President's Report |
Monday 21 October 2024 |

President’s update:
Looking forward:
Noor is the co-founder and director of the Rohingya Maìyafuìnor Collaborative Network which is a women-led, Rohingya-led and refugee-led organisation working on Rohingya human rights issues, SGBV, education and translocal solidarity with a focus on women, peace and security.
Noor has been recognised as the NSW Young Woman of the Year 2024 and a Global Citizen Youth Leader 2024. In 2022, she was listed as one of Young Australians in International Affairs’ (YAIA’s) Young Women to Watch in International Affairs. She is also a member of Australia's inaugural Refugee Advisory Panel. She has collaborated with many distinguished figures in her advocacy, including actor Cate Blanchett, soccer star Craig Andrew Foster, chef Adam Liaw, and human rights lawyer Gillian Triggs.
Outside of her work, Noor indulges in her love for languages, traveling, exploring different cultures, and embarking on waterfall adventures.
This week is the history of Castle Hill and that will conclude the series.
Castle Hill
The land that is now called Castle Hill was originally home to the Bidjigal people, who are believed to be a clan of the Darug people, who occupied all the land to the immediate west of Sydney. The best-known Aboriginal person from that time is Pemulwuy, a Bidjigal leader who led the resistance movement against settlers during the Hawkesbury and Nepean Wars, including sacking farms in Castle Hill, before his eventual capture and killing by bounty hunter Henry Hacking.
The Bidjigal people are today commemorated by Bidjigal Reserve which straddles the suburbs of Castle Hill, Baulkham Hills, North Rocks and West Pennant Hills.
The first European visitors to the district were led by Governor Phillip in April 1791 accompanied by an entourage. Travelling from Parramatta reaching the 'hills' following the Aboriginal trails, which today are overlaid by the Windsor and Old Northern Roads. As Governor he needed to find new country for settlement and farming land for crops so as to feed a struggling infant colony.[5]
Governor King began Third Government Farm there on 8 July 1801 at what is now Castle Hill Heritage Park, referring to it as "Castle Hill" on 1 March 1802. Governor King organised 50 convicts to clear the land for farming. The farm encompassed land from West Pennant Hills through to Maroota. Only a small portion was cultivated and after the 1810 harvest it was abandoned as a government farm.
The majority of the convicts who worked the prison farm were Irish Catholics, many having been transported for seditious activity in 1798. They were branded "politicals" and exiled for life, never to return.
The convict barracks were converted into a lunatic asylum for deranged convicts. Free citizens were also later admitted to the asylum, and it remained in operation until 1826.
The first land grant in the area was to William Joyce, in 1794. The following grant was to Matthew Pearce in 1795. This adjoined Joyce's land and is still known as Kings Langley Farm.
The first free settler in Castle Hill, a Frenchman Baron Verincourt de Clambe, in unusual circumstances received a grant of 200 acres (81 ha) in 1802. It has been suggested that locals of the time commonly referred to de Clambe's house ("The Hermitage") as "The Castle" because of the Baron's noble status.
On Sunday night 4 March 1804, the convicts rose up as one in what was to become known as the Castle Hill convict rebellion, also known as the Second Battle of Vinegar Hill. The ringleaders of the Castle Hill uprising were Irish, the ensuing battle was named after the uprising at Vinegar Hill, in County Wexford in Ireland in 1798.
The two main leaders of the Castle Hill uprising, viz Phillip Cunningham and William Johnston. Both Cunningham and Johnston who hailed from County Cork in Ireland, were hanged for their parts in the uprising and so died for their cause a long way from their homeland.
In 1798 there was a bloody rebellion against British rule in Ireland. Major battles were fought, one of the most infamous being the Battle of Vinegar Hill in County Wexford, where rebels were crushed by British forces. Many Irish men and women were sentenced to transportation for their role in the uprising. In Australia they remained desperate to fight against British injustice, return home and continue to support the Irish cause.
The Castel Hill rebellion was an attempt by a group of Irish convicts to overthrow British rule in New South Wales and return to Ireland where they could continue to fight for an Irish republic. Ending in disaster, the ill-fated rebellion resulted in the death of at least 39 convicts in both ‘Australia’s Battle of Vinegar Hill’ and the ensuing martial law punishments. The full story can be found at Castle Hill Rebellion | National Museum of Australia (nma.gov.au)
In later years, Castle Hill area became filled with market gardens and orchards which supplied Sydney. As Sydney expanded, the orchards disappeared and were replaced with a sprawl of suburban dwellings, retail and commercial establishments and light industry. The Hills Shire Council commemorates the shire's former role as an orange-growing area with the Orange Blossom Festival each year.
