and the place was being given a makeover. It was on Channel 7 only a certain scribe missed it.

Anyway, great job guys, but of course there is always more to be done, and so when Mark told us that his dream of having a small cafe with barista training, and a quiet meeting place for the MNC clients need a concrete slab, and shade and some furniture the club sprang into action.

So Alex Rotary has reached out to all local Rotary Clubs to see if they would like to put their shoulder to the wheel and join Alex in sponsoring the projec.

Late News: Glasshouse Rotary have come forward as Bronze sponsors - BIG thanks guys. Rex and some GH members are visiting the centre.

Later news: Mark told us at Fridays BBQ fundraiser, that the sleeps is nearing completion...bit of a hiccup with registration but nearly there with this facility that will be shared between Nambour and Maoochydore. More to come.

Here's a plan of the area.

Patrice from Rotary Health comes to visit - and collect a donation

Past District Governor and Director of Australian Rotary Health, Patrice Robinson, joined us for breakfast and accepted a club donation towards the great work that Australian Rotary health is doing with mental illness and other health programs, all supported by volunteer physicians donations from like minded Rotary clubs and community associations.

Urban Angels say thank you

The club received this note from the amazing Birgit, who many would have met, Birgit was so sorry she could not be there in person to accept our $11,500 donation last month.

Hi everyone,

As we head into the final months of the year, I want to take a moment to say a very big thank you to all of our amazing volunteers and generous donors. Without your continued support, none of what we do would be possible. Your time, effort, financial and other contributions keep our kitchen running and our community cared for.

Everything we do is made possible through your ongoing support, kindness and commitment to our mission. Every meal we prepare, every delivery we make, and every smile we share with the vulnerable people we support, happens because of you.

To all of our amazing donors, your continued generosity allows us to weather unexpected changes and keep serving those who rely on our meals. We are deeply grateful for your ongoing trust and belief in what we do. Your generosity keeps the ovens warm, the vans on the road, and hope on the menu.

I’ve spoken before about the power of humans coming together for the greater good being an endless source of wonder and amazement to me...we achieve so very much when we all band together! How extraordinary it is that we come together each week in a relatively small space, all from different backgrounds, and with undoubtedly diverse views about many things. We come together as people from all walks of life, all on our own journey and none of us truly know each other and yet what we do works! I think it's because you all implicitly understand our culture inclusivity, non-judgment, and kindness. You also understand why you are doing what we do and, are all very good at looking at the bigger picture.

I have made the analogy before that it’s a bit like the stars on a clear night…how is it that the stars move us again and again, every year since time began. We know what stars are and yet they remain eternally beyond our comprehension and completely inaccessible...we cannot truly know them because we can’t see them up close.

I also wanted to acknowledge that we have recently experienced a few changes in our kitchen. Most of you already know that our wonderful Chef, Matt has had to undergo open heart surgery, and we send our very best wishes for a full and speedy recovery. In the meantime, we have needed to engage a temping agency to keep things running smoothly which has come with many challenges. It has meant we have had several different chefs coming through each week. We want to sincerely thank our volunteer team and all of our staff for their patience, adaptability, and ongoing dedication through this period of transition. Your ability to keep everything running with good humour and grace reflects the spirit of our community.

Together, we are proof that a relatively small group of wonderful humans, can move mountains!

THANK YOU all from the bottom of my heart for being the heart and soul of Urban Angels♥️

Birgit

Nathan comes to talk to club. We have a child HARM crisis.

Following on from our fundraiser for Youth Transition Services, team manager Nathan spoke to the club during the month about the situation with youth on the coast.

the most tragic stories were blend with inspirational stories of kids who had overcome the most awful experience in their childhood. We had not heard the expression 4 ACEs before, referring to Adverse Childhood Experience.

and as Nathan noted, we shouldn't be calling out a Youth Crime rises, but rather a Youth Harm crisis, because 99% of the youth criminals have had 4 adverse childhood experiences, and frankly adverse is a euphemism for sexual abuse, domestic violence, poverty, homelessness, etc.

To be clear Nathan supports accountability and kids taking responsibility for their actions, but we should be smart enough to know that the only way to stop crime is to stop the harm.

One quote was particularly telling "A child without support in childhood from its family or village will burn that village to feel its warmth"

25th Anniversary Dinner Invite

Calling ALL past Alex Rotarians, Friends and supporters of Alex Rotary. On our 25th anniversary we are inviting you to come and share your memories and achievements of this great community club.

