Stories
Two days ago, on the 28th March 2024, our club had its final event recognising all our members, their partners and some special people who have generously and consistently given their time to our causes and events. All were honoured with a Rotary Paul Harris Fellow recognition pin. This was a bittersweet but memorable way to draw the curtain on our 95-year history. A final message from President Toni Field: On the 31st December 2023, The Rotary Club of North Sydney ceased to be. There are many reasons for this decision taken over a year of discussion and debate. Although this seems to have been a drastic decision, the opposite is true. A club can only survive and carry out the community expectations if there is a vigorous membership and unfortunately, membership has been declining over the past years. With an aging but loyal membership it has been difficult to service our community as Rotary demands. As a luncheon meeting, many young persons are not able to attend, and evening meetings did not suit our older members. Joining surrounding clubs was not viable either. So, a difficult decision needed to be made. Now that the decision is made, we can look back on a fabulous 95 years and revel in all the wonderful fundraising activities and most important the fellowship that attracted so many to our club. The remaining 14 members will continue this fellowship with occasional lunches, and we will share the past and its achievements. Thank you to all who have supported the club over many years... North Sydney Council, Norths Club Cammeray, state and federal MPs and the general community who have given their time and funds so that we could finance many projects locally and overseas. The Crows Nest Markets... a jewel in our crown will continue under the Rotary Club of North Sydney Sunrise and you may see some of us there assisting still! So, the 95-year-old Rotary Club of North Sydney sends best wishes to all our friends and au revoir. Toni Field OAM Past President 2023 |
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Tree of Joy 2023Rotary Club of North Sydney invites you to our final 'Tree of Joy' event! Together with our partner venues and charities, we are more determined than ever to spread joy this Christmas. To find out how you can get involved this year CLICK THE PICTURE BELOW Or see some photos of us below collecting toys to be sorted and given to our selected charities! |
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Christmas Lunch at The Alcott 2023This year, our Christmas Lunch had all the warmth, fellowship and fun of the upcoming festive season. Current and past members came together over a lovely meal at The Alcott in Lane Cove; a nice and relaxed venue change from recent Christmases. A special Christmas gift - a USB drive containing photos from the all the club's projects and events over the years - was given to all who were present. This gift is an enduring reminder of all the club's achievements and fellowship over its 95-year life. A very memorable, Merry Christmas for our members! More photos below!
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BBQ at Greenway Apartments 2023Once again, Rotary Club of North Sydney put on a scrumptious Christmas BBQ for the residents of Greenway Apartments at Milsons Point. This time in partnership with the North Sydney Sunrise club. |
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End Polio Train RideDear members and friends, The past month has been a busy time for Rotary. October was Polio month and Sam, Jiji and I met the Ride for Polio Train at North Sydney and literally jumped on carriage 4! |
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Malama Maui Project 2023-2024Supporting and rebuilding Maui (Matthew Thayer/The Maui News via AP) On August 8th, winds from Hurricane (turned Typhoon) Dora whipped up ferocious wildfires which tore through the Hawaiian island of Maui. These wildfires were the deadliest in US history in over a century. They are estimated to have caused US$6 billion in damage destroying nearly 3000 structures including homes, businesses, and sacred Native Hawaiian sites, and bringing down critical infrastructure. There were no warnings for the thousands of people who fled for their lives being chased by fires moving a mile per minute (~100km/h). |
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Rotary North Sydney Citizenship Certificate 2023Message from President Toni: I attended the Year 12 Graduation at Monte Sant' Angelo Mercy College school where the ROTARY CLUB OF NORTH SYDNEY Citizenship Certificate was presented to Katilan Ko for excelling in Community Service. Well done Katilan! |
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Celebrating 95 years of Rotary Club of North Sydney |
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Our Club turns 95! |
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Changeover 2023 - Steering the ship once moreOn 6th July 2023, President Geoff handed the baton over to PP Toni Field as our club faces some serious considerations about its future. Although there are challenges ahead, we continue to do projects within the community and around the world as we always have done. At the Changeover, we celebrated what we have achieved and savoured our Rotary friendships with partners and long-time friends of the club. |
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Pig on a Spit Report
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President Geoff's Australia Day DinnerMessage from President Geoff: Last Thursday night was the President’s Australia Day Dinner at Milsons Point. I was in charge of weather and food which I got right but not the fireworks. Turns out the fireworks were all fired off on the eastern side of the bridge this year. Sorry Kai. I’ll be speaking to whoever was left in charge of crackers about next year. I think everyone had a wonderful night and generally commented that we should do it more often. |
