Rotary Club of Crows Nest, Sydney, Australia

29/10/2025

Last Sunday, Rotary Crows Nest directly supported the Marys House Walk against Domestic and Family Violence which has raised over $200k already.

Federal MP Nicolette Boele, State MP Felicity Wilson and Mayor of Willoughby Tanya Taylor and Mosman, Ann Marie Kimber all commented on how wonderful it was to have the fabric of our community, Rotary, there to support the event.

More than 1350 people walked on the day, more than 500 more than last year. The depth of the community was visible from young school students to the oldest walker in their 90's.

Rotary supports the community in various ways throughout the year. If you’d be interested in making some new friends, networking with people from a wide range of careers and lifestyles, and getting involved in community activities, find out more at https://www.crowsnestrotary.org.au/

27/10/2025

Thanks to everyone who dropped by the Rotary stall at last weeks fabulous Crows Nest Festival. And to all of you who expressed interest in joining Rotary, we’ll be in touch.

If you are looking for an opportunity to meet new people, get involved in local projects and even overseas ones, find out more at https://www.crowsnestrotary.org.au/

26/10/2025

Great article from Medibank on the benefits of volunteering.

https://www.medibank.com.au/livebetter/be-magazine/wellbeing/the-many-benefits-of-volunteering/

If you’re looking for an opportunity to get to know some interesting people and do good things for the local community, come join Rotary Crows Nest. Find us via Google.

When you volunteer, the good doesn't stop there. Research has found that those who give their time for something are usually happier and healthier than those who don’t.

01/10/2025

Rotary Crows Nest will have a stand at the upcoming Crows Nest Festival on Sunday 19th October.
If you’re interested in finding out more or joining the club, please come along and have a chat.

GET READY! SEE YOU SUN 19 OCT! Crows Nest Mainstreet is thrilled to announce Crows Nest Fest 2025, happening on Sunday, 19 October, from 10am-5pm! With an expanded footprint around the new Crows Nest METRO, this highly anticipated festival will welcome over 50,000 attendees and feature 200 stalls fo...

16/09/2025

Here’s a recent speech in the NSW Parliament by Felicity Wilson LP, Member for North Shore | Shadow Minister for Aboriginal Affairs

North Shore Rotary Clubs: A Tribute

I want to recognize the three fantastic Rotary clubs in the North Shore area: Mosman, Crows Nest, and North Sydney Sunrise. Rotary is a global movement of 1.4 million people who see a need and step up to help. It's a calling for many in my electorate, and their work, both locally and internationally, shows the power of collective goodwill.

Recently, the local clubs celebrated their annual changeover dinners, which honor new leadership and the contributions of their members. These events are always filled with warmth and community pride.

Rotary Club of Mosman

This club continues to have a profound impact, both at home and abroad. Congratulations to the incoming 2025-26 board: Richard Vahtrick, Dominique Rabu, Derek Andrew, Ruth Thompson, Halyna Koscharsky, David Fergusson, Rabinderpal Gill, Barry Starr, Brian Owles, Shirley Owles, Graham Robinson, Di McKenzie-Rabu, Mark Wallis, and Therese Webb.

The Mosman Rotary Club's creative fundraising, including their Christmas and Mother’s Day raffles, supports a wide range of causes. These include:

Mary's House, which helps those affected by family violence.

Oneland, which supports children in remote communities.

The Rotary Youth Exchange, which provides students with life-changing experiences.

They have also extended their compassion internationally by providing aid to injured servicemen in Ukraine and supporting hand surgery training in Vietnam.

Rotary Club of Crows Nest

Though modest in size with just over 20 members, this club is known for "punching well above its weight." Congratulations to the 2025-26 board: Mark Staples, Gloria Bailen, Owen Houston, Louise Steblina, Angelo Raveane, Adrienne St Clair, George Condell, Ross Gugliotti, and Tom Sweeney, OAM.

This year's changeover dinner honored three outstanding members:

Incoming president Mark Staples received the Cyril Clark Club Rotarian Award.

Louise Steblina was named a Paul Harris Fellow.

Bill Lee was celebrated for 50 years of extraordinary service.

The club's major projects include:

D-Caf at the Crows Nest Centre, which supports people with dementia.

The Tree of Joy and the Rotary Youth Leadership Awards.

Ongoing support for Mary's House and the Crows Nest Community Centre.

Their much-loved Christmas carols in Crows Nest.

Their donations are climbing again, already above $30,000, with every dollar reflecting the hard work and love of people who care deeply about the well-being of others.

Rotary Club of North Sydney Sunrise

I am proud to be a member of this small but diverse group. Congratulations to the 2025 board: Ken Preshaw, Andrew Harvey, Don Napper, Iain Clark, Allan Coates, Patricia Veale, Cathie Glinka, Trent Zimmerman, Greg Blainey, and Stephen Bool.