We'd love to see you at the Anniversary Dinner...but please let us know asap as space is limited. !

August in review

Graeme and Sean help out at Special Olympics

Sean from Seaborne clothing was a special guest during the month, and was on hand to donate the sports uniforms organised by Graeme. Most of club members know Sean from his sponsorship of the Special Olympus team. Goodonya Sean and don't they look great!

The club recently donated $900 to the Sunshine Coast Special Olympics Swimming Team for uniform swim jackets. We were joined by two swim team members to be presented their jackets and handover from Sean Sharkey from Seaborne Clothing who suplied the jackets at cost. We wish them all the best in their upcoming events.

The Sunshine Coast Special Olympics are proud to be part of the Special Olympics Australia community which brings sport, joy and inclusion to people with intellectual disability and/or autism.

Their shared vision is an inclusive Australia where people with intellectual disability and/or autism live active, healthy and fulfilling lives.

You can find out more @ www.specialolympics.com.au

Rainbow House come to visit

As well as supporting local volunteers, the club also supports international projects, and for many years Rainbow House in Zambia has been one of our great interests. It all started many years ago with the involvement of Dave and Cherie and their donations to this amazing school for the disadvantaged kids in the Lusaka district. This year two of the Rainbow House came along, one the head teacher and organiser, an one student who is an amazing success story.

This morning we were joined by the fantastic team at Our Rainbow House.

The charity is committed to providing quality education and nutrition to orphans and vulnerable children in a village on the outskirts of Lusaka, Zambia.

Alison Ray - Director who established the school supported by Emerald Rotary Club. The charity has gained the support from many other Rotary Clubs in Queensland of which we are privileged to be a part of.

Mary Matandiko Kunzle - Project Coordinator at the School in Zambia

Henry Perry - past student and advocator..Henry was brought in from a village 40km from Lusaka where he was living with his grandfather and had little prospect of receiving an education far less than subsistence living. He excelled at the school and has since graduated from University. He wants to give back to Rainbow House and says a big thanks to Alex Rotary.

The students have the opportunity to learn in a safe environment where they are taught the Zambian National Curriculum.

In addition to this, all students receive two meals a day during school and are provided with mealie-meal for the school holidays.

The primary Objectives of Our Rainbow House :

Contribute to the education of the community’s orphans & vulnerable children, and those who care for them.

Continue to operate a small primary school and support the transition of senior students into high school.

Make these school premises available outside of school hours for educational & community purposes.

Support the continuing education of all those involved with the school.

To support local groups in their efforts to obtain good basic services in the areas of waste disposal, water, electricity, and government schools.

Appreciate and encourage all local involvement – in preparation for autonomy.

www.ourrainbowhouse.org.au

#ourrainbowhouse

Brightwater School Bike Program

During the month we received update from Steve on ow the Brightwater school port s reskin. Its going gangbusters !! its popularity and effectiveness has grown so much that its embedded as a regular part of the syllabus for kids who would benefit from some practical skills, (and mentoring from Steve) that its impacting positively on their other lessons and school behaviour.

It was great to hear from one of our regular beneficiaries this week in Brightwater State School and Steve Smith who runs their Bike Maintenance Program which has been a great success at the school.

The aim of the program is to restore and recycle children's bikes which are donated by Alexandra Headland Rotary Club.

The program enables the students to build/enhance social skills within the group and learn different skills.

It provides the students with an engaging, hands on experience and a break from the usual core curriculum.

Our club is proud to support this program for young students from year 5 to 7.

#brightwaterstateschool

Alex Rotary Continues its support of the University Community Fund

Here's our wendy with teh graduates who benefitted from the Rotary Community bursary.

Membership continues to grow

At this weeks meeting President Wendy donned the ceremonial necklace to officially induct new member Tatiana .

Great to see the club continuing to grow and welcome aboard Tatiana.

..and this month Jo-Anne was our sergeant, tasked with collecting loose change for future club donations. Here's a slogan worth remembering. All teh small change last year amounted to over $2,000 in donations, thanks to members and their "shrapnel".

July in review

Change - Over dinner......new board ..with fresh faces

Here's our board for 25/26 Wendy, Philip, Ray, Jo-Anne, Monique, Graeme, Tony and Megan....

BIG thanks to the Alex SLSC for an amazing evening and brilliant service.

Fiona, Mike, Wendy, Jo-Anne, David, Mark Williams - District Governor.

