From the Newsroom

Clarence Valley resident Annabel Dungey was welcomed to Germany during the 2024 Youth Exchange Program through Grafton Rotary Club. She was one of several local students to participate in the program last year. Image: contributed

Grafton Rotary Club celebrate a successful 2024

The Grafton Branch of Rotary International celebrated a very successful year in 2024, winding up with the Annual General Meeting (AGM) on December 9, and Christmas celebrations at Roches Family Hotel on December 16.

Highlights for the year included the Golf Day in September which is the Grafton Rotary Club’s major fund-raising event.

Thanks to the generosity of sponsors and supporters, over $5000 was raised.

Grant and Karin Heeley worked especially hard organising the day and establishing templates for a successful Golf Day in 2025.

There were a number of barbecues catering for local events, including the Science Night at the PCYC and the Roads and Maritime Services (RMS) Road Safety Day at Market Square.

Led by Richard and Heather Pryor, the barbecue team did a great cook-up.

The community walk, ‘Say No to Domestic and Family Violence’ held on November 26, was supported by the Rotary Clubs of Grafton and attracted a keen following, many walkers wearing the signature purple shirts.

These shirts are also worn on ‘Purple Shirt Fridays’ supported by many local businesses.

The clubs are also aiding development of healthy relationship programmes for both primary and secondary students and provision of a kit of information for businesses.

Grafton Rotary Club has a particular focus on fostering young people through Rotary Youth Leadership Awards (RYLA) and Rotary Youth Exchange (RYE) programmes, led by hard working Youth Director for the club, Annie Lydon.

The Youth Exchange Program sponsors high school students aged between 15-19 to live and study overseas for up to 12 months.

It is an extremely well organised program and arranges exchanges through Rotary Clubs in over 100 countries.

In 2025, four Rotary exchange students from Germany, Italy, and Japan are attending high schools in Grafton and Maclean, and in 2024, three students from Grafton High School lived and studied overseas: Annabel Dungey who travelled to Germany, Cody Lamberth to Japan, and McKenna Wearing to Brazil.

All three Grafton students loved their time overseas, met wonderful hospitable people, made friends from around the world, learned the language of their host countries, and enjoyed cultural immersion and wonderful adventures.

They all plan to return sometime to their host countries and to expand their travels.

All have host families that hope to visit Australia.

The experiences of our exchange students, incoming and outbound, enlarge our circle of international friendships, enrich their lives and by association, and enrich the lives of us all. Grafton Rotary Club invites interested students and their families to contact the Club through Secretary Matt Chapman at secretary@graftonrotaryclub.com.au

Editorial kindly contributed by Jo Wearing on behalf of the Grafton Rotary Club.

 

Jo Wearing