Our main fundraising event is the annual World Festival of Magic, which raises funds to support community organizations like StreetWork, Royal Far West, and Books in Homes. We also contribute to Australian Rotary Health and global efforts like polio eradication.

The Rotary clubs of Mosman, Crows Nest, and North Sydney Sunrise truly embody the spirit of "service above self." I thank all their members—past, present, and future—who give so much of themselves quietly and humbly, yet with an extraordinary impact. I wish all the new and returning board members the best for the year ahead and look forward to seeing their continued contributions.

12/09/2025

Welcome to Rotary Club Crows Nest. Want to know more, watch this video and come join us!

25/08/2025

25/08/2025

We had a very impactful presentation by Sarah Parker and Gail Staples from Freedom Hub. Modern slavery is more common in Australia than realized. It is estimated that there are 41,000 people in slavery and this count goes up by 22 daily. Freedom Hub has been instrumental in initiating programs to end slavery in Australia and were significant advocates for the development and implementation of the Modern Slavery Act.

Freedom Hub’s mission to end slavery in Australia; help people who have experienced this crime recover and partner in the fight to end global slavery.
This survivor-informed and survivor-led organisation runs a survivor school to provide survivors long-term wrap-around support by offering personalised classes to assist in recovering and courses to help them become ready to work. There is a Peer Support Program providing activities, workshops, community building and recreational sports. Sarah and Gail mentioned the success stories with many survivors becoming trained and independent. In the past 10 years:
75% of survivors entered work or education within 12 months
Trained over 400 businesses to reduce the risk of modern slavery
Reached 250,000+ people across Australia through education and events.
Sarah and Gail and the Freedom Hub organization acknowledge that community and corporate support are required to achieve their goals. They are seeing progress– especially with the business partnerships. This was an informative presentation and gave Rotary Crows Nest an insight into modern slavery in Australia.

If you’re interested in finding out and getting involved in initiatives like this, we welcome new members into the Rotary Club Crows Nest. Follow the link to find out more. https://www.crowsnestrotary.org.au

30/07/2025

Rotary Club Crows Nest will have a 'Rotary Stand' at the Cammeray school's Art Fair on Sunday August 10th 10am til 4pm.

Like the Crows Nest Fair, this is a great opportunity to let people in the community know what we are about and what we are doing.

20/07/2025

Changeover dinner

This year the Club’s changeover dinner was held at Lees Fortuna Court; Crows Nest and it was a wonderful success. There was a great turnout of members, family, friends and Club guests and Presidents from Lane Cove, Roseville and Chatswood. As well, two past District Governors - Harold Sharp and Gina Growden were also in attendance.

The evening was a wonderful community of great energy, laughter and comradery. The speeches, toasts and stories showed the incredible strength of the Rotary family. Our new board members were also formally introduced - showing strong continuity.

Changeover dinner- Awards

Two well deserving club members were recognised for their outstanding contribution to the club: Incoming President Mark Staples was awarded the Cyril Clark Award and Louise Steblina received the Paul Haris Fellow award.

The Cyril Clarke award is a special, perpetual award in Cyril's name. It recognises exceptional members of our club who have shown the same dedication and commitment to the ideals of Rotary that Cyril embodied. Mark is a past president of our club and currently sits on the board. Since his joining he has been involved in all our club events, projects and fund raising. Mark has been recognised by our club over the years with a number of Paul Harris recognitions. Mark is an integral member of our club.


Louise is a relatively new Rotarian of only a few years but has been involved in all things rotary from day one. From attending the rotary leadership institute learning program on joining, attending district assemblies, participating in all club projects, now a board member, collaborating with other clubs on projects and brought many new ideas, projects and connections to our club.

17/07/2025

An easy fundraiser for your Aussie club, group or organisation. A$2 and A$5 raffle tickets.

12/07/2025

Well done to all who worked on the sausage sizzle at Bunnings last Saturday.
Louise got a few pics of a very happy customer 😃

09/07/2025

To start NAIDOC week, Rotary Crows Nest was invited to view the major projects done by students of Cameraygal High School.

Their teacher, Jesse Coulson, was sponsored by our club to do an immersive study in FNQ and gave us a wonderful talk following.

The 11 students presented works that showed great thought and maturity. Local elders helped mentor the students to give them further understanding of their chosen topics. We explored each project and the students were very engaging and enthusiastic explaining how they completed their work. The works included a cook book for bush Tucker, a walking tour of Berry Island, a novel for teenagers, and a garden using aboriginal traditional medicine.

We look forward to what these students will be achieving in the future.