We welcomed in the new Board in July with some fresh faces. Michelle and Past Presidents Mike and John stepped down, and Megan, Jo-Anne, and Graeme have joined the board. So we now have

President & Treasurer - Wendy

Secretary - Phil

President Elect - Ray B

Public Image - Monique

Membership - Jo-Anne

Youth Director - Graeme

Director - Tony

Director - Megan

In addition, Wendy has wasted no time in appointing leaders from the club in several of our areas....(Wendy stresses that wherever any member wants to make a contribution that would be very welcome, all members are encouraged to participate in the club)

So if you have a an idea, or a passion to help a particular area of the community, just let the Board or one of the leaders below know. Or bring it up at one of the club assemblies during the year. (Aug, Nov, Feb, May)

Social : Megan, Tanya, Michelle

Breakfast : Veronike / Margot

Facebook; Ray S, Monique, Jo-Anne

Guest Speakers : Michelle/ Monique

Youth Protection/ Raffle : Angela

Welfare: Tony/Margot

Mentoring and Mock Interviews : Mike

RYDA; John L

BBQ's: Craig

POW: Helen

Projects/Website/Grants : John M

25th Anniversary : Wendy

Solstice Swim "Wash up" ....pun intended

Great attendance at the "Sponsors and Beneficiaries" breakfast this month. It was great to see most of the folks who made our annual fun fundraiser such a special morning.

The club distributed $46,000 to the 4 areas that the club wanted to support. Homelessness, Feeding the the disadvantaged, Supporting Domestic Violence victims and supporting mental health initiatives.

A BIG thanks to those sponsors who supported the Club in fundraising, that means so much to us, to know that there are community minded organisations out here who, like Alex Rotary, want to"make a difference" and share Rotarian values. Also a BIG thanks to our Beneficiaries, we wish we could do more to support you folks day in day out as you provide services to all sorts of folks on the Coast who need a hand up. Our club is so proud of you and the work that you many volunteers do in the community.

Of course, the swim could not happen without our many volunteers and especially the Alex SLSC lifesavers who make it all happen on the water. Alex SLSC has a strong reputation as a community club, and we are extremely grateful of the support that the SLSC gives Alex Rotary. The two brands of our respective clubs carry a strong message of improving our community. Special mention must be made to Lex and Chris the swim captains who had many sleepless nights worrying about the changing weather conditions. "Challenging" was a word that we were not used to in describing the expected surf conditions. Normally perfectly calm at Solstice time, this year the weather gods were not kind to us and a turned

Huge thanks to the amazing Alex SLSC. Here's Helen accepting a small token of our appreciation..

...and the team at Mooloolaba Rotary represented here by Charles, a big thankyou.

Councillor Natoli has a long history with Rotary and many other service clubs on the coast, Thank you for your support Joe.

Ben and the team from PISA were GOLD sponsors of the swim and a great help on the day. The club is delighted to welcome

PISA as corporate members to the club, so we hope to see more of Ben and the fantastic team at our meetings, working bee's and events.

Finally, earlier in the month our swim ambassador, long distance swim legend Susie Maroney OAM came to the club to talk about her experiences.

Mock Interviews at Maroochydore State High School

Great morning at Maroochydore State High School again, with a very strong turn out from all areas of the community to provide sage advice to high school students during their "mock interviews". Thanks Tony for organising the volunteer participants to support this great MSHS initiative.

In case you are wondering how Alex Rotary became the organisers for the High School, you need to know that for many years Mock Interviews was led by Steve Hind of of Maroochydore Rotary. When that club was wound up Steve approached the club as he knew Alex Rotary also had a strong culture of mentoring kids transition to work through our WorkLife Project. You can read more about that on our website.

Here's the group that helped Liana and team at the Mock interviews. Note the extensive demolition of the AMAZING morning tea in the foreground, and Alex Rotary was well represented by Angela, Megan, Philip, Graeme, John and Tony, not to mention a couple of "ring ins" aka Steve Newton and Bob Thompson.

Bunnings on Friday

We seem to have almost a permanent fixture for Bunnings Fridays, members support is much appreciated although it is straining our resources, we are able to meet this and the funds raised will find its way to our community causes.

So a BIG thanks for Craig and the regulars who are meeting the challenge. The club is also looking at offering this fundraising opportunity to other "front line" volunteer clubs who are interested in joining Alex Rotary at a Bunnings. Stay tuned.

