2025 Palm Beach Christmas Party @ the Dawsons

This financial year has been a bustling and productive period for our club. We are incredibly proud of the milestones we have achieved together since July.

Major Events & Fundraising Our calendar was dominated by the Channel 7 Rockingham Beach Cup, held in November. It was a triumph, attracting an estimated crowd of between 20,000 and 22,000 people—our biggest attendance yet. The event showcased the strength of our volunteers, with the charity auction alone raising approximately $10,000. We also inaugurated new trophies to recognize the racing industry's support, with Jessica Gray winning the cup on Dark City.

Earlier in the season, we successfully launched the Rockingham Sunset Markets under our sponsorship. The first market in September was a massive success, attracting an estimated 4,500 people to the foreshore. To support these initiatives, we launched a major boat raffle (first prize being a Sea Jay 370 dinghy), which has seen tremendous support with over 4,000 tickets sold.

Community Service & Youth Our commitment to the local community remains unwavering. Highlights include:

• The Salvation Army: We hosted a Combined Service Clubs’ dinner in September that raised $2,500 for the Salvos.
• Education: We supported local schools, including donations to Waikiki Primary School for their NFL Flag championships trip , Safety Bay Primary School’s P&C, and presenting the Dux Award at the Rockingham Senior High School Education Support Centre. We also fuelled the students at the RSHS "Triathlon" fundraiser with a sausage sizzle.
• Seniors: Our members assisted with parking management at the Seniors and Carers Expo in October.
• Mental Health: We were proud to support and promote the "Mind the Walk" event to raise awareness for mental health.

Environment & Conservation We continue to punch above our weight in conservation. Our ongoing work with Carnaby’s Cockatoos has been recognized by ornithologist Dr. Denis Saunders, who noted that our repair of nesting hollows is critical to sustaining breeding opportunities. It was a thrill to identify a fledgling return to the very hollow where she was banded the previous year.

Fellowship Finally, we have enjoyed wonderful fellowship, from a vocational visit to the RAAFA Aviation Heritage Museum to our traditional AFL Grand Final lunch. We also welcomed new members, including Rachel Fletcher and Jon Ellis, growing our Rotary family.

We look forward to a busy 2026, including our continued support of the "Tiny Homes" project to tackle homelessness.