Castle Hill Post Office opened on 1 January 1869
In the past Castle Hill was serviced by the Rogans Hill railway line to Parramatta to take the rural area's produce to the city. However, it was closed in 1932, due to competition with buses, trucks and cars.
Local landmarks include:
- Welcome members, and partners, visitors (Louise and Martin) and our speaker Diana and some of her team (Cara, Mel, and Katrina. Great to see Barry here tonight all the way from Kilcare.
- Fit for Purpose. Thank you to Sue for being our representative at the Workshop and for giving us an overview of it last Monday. We are now in the process of taking the next steps. A steering committee of Colin S, Carol, Kerry, Keith and Sue will use the outcome of the Club Health Survey to identify areas that the club needs to change and prioritise them for action. Club members will be invited to comment on the selected change areas. Small committees made up of Club members rather than Board members will be set up to work on these areas over the next 12 months.
- We have a Club Coach (Jane Moore) appointed by Rotary Pacific to assist us. The Coach role is to provide continued support, build a relationship with the club to strengthen commitment to FFP, be a resource to answer, or source the answer, to our questions, and help with suggestions if we reach roadblocks. She is impressed with our next steps.
- Our new Community Service Program started last Friday to repair a shed and put up shelves at the Helping Heats Survive charity shop at Dural. Thank you to Nevile, Adrian and Janelle. Further working days will occur over the next few weeks. It would be nice to have more volunteers. We have jobs for both skilled and unskilled DIYers. Anne and Neville will speak more about this later.
Looking forward:
- Tree of Joy. Project well underway. Anne will speak more about this project later.
- Melbourne Cup Night: We are joining with the Hills-Kellyville Club this year for a night similar to our traditional one. Meeting is on Monday 4 Nov at St Joseph’s Conference Centre Baulkham Hills. Just east of Norwest Boulevard.
- International team is visiting Flores to check on the WASH project. Eleven TiB units have gone with the travellers to be distributed to schools. The team will be provided an update to the Club on Nov 12.
- Club Health Survey: Carol and her committee have sent you a confidential Club Health Survey. Please fill it in as the results will be used to set the future of the Club. If you do not have an email from Edwina Bower, please check your spam folder
- We have a Bunnings BBQ and cake stall next Saturday being run by Ros. Janelle is organising the cakes.
- Changeover: Keep Friday evening June 20th free. Venue to be advised.
- I would urge you to consider going to The Magic of Rotary Gala on Nov 20 to hear Naoemie Fox (Olympic Canoeist Gold Medallist speak. The details are in the Bulletin.
- Duty Stewards: We will return to duty stewards to set up the Vicar room with Club gear and the top table. Also IT person is to ask the Vicar room manager to turn off the music in the room and the corridor outside.
- Directors – Please ensure you hold regular committee meetings.
- Don’t forget you can see the Club Directory, “What’s On” and “Calendar” on your phone. If it is not working for you, let me know and it will be fixed for you.
- Don’t forget to let Sandra and Anne Sharpe (17 Oct – 30 Oct) know if you are travelling or are not attending meetings so you do not get rostered on for meeting duties. All members are eligible for the duty roster and are assigned a role by Sandra. If you have a problem doing any of the duty roles let Sandra know as she is the only person who has control of duties. Your role is posted in the Bulletin and the Bulletin email 6 weeks in advance.
- Rotary Learning Institute. Please consider attending this very worthwhile training.
- Level 1 for those who have just joined Rotary. A 4-hour programme – no dates yet
- Level 2 for those who have been in Rotary for up to 1 year. A 6-hour programme on two consecutive Saturdays 16 and 23 Nov 2025
- Level 3 Graduate Program is coming in 2025.
- Next week 0ur meeting is being hosted by the Beecroft Club at West Pennant Hills Sports Club 6.00 pm for dinner in the Bistro followed by the meeting at 7.30 pm.
- Please let Ros know if you are going next Monday so we can advise Beecroft club of the numbers attending.
