Welcome To The Rotary Club of Tamworth West Inc.

General Welcome.

What is Rotary? Rotary is an organisation of business and professional people united worldwide to provide humanitarian service, encourage high ethical standards in all vocations and help build peace and goodwill in the world. Rotary’s aim is to make the world a better place for those less fortunate than ourselves.

Rotary Club of Tamworth West is fortunate to have a sound and diverse active membership of some 70 plus members. These members are united in their dedication to raising funds and providing services to assist and help those in the local and surrounding communities less fortunate than themselves.

To this end Rotary Club of Tamworth West organises and participates in a number of local projects and fundraising services including, Midnight Basketball, Shannons Classic Motor Show and The Art Show. Funds raised are contributed toward many local and national causes including Youth Insearch, Billabong Clubhouse and Royal Far West to name a few.

As part of the process of serving the community the Club also fosters a great deal of fellowship within those members participating in the services and fundraising projects undertaken. The Club meets every Monday at 6:30 pm at the West Tamworth Bowling Club where members partake in an enjoyable evening which generally includes a meal, fellowship, volunteering for projects and tasks for the coming week/s and an interesting speaker from outside of the Club. Lifelong friendships are made within the organisation of Rotary.

Club History

In 2006 Rotary Club of Tamworth West celebrated 50 years of service to the Tamworth Community. In recognition of this milestone Club Members Bill Forrest and George Hombsch created a video of some of the memories and activities undertaken by the Club over this period. To take a walk through some of the history of the Club please take the opportunity to watch the video below.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fd9BG874wWs

Club News

26 September 2021 – Bill Forrest’s Legacy – The Australia – Japan Youth Exchange Programme

I thought it appropriate to share a recent interview conducted in November 2020 between Jim Booth and our now 91 year old lifetime Rotarian of nearly 60 years Bill Forrest (Rotarian since 4 December 1962 and still an active member of Rotary Club Tamworth West).
Bill pioneered an exchange of correspondence between NSW and Japan that eventually formed the basis of the Rotary Youth Exchange Programme between Japan and Australia. Since then, hundreds, perhaps thousands of young Australians and Japanese have spent up to 12 months living with families, attending high school, and learning each other’s language. The impact this has had on families, careers, professionals and business would be difficult to quantify but is no doubt immense and profound.
The link below takes you to the Australia-Japan Society of NSW website and to the full extract of the interview with Jim Booth.
How Bill initiated the process with a number of letters to a Rotary Club in Sannohe and a man call Ichibay Matsuo, which turned into, in effect, a life time friendship and Tamworth and Sannohe becoming officially Sister cities.
Well done Bill Forrest, 59 years in Rotary this year and this by far your greatest achievement.

10th October 2020  – Flourish Australia Project

Flourish Australia has joined with the Rotary Club of Tamworth West to create a community project to build an outdoor activity centre for people with mental health issues. On World Mental Health Day, 10th October, footings were poured for a retaining wall for make a level area down the side of the main Tamworth office in Marius Street and decorative panels were installed across the street frontage on a large metal grid welded on site by Rotary volunteers.

Jump over to our Flourish Project page to see the photographic evidence of our progress.

17th August 2020  – Donation of Robotics LEGO to Nemingha Public Shool

On 17 August the District Governor Debbie Loveday accompanied Tamworth West Rotary President Mal MacPherson to the Nemingha Public School to meet the Principal Chris Jackson and Assistant Principal Josh MacDonald and view the LEGO sets that the School purchased with an $8,000 donation from the Tamworth West Rotary Club.

The Club partnered with the School to purchase 20 units that cover years 1 through to 6.  Tamworth West Rotarian Gordon Austin also contributed $1500 towards the project as he has a grandchild attending the School.

Two students demonstrated how it all works having built what looked like a moon rover and programmed it to move across the table with accompanying sounds.

The purchase means that the School will not have to hire or borrow units in the future and will be a HUB for other smaller schools in the area to be able to access these Units when not being used by Nemingha.

