Events

What…

On 28 January 2026, at 7 pm AEDT (4 pm AWST, 6:30 pm ACDT, 6 pm AEST, 8 pm Fiji, and 9 pm NZDT) an uplifting webinar will be held with the Epic Day of Service event founders, live from the US. Discover how you and our club can transform a project you’re already passionate about into something truly extraordinary, with the support and spirit of Membership Voice.

Picture the incredible power of every club in our zone coming together, each taking on a project that ignites their passion, all on the same day! Imagine the energy as we unite, side by side, to make a difference and reveal Rotary’s true impact within our communities.

In 2025, Rotarians, Rotaractors, and community partners from five continents, eight countries, 20 states, 57 districts and 539 clubs joined forces in 613 projects, with 6,557 volunteers serving together. Nine of those clubs were ours – just think how much greater our impact will be if we step up even further in 2026. The possibilities are limitless, and the ripple effect of our service can inspire real, lasting change!

Contact

Clare Blake would love to update you on some amazing new clinical trials happening right now in Brisbane at QIMR Berghofer.

• How we started in a broken down old Army supply Hut after the war and now we have 66 labs.
• Do you have Irish or English heritage? - The Story of “The Celtic Curse.” Is it really a curse?
• I’ll show you our mini brains and mini hearts made to safely test new treatments.
• A game changing new hope for treating Dementia
• Streamlining treatment for Melanoma
• Ways to participate in trials
• Can we outsmart cancer?

Clare Blake is a broadcast media specialist with over 25 years’ experience in both radio and television including Channel Ten QLD and hosting the afternoon show on 4BC. Clare studied sports science at Canberra University and holds accreditation with Medicines Australia from The University of Queensland. At QIMR Berghofer, Clare finds the perfect combination of science and communication.

Wendy Mulcahy BBus, LLB(Hons), GradDipLP, LLM

Director

The founder of Domestic Violence Education Relationship Training (DVERT), Wendy Mulcahy has worked in the criminal justice system for nearly 20 years. She has extensive experience working as a criminal defence lawyer in the area of domestic violence and has represented many defendants charged with offences of violence against women. Wendy is a trained and qualified National Mediator and Family Dispute Resolution Mediator, who has highly developed communication and negotiation skills.

Wendy was appointed to the Queensland Parole Board in 2020 for 18 months. While working as a Professional Board Member, she was part of a team responsible for assessing parole applications for parolees. Concerningly, many applications involve a history of serious violence against women and domestic violence. This role, although limited to 18 months, provided an appreciation of the consequences of domestic violence outside of her defence role as a criminal lawyer.

Through her extensive legal career, Wendy has gained valuable insight and a unique understanding of the complexity of domestic violence, patterns of perpetration and key drivers and motivators of violence against women.

Wendy has an impressive educational background and is an accomplished and well-respected legal practitioner. Her career background enables her to bring a wealth of experience and real perspectives to domestic violence training and education.

Wendy is passionate and dedicated to educating men and young men to understand the insidious nature of domestic violence and working towards eradicating violence against women.

We meet at the Kedron Wavell RSL for dinner at 6pm.

We try to get finished eating at ~6:50 when we walk across the road to my unit where we can meet in a quite location.

At the cluster meeting, you are requested to present a printed report which outlines the following:

• Current Membership numbers
• Proposals for membership growth
• Current projects
• Proposed projects
• Any activities in which you request support from other Kinross clubs

You will be asked to give a 5 minute verbal report to the meeting.

In addition to receiving reports, we will discuss the running of a Kinross project which currently is the Rotary Scottish Fair planned for June 2026.

Further details will be advised 

Discussion Topic – Addressing Gaps In Social Inclusion – The Little King’s Effort_Disconnect between NDIS and Broader Social/Community Supports

Wine tasting get together for members. To be held at Anne Maree and John Buttner's beautiful home in St Lucia

Time to be confirmed

“Your Place in Peace” encapsulates both an invitation and a call to action—a collective reflection on each individual’s
role in advancing the cause of peace. The 2026 Rotary Peace Fellowship Annual Seminar, curated by
the Class XXIII Fellows, offers an interactive and deeply personal exploration of how our academic training,
applied field experiences, and lived commitments intersect with the foundational pillars of peace architecture:
peacemaking, peacekeeping, and peacebuilding. The seminar allows each Peace Fellow to answer the seminal
question during their presentation: Where/what is my place in peace?