Another fundraising day sausage sizzle. We had a very excited customer this morning who couldn’t wait to eat his sausage.

We love a happy customer !

Membership continues to grow

We are always looking to welcome new members to the club. If you want to "make a difference" to the community why not think of joining Alex Rotary? We are a breakfast club who meet every Wednesday morning (a few exceptions) at Alex SLSC which has without doubt the best views on the coast to say hello to the other +30 members and listen to interesting local speakers. You'll also be made very welcome by other Rotarians and find out what a busy club like Alex Rotary gets up to.

We offer local business owners who want to be associated with Rotary a corporate membership deal, that allows them to send employees along to our meetings.

All meeting are entirely voluntary, come as often or as little as you like. The only requirements is that you want to help the community in whatever capacity you can.

Club helps out at Garden Show

Isn't this the friendliest traffic warden you ever saw.? Jo-Anne and members team provided traffic duties to the hordes at the Nambour show an managed to raise $990 for the local community while maintaining some sort of order in the car park. Well done everyone.

Pride of Workmanship - planning starts

No, you aren't seeing double, his is Helen making a "call to arms" as we prepare for another Pride of Workmanship this year, to attract more business connections to Alex Rotary.

Naomi receives well deserved recognition

Naomi received Paul Harris Award with family in attendance

Our amazing Naomi was surprised (stunned really) to receive Paul Harris award from the club fr her fantastic support to the Sunshine Coast Community at our breakfast meeting with Jim and Christine in attendance. Karma.

Speak Up now - Local DV initiative working wonders

Val and Cheryl from Speak Up Now – Stop Domestic Violence group were guest speakers on Wednesday and were inspirational in the relating to teh club yje many initiatives they had developed across the Sunshine Coast hinterland to prevent Domestic Violence.

"Talk about "respect" to the kids, that's the key" said Val and that helps break the cycle. So they team has been developing school programs from prep to Grade 5/6 and 11/12 from kite making and discussion groups. The older generation also figure in their activities with programs to address elder abuse ad the like.

Speak Up Now believes all fathers, grandfathers, and senior men have a unique opportunity to stand up against abuse, support survivors, and foster meaningful change.

By offering protection, advocacy, and education, they contribute to a future where every woman is safe, heard, and free from harm.

Pride of Workmanship Gala Dinner

Pride of Workmanship Awards

Great to see a full house at the Alex SLSC restaurant for this years Pride of Workmanship awards.

There was a few surprises on the night, including a Paul Harris award for our long suffering Bunnings supremo Craig, and a warm welcome for Ian Brown, past adjudicator at The Surf Show and Shine Kombi show from Cricks VW and great to see Bill and Melissa joining the club for a celebration of their staff.

The winners...

We welcomed Bill and Melissa from Care Outreach..

..and Dean and Ian from Cricks VW...

...and our mates from IFYS were well represented with Sarah and corporate member Tanya and team

Craig receives his surprise Paul Harris...btw he seems to have attracted a few admirers in Megan, Jo-Anne, Monique and Michelle.

Well done everyone who received an award, and big thanks to those who arranged the evening and Alex SLSC for putting on a great evening.

Rotary Saving lives on the road

RYDA team supports road safety experts saving lives

On a (surprisingly) dry Tuesday, these volunteers, led by Graham, supported the Rotary RYDA program at Nambour. Two schools attended, Mathew Flinders, and Burnside. Its a brilliant program that will save many accidents, injuries and deaths by engaging young people with the right tools to make good choices when they are on the road.

Well done also to presenters, who include the QPS, Drive examiners, psychologists and one lady who spoke about her very serious road accident when she was in Grade 12. Very powerful messages to the kids.

Here's the team ....Graham, Sandra, Megan, Graeme, Jon, Sandra, John, Doug and Greg ...well done everybody, and BIG thanks to the RSE experts, and of course Ken Mills Toyota for supplying the demo vehicle.

...and special mention to Graeme, who resumed his Principal's role for a short while to address the 200 kids. Goodonya Graeme, hasn't lost his touch. ...as you can see below..

Here's some of the amazing folks who help us with our community fundraising. ..

The Sunshine Coast is blessed with businesses small and large who want to give back to folks "doing it tough" and we would love to hear you if you are already supporting a local cause (we maybe can help) or of you are looking for cause to support.

We generally support Sunshine Coast VOLUNTEER organisations who have some amazing locals just looking for a hand up with their project activities.