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Pig-On-A-Spit for PNG |
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The PNG Desk Project 2022-2023One project, Three groups - Improving lives in Papua New Guinea Last year, during our (COVID-19) ‘Jabs for PNG’ project, our International Service Team learnt much about the issues people in Papua New Guinea face. For this 2022-2023 Rotary year, we decided to explore and identify other community needs where we could further our support. |
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BBQ at Greenway Apartments 2022In November 2022, Chris Ireland, a professional photographer, came to share his passion project with our club. Chris aims to publish a book of photos and stories of the people living in the Greenway social housing block in Milsons Point. Through sales of his book, he hoped to raise funds for the Greenway community and enhance their well-being. Read more to see how we spread Christmas cheer for the folks at Greenway. |
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Tree of JoyAs Christmas approaches each year, our Rotary members begin preparations for our annual Tree of Joy event. This special event gives everyone in the community a chance to share the gift of Christmas with those who wouldn’t otherwise get to experience it. |
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Tree of Joy 2022 |
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Crows Nest MarketCome join the fun! The Rotary Market At Crows Nest is held on the third Saturday of each month from 9:00am till 4:00pm and has up to 50 stalls including arts, crafts, giftware, toys, jewellery, homewares, jams & condiments and more. Organised by Rotary Club of North Sydney Where to find the Crows Nest Market: Crows Nest Community Centre 2 Ernest Place, Crows Nest NSW 2065 Australia For Crows Nest Market stall bookings: Click here to download our booking form. |
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Salvos Red Shield Appeal 2021This year, our Club (along with Rotary Crows Nest & Rotary North Sydney Sunrise) was happily involved again in the Salvo's Red Shield Doorknock Appeal for the North Sydney area. The day ran like clockwork & we raised >$33,300!! |
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100 Years of Rotary CelebrationIt’s a special time! THIS YEAR Rotary in Australia and NZ celebrates it's first 100 YEARS OF SERVICE! |
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Chinese Banquet Luncheon - Contact-less Hand Wash Stations for Nepal |
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St Patrick's Day LuncheonOur St Patrick's Day lunch last month was a great success! We thoroughly enjoyed singing Irish songs, eating pie & peas, drinking Guinness, sharing an Irish blessing or two, making shamrocks*, all while raising valuable funds for the Black Dog Institute, in the fight against teenage suicide. |
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Supporting Nepal's COVID-19 Response 2020-2021Helping a Country Fight a Pandemic Since 2020, Nepal has been in the grips of the COVID-19 pandemic. The virus is spreading at an alarming speed throughout the country. Photo by Sulav Shrestha/Xinhua |
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Changeover 2020 - A New Year Brings New LeadershipMessage from President Toni Field: Our ChangeOver luncheon was well attended on the 23rd of July. Thank you to everyone for your support. It was, even under the circumstances a very enjoyable time... |
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Video Update from BeyondWaterDue to the Covid-19 pandemic, our project partners Sharon and Peter Crean from BeyondWater were not able to return to Kenya to put the finishing touches on the project and complete the hygiene education to the school community. This is an update they provided while in lockdown. Towards the end of the video, owner of the Kirantos Sunshine Primary School, Daniel Nabaala Kiranto, thanks us as he shows water gushing from the taps of the catchment system we built for them - a heartwarming visual. |
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Balloons, Hippos & a Banquet fit for a King!Last Saturday, Rotary Club of North Sydney International Team put on a luncheon at King Dynasty Restaurant Chatswood for our Water Catchment for Kids in Kenya Project. Almost 80 people, including Trent Zimmerman MP Member for North Sydney, fellow Rotarians, friends and family, came to support us and filled the room with a wonderful atmosphere. From the moment people walked in the door, many already spotted the array of colourful African artisanal handicrafts in our Market Corner. This also set off our Fern Valley Ranch marmalade and honey sales well before the luncheon kicked off! |
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Chinese Banquet Luncheon - Water for Kids in Kenya |
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Water Catchment System Kenya 2019-2020
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Crows Nest Markets this Saturday!🌺🌻SPRING HAS SPRUNG AGAIN!!!🌻🌺 Rotary North Sydney's "CROWS NEST MARKETS" is on TOMORROW at Ernest Place, Crows Nest 8am-3pmish!! 🐷 🐮🐴 ALL Rotary PROFITS GO DIRECTLY TO OUR FARMERS 🐑🐔🐮 *Have a relaxing lunch, coffee or gelato! |
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Nominate your favourite North Shore businessIf you know a local North Shore business that you think deserves recognition, why not nominate them for a Local Business Award? Sponsored by the Rotary Club of North Sydney, together with Service NSW and BxNetworking for Business, this prestigious award will showcase their business and its strengths, promote their range of products and services, and increase their exposure in the local community while celebrating their excellence and quality. Voting closes 10th September 2019 Gala Presentation Evening 6th November 2019 |
