GROWING ROTARY, STRENGTHENING OUR CLUBS

TWO CLUBS ENGAGING INTERACT

Davidson High School Interact Club is one of Belrose Rotary Club’s best success stories
Killara High School Interact Club sponsored by Ku Ring Gai Rotary Club

The Davidson High School Interact Club is one of Belrose Rotary Club’s best success stories. It is totally supported by the school which allocates a period once a fortnight for meetings.

All the Interactors are in the same cohort. Students join Interact halfway through year 10 and remain until mid-Year 11. The school chooses students who show leadership skills. Invariably they take on school leadership positions once they graduate from Interact.

Structure and Size

There are 20-25 students in the Interact Club. The school’s Student Support Officer (SSO) coordinates the club. Every public high school in NSW has an SSO. The SSO is the best person to manage the Interact Club as they don’t have regular classes. We’ve met other clubs across our district that have also found the SSO to be valuable high school contact for Rotary Youth projects. We have developed a good relationship with the SSO at Davidson High School and he has attended several meetings/events over recent years.

Support and Meetings

The club generally meets once a fortnight. The Student Support Officer always attends and there is at least one Rotarian present but usually 2 or 3. An executive is elected with each new group, usually at the 2^nd meeting. The roles are President, Vice President, Secretary and Treasurer. The current cohort has 2 presidents, Vice Presidents and Secretaries.

Our Youth service Director prepares a draft agenda before each meeting and sends it to the Student Support Officer and the Secretary who are requested to add any further items for discussion.

Projects

The club adheres to the Interact club guidelines by undertaking at least one School, Community and International project in each year.

As to the school project, the current cohort are considering the erection of a Rotary Peace Pole at the school. In fact, two Interactors attended the dedication of a Peace Pole at Oxford Falls by Warringah Rotary last month. (Sunday 20 September 2026). This helps them understand the Peace Pole’s significance. The Interact Club also organises an annual sausage sizzle in aid of the Jane McGrath Foundation.

Community projects. The main one is our Borgnis Street Christmas Lights where all moneys collected goes to Bear Cottage, a hospice for children to age 18 at Manly. This is a mammoth task. It is fair to say that without the support of the interactors from Davidson High School and Rotarians from neighbouring clubs, we wouldn’t manage it. In the 3 weeks leading up to Christmas, we raised over $55,000. To make the Interactors’ efforts more meaningful, we arrange a visit to Bear Cottage on the school’s bus. The students find this quite an emotional experience.

Another annual community event with the Interactors is the Easter Egg Hunt, a much-anticipated activity which attracts many people. In the past few years, we have held Trivia Nights and the Interactors were of great assistance. More recently, four Interactors volunteered to help with the Beach2Beach Fun Run organised by Warringah Rotary and assisted by several Rotary clubs, including Belrose. Even with an early Sunday morning start, those who volunteered were very cheerful!

International Project: Interactors support the school of St Jude in Tanzania. Belrose Rotary was planning a trip to the school with the previous Interact group for January 2027. There was much communication between St Judes, Belrose Rotary and the Year Adviser at Davidson High School, a former travel agent. Belrose Rotary sponsors a student at St Judes and the Interactors have assisted Belrose Rotary with fundraising for that cause. Unfortunately, due to the unstable political situation in the Middle East and the Ebola outbreak in The Congo, that visit won’t happen. It may be revisited down the track.

Mentorship

We are always mindful that the Interact Club is their club but offer guidance and suggestions along the way. There is always a ‘Rotary Education’ item on the agenda at the Interact meetings and that is delivered by one of the Rotarians. Periodically, Belrose Rotary invites 2-4 interactors to attend our Rotary meeting, to tell our members about their activities. This gives the Interactors invaluable experience in public speaking to a mature audience.

The Killara High School Interact Club is in its second year. Despite being a young club, our members have already delivered an impressive range of meaningful service projects across local, community and international levels.

The club is led by a strong student executive team, including President George Anderson and Vice President Andrea Yuen, supported by the Secretary, Treasurers and Director of Communication, and rotating Directors for Local and International projects. This flexible structure ensures that every initiative has clear leadership and that members can step into meaningful roles. With more than 20 junior members from Year 7-9, our club is supported by a vibrant, committed younger cohort who assist with planning, volunteering and fundraising. Their involvement provides long-term sustainability and guarantees strong future leadership for Interact at KHS.

Our club meets every Friday from 11-11:30am, supported by our teacher, Lucy, who provides ongoing guidance. We are also mentored by Judy, our Ku Ring Gai Rotary Club representative, whose regular involvement strengthens the connection between Rotary and Interact.

Local projects:

Interact fundraised for Rural Fire Service to support emergency services and members volunteered at the RFS Open Day BBQ
Our current major project focuses on raising funds for Cromehurst Foundation’s After School Care Program. Members are planning to do a bake sale.

International projects:

The Club has contributed to Rotary’s international outreach by fundraising for dental health initiatives supporting children in Oudtshoorn, South Africa

Local Community Volunteering:

In partnership with Ku-Ring-Gai Rotary Club, KHS Interact Club volunteered at fundraising BBQs supporting the Hornsby Women’s Shelter
At Lindfield Fun Run students assist with runner registration, medal presentations, children’s games, and general event support

School Community Support:

Members helped run the BBQ during Parent-Teacher Night, to fundraise for the international and local project
Members organised a stall during orientation day to introduce new students to Rotary and Interact Club, and what projects are we doing

Without the ongoing support and guidance of Ku-Ring-Gai Rotary Club, our Interact projects would not have been able to grow, achieve their current impact or develop the strong foundation that sustains our club today.

Killara High School Interact Club continues to grow in size, confidence and ambition. With committed members, strong school support and ongoing Ku Ring Gai Rotary mentorship, the club helps to inspire more Interact groups across the district and demonstrate the powerful impact of youth-led service.

Written by Andrea Yuen, Vice President - Killara High School Interact Club