About
The Rotary Club of South Launceston is located in the historic city of Launceston. Launceston is a city in north Tasmania where the South Esk and North Esk rivers become the Tamar River. It’s the second-largest city in the state with a population estimated at 110,000, which makes it the 9th largest non-capital city in the country and the 17th largest city in Australia. Launceston is Australia’s third oldest city from where John Batman planned the city of Melbourne from his residence in Launceston.It was founded in 1806 and named after Launceston in the United Kingdom. It is Tasmania’s second largest population centre, and is an attractive city due to its many parks and gardens.
Fundraising
Our club appreciates and values the donations and contributions made by community members and visitors to our City, because without their generosity and financial assistance we would not be able to do what we do.
Funds raised are spent to ensure that …
- planned and committed projects are achieved
- we can meet immediate needs including individual and group requests that come in regularly
- we can contribute to emergency relief in our community and beyond
- we are able to initiate new / pro-active projects that are often inspired or initiated by members
Rotary Club of South Launceston fundraising includes:
Club Programs
Care for Africa
Care for Africa is a collective of like-minded volunteers including doctors, nurses, paramedics, builders, teachers, students and those passionate about development.
They are passionate about their work and committed to ensuring that all of the funds raised, their time and donations are put towards the communities in which they work.
They work with isolated communities in Tarime, in the Northern District of Tanzania, to deliver much needed health, education and water programs. They do this by utilising their skills to build capacity and deliver positive
outcomes to children, young people, women and men.
Their mission encourages philanthropic endeavour in the local community. Care for Africa began by encouraging the people of Launceston and Tasmania to be involved in positively impacting on the lives of those living in a developing country. They take pride in encouraging young people, Tasmanian’s and Australians to be a part of Care for Africa’s success.
Tanzania continues to be one of the poorest counties in the world. The Tarime District still functions with minimal foreign aid. The outlying rural communities Care for Africa works in are incredibly poor, many with little to no access to health care, only 30% teachers formally educated, and no access to safe clean water.
The community people exists as subsistence farmers with limited secondary industry or income.
If you would like to be a part of Care for Africa we would love to hear from you.
School Bursaries
Traditionally this Club has supported the following schools:
- Alex Szolomiak Memorial Art Bursary Award.
- Rotary Exceptional Diligence and Further Education Bursary Award
- Rotary Education Bursary Award (2 Awards)
- Rotary Encouragement Award for Further Education (2 Awards)
As part of our commitment to the students next tertiary year, our club provides a bursary to assist in meeting some of the costs for tuition, books, equipment or other project-related items.
Students are selected by the various schools to receive these Awards and the bursaries are given to them at their end of year presentation assembly.
Science & Engineering Challenge
science, engineering and technology. The concept is to immediately engage students in the activity with a minimum of introduction and theory.
Participating schools select their representative teams of between 24 and 32 students from Years 9 and 10. A total of eight different activities are set for each day, and each school allocates three or four students to each activity. The students are encouraged to explore scientific principles for themselves rather than being guided to a predetermined answer. Teams are divided into eight groups that compete in one full day or two half day activities.
Points are scored and tallied, and the winning school on that day qualifies for the Super Challenge (State Final), and may go on to the National Championships event (National Final). A competitive environment is created as representative school teams are pitted against each other and against the clock in a range of science and engineering tasks.
The Science and Engineering Challenge is an outreach program aimed at changing student’s perceptions of science and engineering. Through the Challenge, students experience aspects of these disciplines which they would not usually see in their school environment. The Challenge aims to inspire students in year 10 (and below) to consider a future career in science and engineering by choosing to study subjects such as maths, physics and chemistry (the enabling sciences) in years 11 and 12.
We have seen a significant growth in the Challenge since it commenced in Tasmania 12 years ago. In July 2015 there were 1125 students from 45 different schools 2017was the thirteenth year in Tasmania.
By participating in the Challenge students see that science and engineering involves creativity, innovation, problem solving and team work.
Places are limited to eight schools per day and will be allocated on a first-in basis.