Nemingha Public School Principal with Rotarian Gordon Austin and Club President Mal MacPherson

8th and 9th  February 2020  – Catering for Little Athletics in Tamworth.

The little Athletics Regional Championships were held this month at the new Tamworth Regional Athletics Centre and The Rotary Club of Tamworth West were asked to assist with catering for the weekend.

As fate would have it we were blessed with rain which made it uncomfortable for the young athletes but no-one was complaining.  Picture below of the fellows setting up for catering at day 2 of Little Athletics Regional Championships overlooking a very wet track before the masses of young athletes arrived for the day. Bacon and Egg Rolls and Sausage Sandwiches were on the breakfast menu.

13 January 2020  – AED Donation .

In January our Club started the new Decade by assisting local CrossFit centre Snake CrossFit in Taminda with the aquisition of a new Automated External Defibrillator (AED). Pictured are CrossFit Centre owner Jake Douglas and Rotary Club member James Hindmarsh with the newly aquired AED.

A big thank you to Nicole Sullivan from First Aid Tamworth for assisting with the supply of the Machine.

The funds to assist with the purchase of this AED have come from collection and sale of expired vehicle and equipment batteries. You can help our Club continue to support our local community by dropping any expired vehicle batteries to our drop off point a Bearfast in Barnes St Taminda. Let’s turn these environmental headaches into funds to benifit our community.

Jake Douglas from Snake Crossfit receiving AED from RCTW Past President James Hindmarsh

28 July – 4 August 2019  – DonateLife Week.

It only takes a minute to donate life!

Rotary this year is supporting DonateLife Week.

If every registered organ and tissue donor found one person who wasn’t and encouraged them to register, we would double the number of potential donors on the Australian Organ Donor Register –  this year Rotary is calling on all registered donors to find their plus one for DonateLife Week 2019.

Held every year, DonateLife Week is a key event that highlights the benefits that organ and tissue donation has for transplant recipients and their families in Australia. Rotary Clubs across Australia are supporting the DonateLife Week campaign by encouraging families to register and discuss their organ and tissue donation decisions to help save more lives.

Organ and tissue donation is the ultimate gift. You can save and improve the lives of many people as an organ and tissue donor. While many Australians agree with donation, only one in three has registered on the Australian Organ Donor Register. Registration is so important because it leaves your family in no doubt of your decision to save lives as an organ and tissue donor.

With 1,400 Australians currently on a waiting list for a life-saving transplant and a further 11,000 on dialysis, we’re asking people in our community to make their decision count and join the Australian Organ Donor Register. It’s so quick and easy to register online at donatelife.gov.au and it’s a decision that can save lives.

DonateLife Week is Australia’s national awareness week to promote organ and tissue donation and is led by the Organ and Tissue Authority.

To register your donation decision on the Australian Organ Donor Register at, visit www.donatelife.gov.au.

https://donatelife.gov.au/resources/donatelife-week

17 June 2018 – Rotary Club Tamworth West Changeover Dinner.

Rotary Club of Tamworth West celebrated their 63rd Changeover dinner tonight. Outgoing President Richard Chaffey put on a very enjoyable evening for some 90 or so guests as we welcomed in our new President Malcolm MacPherson and his new board.

Richard Chaffey (right) handing over Presidency to incoming President Mal MacPherson

Tonight the Club disburses more than $47,000 to charities from around the region, all raised through the Club’s 2018/2019 fundraising efforts, including the major annual effort, the Shannons Tamworth Motor Show, which raised more than $30,000 in one weekend in May.

$10,000 donated to Youth Insearch

$2.000 to Ronald McDonald House in Tamworth

This was followed by the presentation of the John Rodgers Memorial Award Presented by Richard Chaffey for Clubman of the Year which this year was awarded to Bob Scherf in recognition of his valued contribution to the Club.

Bob Scherf receiving the John Rogers Memorial Award for Clubman of the Year

A Paul Harris Fellowships was also awarded to Simon Guest for services to the club.

Simon Guest, Paul Harris Fellow recipient

18 & 19 May 2019 – Rotary Club Tamworth West Shannons Tamworth Motor Show 9th Annual Motor Show another resounding success.

