Come join us to help kids fight cancer. Footy Colours is an annual fundraiser proudly supported by the Rotary Barwon Geelong.
September 15th, 6.30pm for 7.00pm start. Naval Association, 90-92 Skene Street, Newtown. $25.00 for a Pie & Pizza night. Raffle 3 tickets for $5.00, Quiz entry $5.00.
Prizes for raffle, quiz and best dressed. Wear your favourite team colours (scarf, cap, guernsey etc.) You could be a winner and help children with cancer and parents with accommodation, education and research.
Hear from a Guest Speaker how the Geelong Stars All-Abilities club was formed and how important it has proved to be.
A fantastic night at Pitch Up 2026! Andrea, Liz, Jenny and our bear joined hundreds at the Geelong Library for an inspiring, fun and uplifting event.
Rotary Barwon Geelong donated $1,000 to each organisation — matched to $6,000 — helping Cultura, Killara Foundation and Cloverdale Community Centre continue their amazing work empowering women in our community.
Proud to be part of a night that raised almost $100,000 for local impact. 💙💛
Perfect weather, huge crowds, and a BBQ team that absolutely smashed it.
We kicked off with supplies for 200… and were swamped before we even started. With CoGG’s blessing we doubled the order, fired up the grill, and the crew went into full action mode — cooking, prepping, serving, and keeping the line moving.
The queue snaked up the hill, but the vibe stayed brilliant. Families, kids, everyone patient, polite, and full of good energy. Huge thanks to the Ocean Grove community for making it such a positive day.
Great to see so many Police members there too — friendly, engaged, and grabbing a well‑earned sausage when they could.
Only photos wasn't until pack‑up because we were flat out the whole time.
Massive thanks to the whole team for an awesome effort.
Last Tuesday marked a defining moment for our members as we officially launched the Rotary Club of Barwon Geelong — a united, energetic beginning built from the proud histories of Geelong East and Bayside.
The Rotary Clubs of Geelong East and Bayside Geelong have proudly served our community for decades. In 2026, we have united to create something stronger, more modern, and ready for the future — the Rotary Club of Barwon Geelong.
This merger brings together the experience, energy, and community spirit of both clubs, forming a single, vibrant team committed to greater impact across the Geelong region.
Rooted in two rich histories and inspired by a shared vision, Barwon Geelong represents a fresh identity, a united membership, and a renewed commitment to service.
Honouring the past.Building the future.Serving Geelong together.
A number of Rotary Districts from Victoria and South Australia have held a Joint District Conference this weekend in Horsham.
Rotary Geelong East members who attended were there to see the club be presented with an Enviro Gold Club Award. The club now has the full set - Bronze, Silver and Gold.
Club members can be very proud of the work they have undertaken over many years to improve the environment in different ways and places.
Activities have included:
A monthly Walk Against Waste. Carried out at different locations once a month and followed by the essential coffee. Areas members have worked in include Barwon River, Rail Trail, Eastern Park BBQ area
Tree planting. The club was involved in a major tree planting activity early in the 2000's in which most Geelong clubs were involved. This was extending a Bird & Wildlife corridor from near Avalon airport toward Ballarat
Tree planting of 450 trees again to link up with a Bird & Wildlife corridor in Saint Leonards A 600 tree planting on a private property, that would allow birds to nest
The club members and some members of the public joined together to carry out three Clean Up Australia events over the last three years
The club is providing prize money for an Environmental Art Prize being conducted by the Geelong Art Society
Rotary Geelong East together with Rotary Club of Highton used a grant from City of Greater Geelong, to provide funding to 10 pharmacies in Geelong to set up and accept Blister Packs (aluminum packs for holding tablets) for recycling. As a result of this trail, Phamacycle who do the separation of plastic and aluminum and then make new products with them. As a result of this trial, the project was taken nation wide by Pharmacycle and the last report had over 1 million blister packs recycled. Most phamacies in Geelong now allow customers to return their blister packs
Members and the public collect plastic bottle tops for re-use or recycling. Some are used by the Gordon Technical College for using in 3D printing, while others are sent away for recycling into a variety of products. A local school used an innovative approach of using the bottle tops to create a welcoming and graphic wall piece at the school.
Rotary Geelong East is one of a number of Geelong Rotary clubs that is taking part in a Nature Strip makeover. The nature strip ends up with native vegetation which attracts pollinators and saves water as well as making the local areas look better
There are many other activities members are involved in from an Environment & Sustainability point of view. All this, in addition to the work and funding we do for local Community groups, Youth development experiences, International needs following war or meeting development needs that allow communities to become self sufficient
Members of the public are always welcome to take part in any of our activities. You don't have to be a member. If you are interested, simply call the number on the front page of this website or the Contact Us button at the top of the front page.