- The speaker is Noor Azizah a Rohingya refugee, who fled the genocide of Rohingya people in Myanmar's Arakan state with her family and resettled in Sydney at the age of eight.
- Noor will discuss her refugee journey and her ongoing advocacy and screen a short documentary on her organisation's humanitarian work in Indonesia for Rohingya refugees fleeing from camps in Bangladesh.
Noor is the co-founder and director of the Rohingya Maìyafuìnor Collaborative Network which is a women-led, Rohingya-led and refugee-led organisation working on Rohingya human rights issues, SGBV, education and translocal solidarity with a focus on women, peace and security.
Noor has been recognised as the NSW Young Woman of the Year 2024 and a Global Citizen Youth Leader 2024. In 2022, she was listed as one of Young Australians in International Affairs’ (YAIA’s) Young Women to Watch in International Affairs. She is also a member of Australia's inaugural Refugee Advisory Panel. She has collaborated with many distinguished figures in her advocacy, including actor Cate Blanchett, soccer star Craig Andrew Foster, chef Adam Liaw, and human rights lawyer Gillian Triggs.
Outside of her work, Noor indulges in her love for languages, traveling, exploring different cultures, and embarking on waterfall adventures.
- So, Let’s stay safe look after each other and create some magic.
This week is the history of Castle Hill and that will conclude the series.
Castle Hill
The land that is now called Castle Hill was originally home to the Bidjigal people, who are believed to be a clan of the Darug people, who occupied all the land to the immediate west of Sydney. The best-known Aboriginal person from that time is Pemulwuy, a Bidjigal leader who led the resistance movement against settlers during the Hawkesbury and Nepean Wars, including sacking farms in Castle Hill, before his eventual capture and killing by bounty hunter Henry Hacking.
The Bidjigal people are today commemorated by Bidjigal Reserve which straddles the suburbs of Castle Hill, Baulkham Hills, North Rocks and West Pennant Hills.
The first European visitors to the district were led by Governor Phillip in April 1791 accompanied by an entourage. Travelling from Parramatta reaching the 'hills' following the Aboriginal trails, which today are overlaid by the Windsor and Old Northern Roads. As Governor he needed to find new country for settlement and farming land for crops so as to feed a struggling infant colony.[5]
Governor King began Third Government Farm there on 8 July 1801 at what is now Castle Hill Heritage Park, referring to it as "Castle Hill" on 1 March 1802. Governor King organised 50 convicts to clear the land for farming. The farm encompassed land from West Pennant Hills through to Maroota. Only a small portion was cultivated and after the 1810 harvest it was abandoned as a government farm.
The majority of the convicts who worked the prison farm were Irish Catholics, many having been transported for seditious activity in 1798. They were branded "politicals" and exiled for life, never to return.
The convict barracks were converted into a lunatic asylum for deranged convicts. Free citizens were also later admitted to the asylum, and it remained in operation until 1826.
The first land grant in the area was to William Joyce, in 1794. The following grant was to Matthew Pearce in 1795. This adjoined Joyce's land and is still known as Kings Langley Farm.
The first free settler in Castle Hill, a Frenchman Baron Verincourt de Clambe, in unusual circumstances received a grant of 200 acres (81 ha) in 1802. It has been suggested that locals of the time commonly referred to de Clambe's house ("The Hermitage") as "The Castle" because of the Baron's noble status.
On Sunday night 4 March 1804, the convicts rose up as one in what was to become known as the Castle Hill convict rebellion, also known as the Second Battle of Vinegar Hill. The ringleaders of the Castle Hill uprising were Irish, the ensuing battle was named after the uprising at Vinegar Hill, in County Wexford in Ireland in 1798.
The two main leaders of the Castle Hill uprising, viz Phillip Cunningham and William Johnston. Both Cunningham and Johnston who hailed from County Cork in Ireland, were hanged for their parts in the uprising and so died for their cause a long way from their homeland.
In 1798 there was a bloody rebellion against British rule in Ireland. Major battles were fought, one of the most infamous being the Battle of Vinegar Hill in County Wexford, where rebels were crushed by British forces. Many Irish men and women were sentenced to transportation for their role in the uprising. In Australia they remained desperate to fight against British injustice, return home and continue to support the Irish cause.