Rotary Youth Driver Awareness
Rotary Yout
h Driver Awareness
RYDA is a series of practical and powerful workshops that aim to change the way young people think about road safety. As part of an interactive one-day experience, students experience high-speed braking, devise travel strategies that will work for them in the real world and get tips from road safety experts on how to protect themselves, their friends and family. Perhaps the most impactful moments come from the personal stories of loss and survival. In one session, students watch a powerful and emotional video on the life and tragic death of and 18 year old provisional driver and her best friend. And in another, they sit with a crash survivor and hear first-hand how one poor choice can change a life forever.
RYDA is designed for grade 10 students who are approaching that crucial time in their lives where they start to drive independently or are travelling as passengers of novice drivers.
How RYDA got started in Tasmania…..
In May 2006 incoming DG Lou Johnson approached South Launceston Rotarian Kevin Preece asking him to Chair the introduction one of several new District 9830 programs Lou was hoping to get off the ground during his year as District Governor.
Kevin liked the idea of a youth orientated project and chose to introduce the Rotary Youth Driver Awareness Program. The program had been developed by Rotarians in the District around North Sydney with a view to it becoming a national program.
Under the guidance of the RYDA Executive Officer at the time Ian Robertson and the help of fellow Rotarian Max Watkins a committee of Rotarians in the Launceston area was formed and a very successful pilot program was presented to 500 grade 10 students over 3 days at Symmons Plains Motor Racing Circuit. During the program many Rotarians from across Tasmania visited and observed the presentations and were so impressed that Kevin had strong support in setting up committees in Hobart and Devonport.
All of the committees have performed strongly since inception and in 2007 the program was conducted statewide, it has grown to the point that now every Grade 10 student in Tasmania has the opportunity to participate in the program which is subject to continuous upgrading and modification to maintain its relevance to youth road safety.
Rotary in Tasmania is very grateful to the Tasmanian Government and the Royal Automobile Club of Tasmania who have been major financial supporters of the program along with every Rotary Club in District 9830 who made financial contributions to the initial introduction of the program
Availability
Information available through your school
Location
Hobart, Launceston, Devonport, Burnie, Smithton and Queenstown programs
Rotary Youth Exchange Program
“An exchange is when a stranger becomes family, foreigners become friends, a second language becomes like your first and a year suddenly becomes a day.”
The Youth Exchange Program is an International exchange for young people between the ages of 15 and 18. The exchange is for a 12 month period during which time the student is hosted by three or four families, experiencing different lifestyles. Up to 15 students are exchanged each year
It is a reciprocal educational exchange, therefore students must attend school.
Spending time abroad as a Rotary Exchange Student is a great opportunity for students to experience a new culture, a new language, to be an ambassador for Rotary and Tasmania and to build lifelong friendships.
Inbound students arrive in July/August ; outbound students depart in January.
The Youth Exchange Program committee conducts three orientation days and camps to assist inbound students to become acclimatised and to prepare outbound students for their twelve months abroad.
The Rotary Youth Exchange Tassie group as they depart Hobart Airport
on a 3 week Aussie Safari in April 2018
Rotary Programs
End Polio Now
END POLIO NOW
Rotary, along with our partners, has reduced polio cases by 99.9 percent worldwide since our first project to vaccinate children in the Philippines in 1979. We are close to eradicating polio, but we need your help. Whether you have a few minutes or a few hours, here are some ways to make a global impact and protect children against polio forever.
Give – Rotarians have helped immunize more than 2.5 billion children against polio in 122 countries. For as little as $0.60, a child can be protected against this crippling disease for life.
Build Awareness – Help get the word out about our efforts to fight polio
Become an Advocate – Make sure policymakers know how important it is to eliminate polio.
Rotary Australia World Community Service (RAWCS)
Rotary Australia World Community Service Ltd. (RAWCS) is a limited company formed to support Australian Rotarians and Rotary Clubs in assisting disadvantaged communities and individuals with humanitarian aid projects. The company objective is to manage the Rotary Australia Overseas Aid Fund, Rotary Australia Benevolent Society and the Rotary Australia Relief Fund. To enable Rotarians, the public and the corporate sector to deliver humanitarian aid and charitable support through a range of projects including Rotarians Against Malaria, Donations In Kind and Australian Charitable Support. To facilitate Rotarians undertaking voluntary work, the Board has engaged professional support in the fields of information technology, communications and marketing and has established a staffed office to process the administrative, accounting and banking functions. RAWCS is not an emergency response organization, but rather looks to engage in sustainable, developmental or relief projects.