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Pride of Workmanship AwardsThe “Pride of Workmanship” concept was instigated in Australia by our very own Rotary District in 1975. It was designed to encourage more pride by Australians in their vocations. Owing to its theme: "Do it once, do it well, build a better Australia", and its dedicated presentation ceremony, Pride of Workmanship Awards Nights have strengthened the connection between Rotary clubs and local business communities across the country, and around the world. In 2019, our Rotary Club of North Sydney held a combined Awards Night with the Rotary Club of Crows Nest, Lane Cove, and North Sydney Sunrise at the Northbridge Golf Club. Throughout the night we witnessed the recognition of ordinary people doing extraordinary things. |
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Invitation to Pride of Workmanship Awards 2019Join us for our Pride of Workmanship Awards Night where we award those in our Business Community worthy of the recognition: "Do it once - do it well"! Nominees of the Pride of Workmanship program are presented with a trophy in recognition of their achievements. This event will be held at: Venue: Northbridge Golf Club Date: 17th June 2019 Time: 7pm for a 7:30pm start.
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Welcoming our new member Toni!We recently had the pleasure of inducting Toni Field into our Club. Being the better half of Rotarian David Field, she has been a friend of Rotary and connected with our Club for many years and now has more time to devote to "Service Above Self" in her own right. A warm welcome to Toni! |
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RotarACT North Sydney's First Meeting!The Rotary Club of North Sydney is proud to support the new: Rotaract Club of North Sydney Come along to the first meeting for future leaders 18-35yo and see where RotarACT can take you! |
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Rotaract: Call to Young LeadersIf you're 18 to 30 years old... If you've been looking for a place to volunteer your time... If you're interested in developing your professional skills While making an impact on the world's greatest challenges... This is for YOU. Rotaract is a global organisation that empowers students and young professionals to create positive change in their local communities and around the world. Come and meet with people just like you who want to make a difference. |
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End Child Slavery Fundraiser LuncheonWe hope those of you who came to our Chinese Banquet Luncheon for End Child Slavery had a great time! Many of you have told us that the food at the King Dynasty Restaurant that day was excellent and we would have to agree! Thanks to all the generous people who came, who donated, who supported us in the raffle, the auction or in our Market Corner shop! Because of you, our luncheon was able to raise over $7,000 for Destiny Rescue!!! That’s 4 more child rescues! This brings our total raised to date to over $12,000 which is equivalent to 8 rescues!! Thanks for a great day everyone! Here are some photos from the day:
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Our Club 90th Birthday Celebrations!Join us as we celebrate our 90th birthday. With our special guest speaker, Alan Jones AO, this is sure to be a memorable day! |
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Chinese Banquet Luncheon for End Child SlaveryThe Rotary Club of North Sydney invites you to a pre-Father's Day Chinese Banquet Luncheon to help End Child Slavery! SBS Dateline recently featured a story on how Destiny Rescue works in Southeast Asia to rescue children from a life of slavery and exploitation. (Watch: "How to Catch a Pimp"). Every $1500 we raise gives them the necessary funds to rescue a child and continue this important work. See the brochure below for our luncheon details and come along! OR better still get a group of family and friends and celebrate together! We can do something to give a child the freedom of a new destiny; hope you can help! |
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Salvation Army Red Shield AppealEach year, in significant and important ways, the Rotary Club of North Sydney has supported the Salvation Army Red Shield Doorknocking Appeal in the North Sydney Area. The Appeal is co-ordinated by the Rotary Club of North Sydney in partnership with the Rotary Club of Crows Nest and North Sydney Sunrise. We have especially valued the active participation of ACU in the partnership. An observer remark: “A big activity like this is amazingly orderly, the Club has been well prepared. The enthusiasm of the collectors from the local schools and Club volunteers make the day enjoyable and successful.” |
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Sailability Middle Harbour Competes 2018Over the recent Easter Weekend two sailors from Sailability Middle Harbour competed in the Hansa Class 303 National Championships held at the Kogarah Bay Sailing Club - the first time we have competed in such an event. With only minimal preparation, and the encouragement and coaching from Middle Harbour Sailing Manager David Stalley, Tash Garrity and Chester Bendall surprised the critics with Tash coming second in the two person division and Chester a credible 20th in the solo division. |