The Castel Hill rebellion was an attempt by a group of Irish convicts to overthrow British rule in New South Wales and return to Ireland where they could continue to fight for an Irish republic. Ending in disaster, the ill-fated rebellion resulted in the death of at least 39 convicts in both ‘Australia’s Battle of Vinegar Hill’ and the ensuing martial law punishments. The full story can be found at Castle Hill Rebellion | National Museum of Australia (nma.gov.au)
In later years, Castle Hill area became filled with market gardens and orchards which supplied Sydney. As Sydney expanded, the orchards disappeared and were replaced with a sprawl of suburban dwellings, retail and commercial establishments and light industry. The Hills Shire Council commemorates the shire's former role as an orange-growing area with the Orange Blossom Festival each year.
Castle Hill Post Office opened on 1 January 1869
In the past Castle Hill was serviced by the Rogans Hill railway line to Parramatta to take the rural area's produce to the city. However, it was closed in 1932, due to competition with buses, trucks and cars.
Local landmarks include:
- Castle Hill House (circa 1844) on Old Northern Road, which has a local-government heritage listing;
- The public school (1879), Old Northern Road, also with a LG heritage listing;
- The former parsonage (1866), Parsonage Road;
- The former church, Old Northern Road, now converted to commercial use.
So, Let’s stay safe look after each other and create magic.
Night Report
Night Report 21 Oct 2024
Opening:
Sgt Tony Coote opened the meeting and welcomed guest speaker and visitors
Adrian Sonego proposed a toast to The King and Queen, to Rotary and to Helping Hearts Survive
President’s Report
Refer President’s report in bulletin.
Director’s Reports
Membership: Carol Russell
Guest Speaker
Name: Diana Baird
Organisation: Helping Hearts Survive
Janelle introduced Diana Baird who is the Founding Chairperson of Helping Hearts Survive.
Diana also introduced her colleagues, Cara, Mel and Katrina.
Dianna started Helping Hearts Survive about 12 months ago, after visiting an Aldi store and seeing 4-5trolleys full of beautiful fresh fruit and vegetables that were going to be dumped because they were surplus to their sales needs. Dianna then started using this food waste to make up food hampers at her home to give to those in need.
Diana then started the long journey of officially registering Helping Hearts Survive as a not-for-profit charity.
About 10 weeks ago Diana was contacted by the Hills Community Opp shop to offer their facilities at Dural for her charity, and now they are well established and working flat out with volunteers to help those in need.
Dianna provided the following Vision of Helping Hearts Survive.
Helping Hearts Survive is a not-for-profit charity business based in Dural NSW
We started with a passion for supporting and nurturing those in need. Whether it be aged care, mental health sufferers, struggling families or Domestic Violence Victims.
We are a small local group of volunteers that have come together with the same goal. This goal is to make any difference that we can. We will provide support to individuals and families going through emotional of financial challenges.
We hope to foster healing and resilience with compassion, understanding, and the commitment to strengthening hearts and relationships.
Through our Opportunity Shop based in Dural, we are offering emergency DV packs, clothing families and supporting our people in any way we can. HHS have been able to provide this from our incredible generous donations.
We endeavour to create a community where we no one goes hungry, fostering dignity and hope by providing nutritious food hampers to those in need, whilst promoting sustainable solutions to food struggles.
We are currently being supported by local businesses in the community with generous food donations.
We are dependent on government grants and kind donations; we will be hosting a multitude of different fundraising events to make this possible. This will inspire and mobilize our community in raising funds that drive meaningful change, empowering us to support vital causes and hoping to improve lives for a brighter more equitable future.
Helping Hearts Survive will financially support those in need and other charities as this business grows organically.
Diana outlined the following plans for their site at Dural:
Sergeant at Arm’s
Tony conducted a quiz to list the names of various localities in the Hills District. Douglas won the quiz and a bottle of wine.
Opening:
Sgt Tony Coote opened the meeting and welcomed guest speaker and visitors
Adrian Sonego proposed a toast to The King and Queen, to Rotary and to Helping Hearts Survive
President’s Report
Refer President’s report in bulletin.
Director’s Reports
Membership: Carol Russell
- Carol attended the Harmony and Hearts Festival at Carlingford and was a great opportunity to mix and build relationships with the Carlingford Club
- Members are requested to complete the online Club Health Survey
- Next Thursday 24 October volunteers are welcome to help with the Kenthurst Traditional Houses mowing. Commencing at 9.30am followed by coffee afterwards.
