Community
19 March, 2025
Rotary Club of Cobden elects new president
ROTARY Club of Cobden members have been very busy during the first months of 2025.
January saw Lesley Brown take over as president for the next 12 months, with Marcus Hooker (secretary), Frank Martin (treasurer), Heather Petrie (Bulletin editor and assistant treasurer), Garry Ross (welfare officer), Mark Towner (sergeant-at-arms) and members Gary Kimber, Bruce McGauchie, David Childs and Neil Podger filling other support roles.
The club conducted its annual roadside clean-up, this year focusing on the Cobden-Stoneyford Road, collecting more than eleven bags of rubbish.
Next year, the members will tidy up the Cobden-Camperdown Road, covering three kilometres each side of the road.
The speedway season saw the club manning the ticket box at the Simpson Speedway with three Rotarians spending up to five hours each session, selling and scanning entrance tickets.
Members also enjoyed selling show bags at the recent Heytesbury Show as well as delivering FO-GO bags within the Cobden community.
The club’s popular mini-golf complex at the racecourse reserve has been open regularly, and maintenance of the gardens is ongoing, especially with the need for watering over the summer period.
The Tim Mason Magic Show in January was a great success with nearly 200 young and not-so-young people attending.
This was a very special performance and a real treat for the audience.
The club is proudly supporting the BlazeAid organisation with funds to provide meals for the volunteers at the Willaura camp.
Cobden Rotary and BlazeAid have a strong relationship.
The Rotarians are also assisting young people in their endeavours to tackle the Kokoda Trail.
With leader Darcy Walsh, students Tabitha Perriss and Brodie Hanks from the Kokoda No Roads Expedition were guest speakers at the club’s Thursday night get-together on February 27.
Another recent guest speaker was Amplitude Energy’s Bindi Gove, who provided an insight into the domestic gas production and supply in the south eastern states of Victoria and South Australia, the basins in which the gas is sought, how gas meets 27 per cent of Australia’s energy demand and the necessity of gas in the industrial sector.
One highlight for the year will again be the opportunity to provide reading books to the graduating members of Cobden, Timboon and Simpson kindergartens.
The club is also a proud supporter of the Warrnambool Food Bank.
Cobden’s Rotarians enjoy active and satisfying roles within the community.
District residents and prospective members are always welcome to attend the dinner-meetings at the Civic Hall in Cobden each Thursday from 6pm to hear more about what the club achieves.
Meals and fellowship are always features of the club’s meetings while the matters of the day are dealt with efficiently and without fuss.
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