Just some reminders this week - Changeover Dinner 10 June 2026 welcoming Neil to the Presidency, and updates from the Board meeting on Wednesday.

 

Warrick (by Ed.)

 

 

A fun picnic lunch was organised by Astrida last week at the National Botanical Gardens. We hired the Flora Explorer to spend a leisurely hour travelling in an electric bus  around the lesser known  trails around the garden guided by a very experienced horticulturalist exploring.  The trail climbed up the mountain to the main road leading to Black Mountain Tower which gave us a great view of Canberra CBD. On the way we found bottle trees and a new view of the rainforest gully. Then the trail crossed though some interesting eucalyptus forests where die-back has been controlled, then  down to the central Australian "Red Centre" garden, then to the NSW banskias and colourful hakea and grevillea shrubs and finally back to the Pollen restaurant. What a great way to spend a cool Canberra autumn day!

Thank you Astrida.

 

At the beginning of March 2026, I had the opportunity and pleasure to host (unfortunately for only a short time) a charter member and the first President of a new Rotary club in Mikolow, southern Poland – Rotary Club Silesia (see photo), Mr Bogdan Uliasz, and his wife, Eva.

Bogdan has established and owns an 18-hole golf course, Golf Club Mikolow, and the Rotarians meet on Mondays at the club's premises.

I met with them at the Tardies Club (see photo) and, of course, the next day organise a trip to visit our Peace Bell and collection of 6 Peace Poles at Nara Peace Park (see photos).

Bogdan shared with me a story of the first Peace Pole to be unveiled in Krakow/Poland, on the 10^th of May 2026. He also arranged an invitation from the Governor of Rotary District 2231 for me to attend the international Rotary conference “Rotary Peace & Earth Conference” in Krakow from 8 to 10 May 2026. (see photo).

I could not attend the event in Krakow, but I emailed a lengthy congratulatory letter to the Rotarians there. I addressed a letter to the main organisers (including members of Rotary Krakow – Wawel). In the letter, I also provided a summary of our club’s initiatives and club endeavours to establish the Peace Bell in Canberra and the Peace Poles at Canberra Schools.

The international conference in Krakow was a big success, and the Peace Pole was erected close to the main landmark of Krakow, the 13th-century castle Wawel. (see photos).

Olek Gancarz