Australian Rotary Health (ARH)
Australian Rotary Health (ARH) is a national, not-for-profit organisation which funds health research and provides community education about health in Australia.
Australian Rotary Health (ARH) was founded in 1981 to provide support for research into the causes of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS).The organisation supports work on a broad range of health problems, but specialises in mental health. It is supported by Australian Rotary Clubs.
Supported by Rotarians Australian wide, Australian Rotary Health was soon in a position to sponsor health research in areas that did not readily attract funding. Today Australian Rotary Health is Australia’s largest non-government funding body of mental illness research and provides funding for research in many health related areas as well as scholarships to support aspiring students in areas such as indigenous health.
For more on Australian Rotary Health, visit: Australian Rotary Health
Supporting healthier minds, bodies and communities through research, awareness and education
Rotary Oceania Medical Aid for Children (ROMAC)
ROMAC has been in operation for over 25 years. Rotarians volunteer their time and expertise to run this Rotary program that encompasses all the Districts of Australia and New Zealand. Assisted by many eminent Australian and New Zealand surgeons who generously donate their time free for the treatment of our patients, this humanitarian program has provided over 400 children from more than 20 developing countries with urgent medical treatment that has given them new hope.
About ROMAC
ROMAC is the acronym for “Rotary Oceania Medical Aid for Children” and is a combined Australian and New Zealand initiative. It was commenced out of the actions of a single Rotarian in March, 1988, when a member of the Rotary Club of Kangaroo Flat in Victoria, visited Lambasa in Fiji with a group of Australian surgeons. He found the child mortality rate as high as 25% in some places, and quickly established that a major factor was the lack of medical and surgical facilities and skills available to children of those areas.
Rotary was challenged to assist an 18 year old Fijian girl whose right leg was threatened if immediate surgery was not performed. During the next four years eight children were brought to Australia by the Rotary Club of Kangaroo Flat for major, often life saving surgery. Soon 20 Rotary clubs were caught up in the success of each case and assisted in various ways.
ROMAC quickly went about harnessing assistance from medical experts, hospitals, nurses, physiotherapists, pathology and radiology services, airlines, sponsors and other supporters
National Youth Science Forum
National Youth Science Forum
This program is offered to all Tasmanian students with an interest in science who are entering year 12. This program is a unique opportunity for students to test drive careers and learn about study options in the fields of science, engineering and technology (STEM subjects).
Successful students will be offered a place in the well established 12-day NYSF program in Canberra, in January.
Students apply on-line @ nysf.edu.au by 31st May, and then approach the Rotary Club aligned to their school for nomination for district selection in August.
Rotary Youth Leadership Awards
Do you have what it takes to become a dynamic leader and change not only yourself but the world?
Rotary Youth Leadership Awards (RYLA) is an intensive leadership experience organised by Rotary clubs and districts where you develop your skills as a leader while having fun and making connections.
What are the benefits?
Connect with leaders in your community and around the world to:
- Build communication and problem-solving skills
- Discover strategies for becoming a dynamic leader in your school or community
- Learn from community leaders, inspirational speakers, and peer mentors
- Unlock your potential to turn motivation into action
- Have fun and form lasting friendships
What’s involved?
RYLA is organised in Tasmania by a dedicated committee of past RYLArians and Rotarians for participants ages 18-30. RYLA is a week long camp, including presentations, activities, and workshops covering a variety of topics.
RYLA is for young adults to hone their leadership potential, for university students to develop creative problem-solving strategies, or for young professionals to learn ethical business practices.
How can I get involved?
RYLA participants are nominated by local Rotary clubs. The Rotary Club of South Launceston supports the development of future leaders and believes this is more important than ever. To find out more about RYLA events in your area, how to apply, and any costs of getting involved contact Rotary Youth Leadership Awards District Director Jenny Simms