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Science and Engineering Challenge 2018The Science and Engineering Challenge is a youth program created and run by the University of Newcastle in partnership with communities, Rotary clubs, universities and sponsors. It is designed to inspire Year 10 students to choose a future in science and engineering when considering their subjects for their final two years of high school. This year the challenge was held on 19– 23 March, 2018 at Sydney Olympic Park . North Sydney Rotarians Geoff, Tony and Philip volunteered their time at this national event and were assigned to supervise teams in the ‘Catapult Challenge’! After constructing their swing-arm catapult out of dowel, students gained points for length and accuracy of the flight of their projectile. |
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Tree of Joy "Thank You" Luncheon 2018Our Club hosted representatives from the organizations which so generously participated in the ‘Tree of Joy’ activities leading up to last Christmas. Nearly 3000 gifts were collected. These donated gifts were distributed to: Wesley Mission, Salvation Army, Children’s Hospital, Exodus Foundation and the Wayside Chapel. All of whom were extremely grateful for the generosity of the public and the work done by our club.
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Christmas Lunch at Norths 2017A very enjoyable Christmas Lunch Meeting was held at Norths for our last meeting in the calendar year. It was great to see the many friends who joined us for this special occasion. Excellent fellowship was enjoyed and Norths served generous portions of the special Christmas fare we had organized. |
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Senior's Christmas Party 2017 |
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Seniors Christmas Party 2016This year we held our Senior's Christmas Party again for more than 150 seniors. Our guests are picked up by members of our club or by bus and brought to The Crows Nest Community Centre where they have a wonderful lunch cooked by the staff of Billy Blue. |
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Seniors Christmas PartyEvery year we hold our Senior's Christmas Party for more than 150 seniors. Our guests are picked up by members of our club or by bus and brought to The Crows Nest Community Centre where they have a wonderful lunch cooked by the staff of Billy Blue. |
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Qinghai Women's Health Project 2013-2014 |
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Pride of Workmanship Awards 2017Each year Rotary Club of North Sydney holds its Pride of Workmanship Awards. The Awards acknowledge the achievements of Local Businesses and Employees exhibiting outstanding service and are based on the candidate's work ethic, attitude, performance, responsibility and commitment to their position in their enterprise. This year, a very pleasant Awards evening was had at Northbridge Golf Club on Thursday 16th November when our club joined forces with Crows Nest Rotary Club and Rotary Club of North Sydney Sunrise. Two Nominees from each club meant that there were a total of 6 awardees being presented which made for a splendid evening. |
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Farewell Tammy 2017This week we farewelled our Club Secretary Tammy Chu. Tammy and her husband Ron, are moving back to Boston as Ron finishes up his work here. PP Denis warmly presented Tammy with an Aboriginal art piece - a parting gift from our members, and Samantha and Jiji also presented her with a Rotary cap - a small memento from the International Service team. |
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End Child Slavery Project 2017-2019Supporting Destiny Rescue's International Efforts In our world today, it is sad to know that there are an estimated 40 million people living in slavery. An even sadder fact is that a quarter of these are children. Destiny Rescue is an organisation that is standing out as a beacon of hope to the millions of children who are trafficked or trapped in sexual exploitation. Their rescues often involve gaining trust with the enslaved children and partnering with anti-trafficking police to gather intelligence and facilitate raids of brothels. But these rescues are just the beginning of a series of activities this organisation is committed to. Destiny Rescue’s efforts also extend to rehabilitating rescued children and empowering them, or their families, to create a new destiny for themselves. This last two Rotary years 2017-2019, in support of Destiny Rescue’s courageous, relentless and commendable efforts, our International Service team have created a project to raise funds dedicated to child rescues. Every $1500 raised means a child rescued from a life of slavery. |
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Changeover 2017-2018Our President’s Message Dear fellow Rotarians, firstly thank you for the confidence and trust in me to serve you as your president for the coming year. By all appearances we had a very successful club changeover at the Northbridge Golf Club and I trust that those who attended had an enjoyable evening. The occasion was made special by the attendance of our new District Governor Peter Ward as well as that of Past District Governor Bruce Allen. The Mayor of North Sydney Jilly Gibson, a great friend of the club, was also a guest and so was the new MP for North Shore, Felicity Wilson. A special mention must go to our Master of Ceremony Tom Sweeney who was a class act and added much to the enjoyment of the evening. |
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Computer Education Project 2016-2017Our Computer Education project strived to enhance educational opportunities for international communities in need with a special emphasis on girls. Rotarians Tammy Chu and Anna Barletta have completed the implementation and training in Dili, Timor-Leste. |
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Youth ServicesNorth Sydney Rotary has dedicated itself during this year to several successful Youth Service Projects in assisting young, aspiring Australians to achieve remarkable experiences.