This seminar weaves together the experiences of each Peace Fellow to form a cohesive mosaic of global peace
practice through their diverse identities, cultures, and aspirations. The presentation aims to show how the
Master’s in Peace and Conflict Studies at the University of Queensland has transformed the Peace Fellow into
agents of peace who advance justice, equity, and dignity within communities and institutions. Lastly, each
Peace Fellow will explain their goals for peace work and achievement.

This seminar is more than a retrospective; it is a shared brainstorming space. Through the speakers, interactive
sessions, highlights of peace initiatives across culture, and the Peace Fellows presentation, we hope each
audience member can discover their role within the peacebuilding mainframe. Whether through advocacy,
education, charitable action, or compassionate leadership, participants will explore how they, too, contribute
to the global architecture of peace.

Ultimately, Your Place in Peace affirms that peace is not the sole domain of academics, practitioners, or policymakers,
but a profoundly human endeavor in which all can participate. As emerging peacebuilders, we display
that the Rotary Peace Fellowship is not only an indispensable force in nurturing leadership amid today’s political,
social, and humanitarian crises, but anyone can be included to build a more peaceful world.

Tickets here: https://www.eventbrite.com.au/e/rotary-peace-fellows-seminar-your-place-in-peace-tickets-1564975557019?aff=oddtdtcreator

Registration from 10am.

Emeritus Professor Roland Sussex MA, PhD, OAM, FQA, Chevalier des Palmes Académiques

BIOGRAPHY:

Roland (Roly) Sussex (M.A. Hons Canterbury; PhD London) is a specialist in language, communication and culture, and health communication. He was Professor of Applied Language Studies at the University of Queensland from 1989 until 2010. Before that he taught Linguistics and Russian at the University of Reading (UK) and Monash University in Melbourne, and was the foundation professor of Russian at the University of Melbourne from 1977 to 1989.

He is currently Research Professor in the Institute for Teaching and Learning Innovation, and in the School of Languages and Cultures, at the University of Queensland. Since "retiring" he has become involved in social issues as a public intellectual.

He was chair of the Library Board of Queensland from 2009 to 2014, and then Deputy Chair (2014-2016). He was President of the Alliance Française of Brisbane (2010-2017), and is currently President of the English Speaking Union of Queensland (2018-).

In 2012 he was made Patron of the Institute of Professional Editors. He is co-editor of the international journal Intercultural Communication Studies, and is a member of the editorial boards of a number of academic journals.

His current research is focused on language, culture and society, technology, and, more recently, pain and health. He is a member of the PainLang Research Group at the University of Queensland, which is investigating the use of language in the diagnosis, treatment and management of pain (http://www.uq.edu.au/painlang/).

His most recent major publications are The Slavic languages with Paul Cubberley, Cambridge University Press, 2006); Andy Kirkpatrick and Roland Sussex (eds), English as an international language in Asia: Implications for language education. Berlin and London: Springer-Verlag, 2012); and Andy Curtis and Roland Sussex (Eds). (2018). Intercultural communication in Asia: Education, language and values. Berlin and London: Springer Verlag. And of course Word for today (University of Queensland Press, 2021).

Roly Sussex wrote a weekly column on language for the Brisbane Courier-Mail from 2006 to 2021. His talkback radio program A Word in Your Ear has been broadcast every week to Queensland on ABC radio since 1997, and for the last 20 years to South Australia. His Queensland broadcasts are podcast by the ABC:

         https://www.abc.net.au/radio/brisbane/programs/saturdaymorning/a-word-in-your-ear/

         https://www.abc.net.au/radio/brisbane/programs/saturdaymorning/woofties/

When he is not engaged in researching and writing about language, communication, culture and health, he works on his garden and acreage, rides road bikes and mountain bikes, and indulges his passion for classical music.

He was awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia in 2012, and was a made a Chevalier des Palmes Académiques by the French Government in 2017, and a member of the Queensland Academy of Arts and Sciences in 2020.