The 2019 Shannons Tamworth Motor Show was another resounding success this year with an estimated 5000 plus people coming through the doors of the Tamworth Regional Entertainment Community Centre (TRECC) to take in the show.Many winners at Shannons Tamworth Motor Show, including the local charities that will receive funding thanks to the thousands of people who visited over the two days.

2019 Motor Show

Winner of the Best of Show is the 1934 Plymouth PE Deluxe rebuilt by John O’Rourke of Koroit in south west Victoria. John is holding the Charles Latter Memorial Award. He found the car sitting by the side of the road in his hometown with a for sale sign on it. Over eight and a half years he pulled it apart down to every nut and bolt and installed totally new wiring and paintwork to what we see hear. John also won the longest travelled award as its 1415kms from Koroit to Tamworth, but well worth the trip he says. He even built a car trailer to transport the Plymouth to the TRECC. 

Best of Show 2019


Winner of the People’s Choice car was the 1960 FB Holden which was a family car for Peter and July Beauchamp of Mt Annan before they spent many years rebuilding it on a HQ frame.

Peoples Choice Award 2019

27 January 2019 – Catering for Macca at the Country Music Festival

Rotary Club Tamworth West were in full swing cooking at Macca’s Sunday Morning of 27 January 2019 in Bicentennial Park. Those participating in the Park were able to enjoy a coffee or tea and bacon and egg sandwich while they listened to Macca.

President Richard Chaffey with OAM Gordon Austin and radio celebrity Ian McNamara (alias Macca)

02 September 2018 – 21st AED donated to Tamworth Pony Club 

On 2 September we donated our 21st AED into the Tamworth Community. Following the Tamworth Pony Club undertaking a Battery Drive and raising 150 expired vehicle and equipment batteries to recycle (fantastic effort) Past President James Hindmarsh visited the Fathers Day event at the Pony Club grounds today to officially hand over the AED.

Hopefully it will never be required, but given their location out of town at Hallsville, it will provide peace of mind that they now have an AED on hand in need.

Thanks to the Pony Club for all their efforts in raising the Batteries, Especially Laura Salkeld and Club President Victor Collett for their efforts. Fantastic to see so many kids and their fathers having a great time today.

14 March 2018 – Rotary Club Tamworth West Donate a Battery to Jump Start a Heart AED Campaign coming to a close with 20 AED’s to be donated into the Tamworth Community. 

Our Donate a Battery to Jump Start a Heart campaign has officially been running over 18 months and, following on from our initial goal of donating 15 AED’s into the Tamworth Community our Club will end up donating 20 AED’s into the community as we head into April.

All 16 recipients come together to emphasise the importance of AED's in Tamworth.

All 16 recipients come together to emphasise the importance of AED’s in Tamworth.

To find out more about the recipients of  our Mission Heart Start project Donate a Battery to Jump Start a Heart visit our Mission Heart Start project page.

It was especially satisfying at the recent District Conference this month in Armidale that our Club received the District Foundation (PDG Albert Brand) Trophy for the Rotary 9650 District in recognition of the success of this community project.

Please continue to donate your expired vehicle and equipment batteries to our Bearfast drop off point as the contribution Year to Date of recycled batteries has been phenominal. The recycling of these environmental headaches can then continue to be put toward needy local community causes.

bearfast-logo

50 Barnes St, Tamworth NSW 2340

Phone 02 6765 4822

email: [email protected]

Upcoming Events

RCTW Meeting Venue:

Location:

West Tamworth Bowling Club,
103B Belmore St
West Tamworth NSW 2340

Time – Monday Evenings:

6:00 for 6:30 – 8 pm meeting

Contact RCTW

Email: [email protected]


Members contact options for Meeting Meal Apology

  Email:  [email protected]

  to 6pm Sunday of the preceding Monday

  Late Notice Phone Glen on 0408668476 to

  3pm on day of meeting.

RCTW Quick Links:

eventsdonate_rotarydistrictgiving

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