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Benevolent Fund The Benevolent Fund is the vehicle through which the Club financially supports many projects in Australia and overseas, requesting assistance. These include local social welfare, community activities and indigenous education. Overseas projects such as education and health are also supported. Donations by the general community, corporations and individuals alike are most welcome. You may wish to make a donation to a specific cause the Club is supporting, or make a general donation where the trustees will allocate your donation to a current project.. Donations may be made directly to the Benevolent Fund of the Rotary Club of North Sydney, PO Box 674, North Sydney 2059 or by means of a Direct Bank Transfer. When you make a donation by bank transfer, please include your name in the reference section so we can identify your donation. Please also email a confirmation of your donation to the Chair of the Fund to jt@zeta.org.au with the name of the cause you are supporting (if any). The account details are: Account Name: RC of NS Benevolent Fund BSB: 182 222 Account Number: 117520486 Donations to the Benevolent Fund are tax deductible. |
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Rotarians having a blast with the cows: Jenny, Ross and Silvio |
Triple Care Farm
Rotarians Jenny Thomas, Ross Waugh, Kevin Thomas, Denis & Jan Booth attended the ground breaking ceremony of a new detox facility to be constructed at Triple Care Farm, Robertson NSW. The Rotary Club of North Sydney has had a long association with the Sir David Martin Foundation through Lady Susie Martin (an Honorary member of our Rotary Club). Triple Care Farm is an award winning residential rehabilitation program run by Mission Australia for young people aged 16-24 years.
The formal ceremony included Federal & State politicians and representatives of Sir David Martin Foundation and Mission Australia.
Day at the Farm for Timor Leste
Computer Education 2016-2017
Seniors Christmas in July 2016
Changeover 2016-2017
Photos from Peking Duck Luncheon for Nepal
Peking Duck Luncheon for Nepal Reconstruction
Tree of Joy - Christmas 2015
About Us
The Rotary Club of North Sydney is one of the foundation clubs in Australia. It was chartered on 16 August 1928 and was then only the third Rotary Club to be chartered in the waratah state. But just because we're an old club doesn't mean we're not active! That's why we're also the longest standing club in our District (9685), which embraces the northern suburbs of Sydney.
There's a lot going on at our club including local projects and activities that serve to improve life in local communities, as well as international projects that expand Rotary's humanitarian reach around the globe. We also embrace the business community with vocational service activities, and support and stimulate youth in our communities to achieve their life potentials. Check out our Club Projects to see what causes we've been involved in.
Our members come together the first Thursday of every month for lunch at the North Sydney Leagues Club located just up Miller Street from the North Sydney CBD. All visitors are welcome to join our meetings and, in particular, those that are interested in learning more about Rotary and experiencing an hour in the life of a Rotarian. Come and see what we're all about!
What is Rotary?
Benefits of Joining Rotary
Our History
Welcome to the Rotary Club of North Sydney
Senior's Christmas Party 2015
Sailability Middle Harbour
Latest News
Rotary International has more than 1.2 million members in 33,000 clubs worldwide. Rotary club members are volunteers who work locally,regionally, and internationally to combat hunger, improve health and sanitation, provide education and job training, promote peace, and eradicate polio under the motto Service Above Self.
Here are some of the ways we put that motto into action. Also see our Facebook page for more updates on our activities!