Rotary Club of Casterton

See you at the Show!

Casterton Rotary members at Klibur Domin, Timor-Leste. Click HERE for the full story!

Gayle Newcome is the Kelpie Muster Art Show featured artist for 2023

Gayle has a unique way of capturing her clients pets , in the most beautiful medium of pastel. With her goal of capturing a strong likeness, with her realism and a touch of Impressionism.

Gayle works from her home studio in a 80 year old barn, that was renovated by herself and husband. Her studio and show room are open to public by appointment only.

Growing up Gayle has always enjoyed being creative. Finding her love of pastels about 8 years ago and taking up her art full time in 2017.

Gayle also has a love of creating one off original pieces of art , her inspiration coming from her own photography, and walking in nature and visiting wildlife parks. Her wildlife portraits are all unique one off pieces not reproduced into prints.

Please take a look at Gayle’s website and social media to discover a connection and her love of animals shines through each piece.

Gayle's website

Santa came to Casterton to visit in 2022

The Impact Of Rotary

"When I least expected it...

For over 2 years, from even before the lockdowns, the grass around my dam grew thick and tall. Several gardeners tried and failed, miserably, to clear the growth and I was afraid of harboring snakes, frogs and other dangerous critters!

I even got a special gardening crew from Hamilton to clear the mess, but the grass kept growing faster than the talk they talked, on how to cut this grass!

So, I gave up on the acre of overgrown grass hoping that, by some miracle, the problem would go away. If only the summer could dry it out!

I mentioned all this to Charlie and thought no more of it.

Today, Wally and Charlie came home with a huge mower and line trimmers. They cleared the tall grass, and I was able to walk on areas that I hadn't walked on for over 2 years!

I am lost for words! I haven't seen such determination to help and generosity, in recent times! This, to me, is the very essence of care.

Today I cried tears of joy and tears of appreciation because two gentlemen took time out to solve my big problem.

Thanks so very much Wally and Charlie. "

here

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75th Anniversary and Handover 2022

On the 21st July the Casterton Rotary Club celebrated its 75th Anniversary and conducted its annual Handover Meeting passing the baton to President Chris. Click on the button for a slideshow of the event. Download the Annual Report HERE.

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District Handover 2022 with DG Kathy Rivett

More....

Assistant Governor Darren Brown

District Trainer Tonie Thiel

The Prize

The Crew

The Draw

The Winner

The Presentation

The Staff

Casterton Rotary Kelpie Muster Art Show June 2022

Some of the Crew at work!

Darren: ...picked up screens from Hamilton Rotary Club

A big "Thankyou" for that, and for keeping them dry with Roger's tarp.

Feature artist Meagan Lonsdale and Judge Brett Jarrett

President of the Kelpie Association Karen Stephens with Casterton Rotary President Wally Walsh

Casterton Kelpie Associations Karren Stephens and John Matthews present Jodie Foster (& daughter Claire) with a painting of their Kelpie for all the Foster family and Booneroo Enterprises does for Casterton.

Judge Brett Jarrett and Wally Walsh

Sheryl-Lee Brown and The Honorable Dan Tehan, Federal member for Wannon who officially opened the Kelpie Festival

26th Casterton Kelpie Muster 2022

Winner - Kelpie Acquisition Art Award

“The Old Boy” by Rebecca Hill

CASTERTON KELPIE ACQUISITIVE AWARD ART SHOW

PEOPLE'S CHOICE WINNER

"Time to Reflect"

by Kathy Leek

“Rotary Kelpie Art Show Raffle”

‘To cap off a great weekend, Brian O’Connell of Wando Bridge has carried home a basket of “Made in Casterton” delights. The raffle prize included an Australian timber artisanal bowl crafted by Peter Broomhead, yummy Casterton Gin and matching apparel, 2 bottles of wine from our award winning Casterton Secondary College winemakers, delicious locally produced preserves and sauces and a cosy patchwork quilt just right for this winter weather. Congratulations to Brian and the O’Connell family. Enjoy!”

Our Sponsors

Sheryl-lee and Darren presenting the winners prize and certificate to Elsie Constantine from Sacred Heart Primary School for the Junior (under 12) category from the Art Show.

Don't forget about Chook Lotto everyone! Get EGGcited to tell your friends! Chick at Casterton Central & The Casterton Supermarket for your EGGStraordinary chance to become part of something EGGcelent!

Peace Pole Ceremony for Ukraine 26/5/2022

The members of our club went above and beyond on zoom for the Rotary Lift the Lid mental health initiative, raising $500!

100% of the money raised during this year’s Hat Day campaign goes directly to research helping the one in five Australians affected by depression, anxiety, schizophrenia and many other illnesses.

Visit: https://australianrotaryhealth.org.au/lift-the-lid/ and LIFT THE LID WALK for Mental Health for more information

RotarArt

Thank you to the 6 clubs that participated in our inaugural RotarArt show that was meant to be a part of our Casterton Kelpie Muster Art Show over the long weekend in June. Unfortunately due to Covid 19 we had to cancel the Art Show but as I had 9 entries I decided to go ahead with my show. I had it judged by renowned artist Pam McIntyre that was to judge the main art show and we were blown away by the quality and creativity of the art work from the clubs. In saying that I decided to award more prizes not just a first prize.

