Seaford Rotary Business Breakfasts

The Seaford Rotary Business Breakfast is rapidly becoming a "must attend" event for the Seaford business community. This initiative started as a partnership with the Seaford and Moana Business and Tourism Association (SMBTA) to run a spontaneous networking event linking Rotarians with the local business community. The first few events were held at the Moana Surf Lifesaving club.

Unfortunately the SMBTA disbanded, but given the popularity of the first few business breakfasts, it became apparent there was a genuine thirst for networking events in the region. This is when Ian Renshaw from the Rotary Club of Seaford stepped up and agreed to run the event. The Seaford Rotary Business Breakfast is now run at the Beach Hotel in Seaford.

Each event features a few speakers on both business and Rotary topics. Our biggest breakfast boasted over 70 in attendance. Our last event's speakers were Vivian Goodenough, Rotary Club of Strathalbyn on the "Heart of the Nation" defibrillator project and Heidi Wolff, Commercial Photographer and Branding Specialist on how to link your business brand to photography.

Watch this space for information on our next event.

The Giving Garden

Our club's first and longest running project is The Giving Garden. This is a partnership between the Rotary Club of Seaford, Aldinga Beach B-7 School, Aldinga Beach Children's Centre, The City of Onkaparinga and the Aldinga Beach Community.

For many years this space was a disused reserve on Evans Street at Aldinga Beach, adjacent to the school, Rotarian Lauren Jew, who at the time worked at the Children's Centre, recognised the opportunity to give the reserve a makeover and applied for a street-scaping grant from the City of Onkaparinga. The application was successful, and the work began in earnest. 

Lauren put the call out for volunteers to help create and maintain a community garden, and the Rotary Club of Seaford took it on as our first hands-on project.

The Giving Garden was officially opened on March 15, 2017.

The next major project for our club was to construct a paved path through the garden. In winter months the path can get muddy, and we figured a paved path would make for easier access, and also more wheelchair friendly. 

In order to raise the necessary funds for the construction, our club sold engraved pavers to local individuals and businesses.

A big vote of thanks to the City of Onkaparinga, who provided a bobcat and operator to excavate the trench, saving many hours of back breaking work. Thanks also to Aldinga Landscape Supplies for donating rubble and paving sand, Reece Plumbing Seaford who donated ten bags of cement, and Total Outdoor Living for generously donating the grey concrete pavers. All red brick pavers on the edges were donated by local families and collected by members. 

The construction process took two full days, with many Rotarians and their family and friends participating. Also joining the effort were a number of local residents and members of the school and children's centre community. The Rotary Club of Seaford places a high priority on hands-on service projects. Our members love to get out in the fresh air and use their elbow grease. We make sure we're visible in the community and we love it when family and friends join in.

Our work continues at The Giving Garden. Regular working bees are planned to complete garding work such as mulching, weeding, planting and pruning. There is also regular maintenance work carried out on equipment and furniture. 

We often hold informal meetings at the conclusion of our working bees that replace regular club meetings. 

Bat Box Manufacturing

The Rotary Club of Seaford is partnering with EcoVineyards to increase the native microbat bat population around vineyards. 

Micro bats (about the size of a mouse with wings - or smaller) can eat over 1,000 insects every night. By keeping the insect population down around vineyards, grape growers can reduce and potentially eliminate the use of pesticides, which is better for the environment, and produces a cleaner product. 

In order to increase the micro bat population, we are manufacturing nesting boxes which will be strategically installed in trees near vineyards. We have now conducted 3 working bees and have made over 200 bat boxes.

Ugandan Health Clinic Project

Project Update: April 29, 2023

We held our first ever Quiz Night which raised almost $4,000 for the Medical Clinic.

Project Update: August 8, 2022

Our club has transferred just over AU$4,000 to the Rotary Club of Mbale for the connection of a water sanitation system to the building. This component of the project has been supported by Rotary District 9510 with a grant of AU$2,500.

Project Update: April 18, 2022

Unfortunately, progress on this project has been delayed as a result of the COVID pandemic. The lockdowns in Australia and restrictions on public activities have limited our club's fundraising capacity. The effects of the pandemic have been much harsher in developing countries such as Uganda, where labour and materials have been harder to source.

The good news is that towards the end of 2021, work recommenced on the project and we are delighted to share some recent photos.

Project Update: February 1, 2020

We held our Ugandan Dinner which raised over $3,000 for the project.

Project Update: January 27, 2020

Bonny Mark Alinga, from the Rotary Club of Mbale sent us photos of the security doors and windows installed on the building.

Project Update: November 22, 2019

Our club has transferred our first instalment of funds for this project: AU$4,238 (approx 10.6M Ugandan Shillings) to our partner club the Rotary Club of Mbale to start construction work. The building is currently little more than a shell, and this initial progress payment will allow for the installation of windows, doors, locks, and the connection of electricity to the building.

In other exciting news we have been successful in attaining a AU$5,000 grant from the Rotary Foundation via a Rotary District 9520 grant. This will bring us a lot closer to our stage one target of AU$13,500, but we still have to raise considerable funds to complete stage 1 of the project, and then commence stage 2 which will be the fitout with medical equipment.

Original Story: May 21, 2019

Kally meeting Rotary Club of Mbale President Bonny Mark Alinga.
 

Following a visit to Uganda last year by Rotarian Kally Hooper, and an introduction to the Rotary Club of Mbale, we are proceeding with a joint initiative to build a much needed health clinic in Mbale.

Kally was volunteering in Uganda to train local nurses in mental health care, and was keen to meet up with local Rotarians. She was welcomed into the Rotary Club of Mbale where she learned of their dreams of building a health clinic.

The building that will eventually be a new health clinic.

We have had great dialogue with Rotarian Bonny Mark Alinga, and in partnership with the Mbale club and local organisation Midpro Initiatives, we will shortly be commencing stage 1 of the project. This will involve the completion of building work for the clinic, which we hope to support with a Rotary Foundation District Grant.

Stage 2 of the project will be to fit out the clinic and get it ready for operation, with the assistance of a Rotary Foundation Global Grant.

Along the way we will need to undertake considerable fundraising for this major initiative. We hope we can count on the Seaford community for your support.
Please click here to donate to this project.