We meet at the Kedron Wavell RSL for dinner at 6pm.

We try to get finished eating at ~6:50 when we walk across the road to my unit where we can meet in a quite location.

At the cluster meeting, you are requested to present a printed report which outlines the following:

• Current Membership numbers
• Proposals for membership growth
• Current projects
• Proposed projects
• Any activities in which you request support from other Kinross clubs

You will be asked to give a 5 minute verbal report to the meeting.

In addition to receiving reports, we will discuss the running of a Kinross project which currently is the Rotary Scottish Fair planned for June 2026.

Date and Venue to be confirmed closer to the date

Sting in

THE LAST SHIP

Music and lyrics by Sting
New book by Barney Norris and Lorne Campbell
Based on the original book by John Logan and Brian Yorkey

Amsterdam, Paris, Brisbane.

Acclaimed musical THE LAST SHIP, written, composed and starring international music icon Sting, will be presented for the first time in the Southern Hemisphere in QPAC’s magnificent Glasshouse Theatre in 2026.

Inspired by Sting’s childhood in Wallsend in the United Kingdom, and drawing on his own musical roots, THE LAST SHIP tells the piercing story of a community facing the disappearance of their shipyard – the heart of their existence. In a world where past and future collide, themes such as loss, pride and connectedness echo.

“I literally grew up in the shadow of the yard,” Sting says. “I dreamed of escaping – and I succeeded. But later I realised I had to give something back. THE LAST SHIP is my tribute to the people and the place that shaped me.”

Playing the leading role of Jackie White on stage in this deeply personal show, Sting immerses us in a universe imbued with love and hope.

Sting’s music – from raw folk and rousing choirs to intimate ballads – forms the beating heart of the production. THE LAST SHIP is a true musical odyssey carried by powerful and moving melodies and lyrics with well-known songs such as “Island of Souls”, “All This Time” and “When We Dance” interwoven.

Are you ready to connect with like-minded leaders and make a lasting impact on communities worldwide? Join us for the 2026 Rotary Combined Districts 9560, 9620 and 9640 District Conference at Royal Pines, where our theme is “Reaching Across Boundaries”.

From inspiring keynote speakers and project reports, to networking sessions with community champions, we’re bringing people together from all over—uniting passions, sharing innovations, and embracing diverse perspectives.

At Rotary, we believe that when we stand together, we can move mountains. “Reaching Across Boundaries” means tearing down walls, forging new partnerships, and creating solutions that transcend borders and barriers.

Don’t miss your chance to be part of something extraordinary.

Reaching Across Boundaries. Together. We’ll shape a brighter future—one connection at a time!

• Golf Tournament Friday 1st May
• Chef’s Choice Welcome Banquet Friday evening 1st May
• Conference Sessions Saturday 2nd May and Sunday 3rd May
• Boogie Wonderland 70s and 80s Gala Saturday 2nd May
•  
• Conference Website:  https://conference.rotary-3d.org/
• Registration:  https://rotary9620.org/events/rotary-tri-district-conference-2026/
• Accommodation:  https://www.racv.com.au/travel-experiences/resorts/royal-pines-gold-coast.html

Actual Date to be confirmed 

DATES ARE TO BE CONFIRMED - DO NOT TAKE THIS AS THE OFFICIAL WEEKEND DATES

Murray has generously offered us discounted accommodation and food plus transport at his pub, the Mayfair hotel,  when we visit Emerald for the Opening Ceremony of the RFDS transfer station early in the new year.

We have been invited to visit Deb’s cattle property which is exciting and could we please the world’s largest replica of Van Gogh’s “ Sunflower” out there too?

We meet at the Kedron Wavell RSL for dinner at 6pm.

We try to get finished eating at ~6:50 when we walk across the road to my unit where we can meet in a quite location.

At the cluster meeting, you are requested to present a printed report which outlines the following:

• Current Membership numbers
• Proposals for membership growth
• Current projects
• Proposed projects
• Any activities in which you request support from other Kinross clubs

You will be asked to give a 5 minute verbal report to the meeting.

In addition to receiving reports, we will discuss the running of a Kinross project which currently is the Rotary Scottish Fair planned for June 2026.