Rotary Club of Coonabarabran Inc

 

WELCOME TO THE ROTARY CLUB OF COONABARABRAN IN D9660!

 

We are a happy and busy club where good humour and good works intermingle in equal parts.  There are currently 24 members (plus 2 greatly valued Honorary members) from a diverse range of vocations and occupations.

 

Chartered in May 1949, it has been held in high esteem by the community throughout its 73 year history.   We provide support for various groups and individuals, and undertake significant projects to enhance the lives of everyone.

 

At the moment, one of our most important fund raisers is our Book Shop.  It is situated in Cassilis Street in Coonabarabran and is open on Mondays to Fridays from 9.30am to 5pm, and on Saturdays from 9am to midday.  It is run voluntarily by Rotarians, their partners and community ‘friends’.  There are literally thousands of second hand books available of all kinds.  You are welcome to come and browse, and to ask any questions you might have about the work of Rotary.

 

We also have an excellent catering trailer, and use it to provide a BBQ service at many events in the area.  Examples of these include the Open Day at Siding Spring Observatories, the annual Coonabarabran Cup Race days, and the North West Equestrian Expo. This also raises money which goes back into the community.

 

We have a long history of involvement in the Student Exchange program, going back to 1969.  Since then over 40 students have been hosted, and over 40 sponsored as outbounders. 

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We were also long term supporters of the Group Study Exchange program.  Recent team members from Coonabarabran include Kathryn Weatherall (Denmark 2016), Sebastian Knight (Germany 2017) and Nicola Brookhouse (Uganda 2018). Our member Aileen Bell was leader of the team to Germany in 2017. The VTT (Vocational Training Team) Program which has replaced it has not yet developed in this District.

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Club members have participated in a number of overseas projects in recent years. A whole team travelled to Vanuatu to work on a school building project at Port Resolution, Ian McLean went to PNG to work on an AIDS clinic at the Kokoda hospital, as did Robert Cox, and Ian Klein and Hugh Raadgever worked on a Malaria nets project in Timor Leste, distributing educational kits in the process.