This November, as we celebrate The Rotary Foundation, I invite you to consider not only what we give but why we give. The Foundation is more than a fund for projects. It is the beating heart of our promise that service, rooted in trust and friendship, can create lasting change.
Our Action Plan calls us to increase our impact, and the Foundation is how we make this vision real. Since 1988, Rotary and our partners have immunized nearly 3 billion children against polio. We have committed more than $2.6 billion to this cause, and last year alone we directed $146 million toward the final push for eradication. These numbers are significant, but the true impact is not in statistics — it is in the lives of children who will never again fear polio. It is in the hope restored to families and the peace built in communities once defined by disease.
But polio is only one story among many. Each year, Rotary Peace Centers train new generations of leaders who will transform conflict into dialogue and division into understanding. In 2023-24, nearly 100 new fellows began their studies, continuing a legacy of more than 1,800 peacebuilders from over 140 countries. When we invest in them, we are planting seeds of peace that will bear fruit for decades to come.
The Foundation also touches lives through district and global grants, supporting projects large and small. A clean water well for a rural community, scholarships for young professionals, medical care in the wake of disaster — these are not temporary gestures, but steps toward dignity, resilience, and opportunity. This is how Rotary service becomes lasting impact. And when natural disasters strike, our Foundation allows Rotary to act quickly with disaster response grants.
Our Foundation is not about what we can do alone but what we can do together. Each contribution, no matter its size, joins with others to create a collective act of faith in humanity and in the future.
The last mile of any great journey is always the hardest. We see this in our final steps toward ending polio, in our work for peace, and in every project that seeks to lift people out of despair. Yet every time we give, we declare that our work will continue regardless of the challenge.
This November, let us give with gratitude, with joy, and with hope. Through our Foundation, we Unite for Good, and in doing so, we leave behind not only projects but a legacy of peace, trust, and Service Above Self.
Rotary started what was at the time called Polio Plus in order to rid countries right around the world of the dreaded disease. The idea came from a Queensland Rotarian who went on to become the Rotary International President. Following a successful trial in the Philippines he was approached by the World Health Organisation to consider taking project world-wide. Since that time, the Centres for Disease Control (USA), UNICEF and later the Gates Foundation, joined what is now known as the Polio Eradication Initiative. You may see Rotarians wearing a badge (see below the main graphic) End Polio Now.
With only two endemic countries in the world now, we need to finish the fight, as Polio is only one plane flight away from any Polio free country.
Join the fight against polio now. Make a donation to your local Rotary Club to be put toward the funds being raised in this month, designated by the United Nations as World Polio Day. See the contact details on this website.
Barwon River Safety Marker Project
The Rotary Club Geelong East, together with the City of Greater Geelong and the Corangamite Catchment Authority, launched the Barwon River Safety Markers.
This six year start-to-finish project was the brainchild of Rotarian Keith Dawson of Rotary Geelong East. The idea of the project was to TRANSFORM and make SAFER the activities areas along both sides of the Barwon River. Safer for Walkers, Runners, Riders, Tourists and Families.
A total of 46 double sided Location Marker signs were installed along the Barwon River on both sides. Along approximately 10 kilometres of river on both sides stretching from the Breakwater to the Ring Road.
The two most important pieces of information during a Triple Zero call is the nature of the emergency and its location. When an incident occurs at a specific street address, it is generally easy for emergency services to find the caller. However, if it takes place in large open-spaces, walking trails or beaches where no obvious reference points exist, it takes extra, valuable, life saving time to identify and verify the specific location and vehicle access point.
Another Community Service of The Rotary Club of Geelong East
Barwon River Safety Marker Project
Canadian Visitors
The Rotary Club of Geelong East hosted ten Canadians visiting our District. Four couples and two single women travelled from Canada to Australia on a Rotary Friendship Exchange. Ten Australians will go to Canada in August on the return leg of the Exchange.
The visitors were home hosted by local Rotarians both on their way into the District and again on their departure. In Geelong they toured the Bollards, Narana, National Wool Museum, did a tour of Corio Bay, Anglesea Golf Club, attended an AFLW match at GMHBA Stadium, toured Queenscliffe and a Picnic in the (Eastern) Park.
They spent time in Portland, Warnambool, Grampians, Port Fairy and Drysdale.
The feedback from all, was that they thoroughly enjoyed their 14 days in the area.
The Rotary Friendship Exchange allows small groups of Rotarians to go to other countries and meet with locals and experience the culture and so see local sites of interest and animals. A component of the Friendship Exchanges is creating greater understanding and friendships between people of the world.
mately 10 kilometres of river on both sides stretching from the Breakwater to the Ring Road.
Service Above Self
Newtown, VIC 3220
Australia