- Tree of Joy. Most labels have been returned by the various charities and volunteers are welcome to help with sticking the labels onto the baubles at the Sharpes home starting at 7.30pm on Friday 1st November.
- Work at Helping Hearts Survive project continues. Neville and Adrian will be picking up building supplies this Friday, and volunteers are requested to help with the building and installation of storage shelves at Helping Hearts Survive at Dural on Friday 1st November.
- Planning for the market is well underway.
- Flyers advertising the Christmas Market are available for members to pick up tonight to give to family, friends and around their neighbourhood.
- Volunteers will be sought to help with set up on Saturday afternoon 30th November.
- Keith is seeking photos of any of our Rotary events to include on the Rotary Bulletin and Website
- Kerry and several members visited RuffTRACK. A very worthwhile visit especially meeting some of the young people who have turned their lives around with the RuffTRACK programs.
- A club visit to the Parramatta Female Factory at 10.00am Tuesday 12 November.
- Janelle Craig 18 November club meeting will be a Youth Night
- Will be looking for RYLA and RYPEN participants next year
- Janelle attended the Harmony and Hearts Festival at Carlingford representing domestic violence prevention programmes and was a great opportunity to connect and network and to promote educational scholarships.
Guest Speaker
Name: Diana Baird
Organisation: Helping Hearts Survive
Janelle introduced Diana Baird who is the Founding Chairperson of Helping Hearts Survive.
Diana also introduced her colleagues, Cara, Mel and Katrina.
Dianna started Helping Hearts Survive about 12 months ago, after visiting an Aldi store and seeing 4-5trolleys full of beautiful fresh fruit and vegetables that were going to be dumped because they were surplus to their sales needs. Dianna then started using this food waste to make up food hampers at her home to give to those in need.
Diana then started the long journey of officially registering Helping Hearts Survive as a not-for-profit charity.
About 10 weeks ago Diana was contacted by the Hills Community Opp shop to offer their facilities at Dural for her charity, and now they are well established and working flat out with volunteers to help those in need.
Dianna provided the following Vision of Helping Hearts Survive.
Helping Hearts Survive is a not-for-profit charity business based in Dural NSW
We started with a passion for supporting and nurturing those in need. Whether it be aged care, mental health sufferers, struggling families or Domestic Violence Victims.
We are a small local group of volunteers that have come together with the same goal. This goal is to make any difference that we can. We will provide support to individuals and families going through emotional of financial challenges.
We hope to foster healing and resilience with compassion, understanding, and the commitment to strengthening hearts and relationships.
Through our Opportunity Shop based in Dural, we are offering emergency DV packs, clothing families and supporting our people in any way we can. HHS have been able to provide this from our incredible generous donations.
We endeavour to create a community where we no one goes hungry, fostering dignity and hope by providing nutritious food hampers to those in need, whilst promoting sustainable solutions to food struggles.
We are currently being supported by local businesses in the community with generous food donations.
We are dependent on government grants and kind donations; we will be hosting a multitude of different fundraising events to make this possible. This will inspire and mobilize our community in raising funds that drive meaningful change, empowering us to support vital causes and hoping to improve lives for a brighter more equitable future.
Helping Hearts Survive will financially support those in need and other charities as this business grows organically.
Diana outlined the following plans for their site at Dural:
- Build a community vegetable garden
- Chickens in the backyard to turn food waste into eggs
- Community Library outside the front building
- Emergency Care Packages
- Food Hampers
- Purchase new fridge and freezer with funds donated by Bendigo Bank
- Meet with Julian Leeser on site to seek Government support
- Turn the garage, that our Rotary Club is repairing, into a men’s shop and meeting space. It’s proposed to call it the Rotary Shed
- Always seeking volunteers to assist
Sergeant at Arm’s
Tony conducted a quiz to list the names of various localities in the Hills District. Douglas won the quiz and a bottle of wine.
Night Reporter: Adrian Sonego
Date: 21 October 2024 |
Photos
Donors Visit
Harmony and Hearts Festival |
courtesy of Carol |
RuffTRACK Vocational Visit
courtesy of Tony M
courtesy of Edwina
Night Photos |
21 October 24 |