Equal first prize went to Bordertown, Artist Rose Milton ($250), second prize to Pt Fairy Artist Mllee Cox ($100) and equal third to Portland Bay Artist Marg Wagner ($50) and Casterton Artist Paul Talay ($50).

Thank you again to the artists that sent in art work. Hopefully next year we can get a few more entries and make it bigger and better.

Leanne Richardson

Casterton Rotary Club

Be sure to have a look at our amazing artists work below!

First Prize Story

Title "A Special Day

By Rose Milton

This painting depicts a group of girls who received Days for Girls washable

hygiene kits from members of our club. In 2016, 3 members of the

Bordertown Days for Girls group travelled to Glasgow School in the poor

Tamil Hills area of SRI LANKA to distribute 150 kits to the girls. The club and

members provided sewing machines to assist us in teaching the girls sewing

techniques. This trip and distribution was organised for us by a Tamil refugee

who was living in Bordertown and wanted us to help the students in his old

school.

First Prize Story

Title "The Official Handover of the Key"

By Rose Milton

In June 2019, I was one of 4 Rotarians from Bordertown Rotary who returned

to the school for the official handover of the two new classrooms supplied by

our Club. Since our decision to help in 2017, we had fundraised a big budget

of $30,000 whilst enjoying the generous support of members of our district.

We had opted to raise the money entirely ourselves and this proved to be

the most cost efficient and time efficient way of achieving our goal. (With

Covid lurking, it probably would still be waiting to happen!)

The project was handled in a very practical way. Our refugee friend (by now a

Rotarian) did the organising from Australia, (we could not speak Tamil!) and

a trusted man at the site checked progress and quality control and reported

daily. Photographic evidence was sent to us, to show constant visual up dates

of what was happening at the building site. The local men who built the

rooms kept working through the worrying times of the suicide bomb

detonations in Sri Lanka. Six weeks later, we were delighted to be part of the

unique 4 hour opening ceremony.

1st Prize

"The Official Handover of the Key"

By Rose Milton

RC Bordertown

Theme: New Classrooms for Tamil School

1st Prize

"A Special Day"

By Rose Milton

RC Bordertown

Theme: Washable Hygiene Kits for Girls

2nd Prize

"The original Uber eats"

By Mllee Cox

RC Pt Fairy

Theme: Meals on Wheels

3rd Prize

"Caring with coffee"

Marg Wagner

RC Portland Bay

Theme: Coffee Van Catering

3rd Prize

"Vegetable Garden and Irrigation"

Paul Talay

RC Casterton

Theme: Irrigation for Klibur Domin community

"Think outside the box"

Steven and Debbie Haines

RC Kardinia

Theme: Production of Locally Sourced Hampers during Covid 19

"Back to the future"

By Ian Esmore
RC Casterton

Theme: Rotary flight Peace 2071

"Headlight Testing & Caricatures 1"
By Jack McGorm
RC Naracoorte

Theme: Headlight testing

"Headlight Testing & Caricatures 2"

By Jack McGorm
RC Naracoorte

Theme: Headlight testing

Clean Water for Timorese People

Since independence from Indonesia, aged care home "Klibur Domin" survived largely intact the terrible events that followed the referendum. Klibur Domin was incorporated into Ryder Cheshire Foundation Australia with the aim of providing relief for some of the thousands of sick and disabled Timorese people who suffered terribly in the murder, arson, and pillage. In August 1999 Ryder Cheshire Foundation assumed control and in 2000 with the aid of some Victorian Rotary clubs provided a team of nine volunteers who set about repairing the buildings, and restoring what could be used to house inpatients.

Volunteers have been assisting regularly ever since with the aim of providing expertise which is not available locally. After Casterton Rotary visited in 2017 to establish vegetable gardens and fruit trees on site, Casterton Rotary pledged to provide water filtration utilising bore water which was only used for gardens, as well as supplying a fully functional drip irrigation system for the vegetables and fruit.

With donations from Casterton Farm Supplies and Puretec water filtration, the recently completed water filtration unit was installed and water from site is now usable for all patients, kitchens, and dental clinic, saving over US$1200/annum buying bottled water.

Vegetables and fruit are now in abundance, saving weekly trips to the local market to buy for the kitchens, and Netafim Australia has donated a complete irrigation system, which is to be installed when international travel resumes post COVID-19.

Paul and Shirley Talay as well as Tony Mewburn, were the original volunteers from Casterton. Tony and Marianne have been back since along with a number of volunteers from local District 9870 clubs, under the auspices of Mt Gambier Ryder Cheshire. Volunteers face particular challenges while working at Klibur Domin, however the appreciation from the locals make it very worthwhile. Many thanks go to Casterton Farm Supplies, Puretec Water Filtration and Netafim for their donations, without these this worthwhile project would not happen.