who we are and why it matters
The Rotary Club of North Hobart has been doing quiet, unglamorous, genuinely useful work in this city since 1961. We are a club of professionals — accountants, nurses, magistrates, cinematographers, teachers, doctors, engineers, builders, business owners, tradespeople, and tech specialists — who meet every Tuesday night at the Maypole Hotel in New Town and ask the same question: what can we actually do about this?
We are not a networking group with a charitable veneer. We are not a social club that occasionally rattles a tin. We run real projects, manage real budgets, and partner with real organisations to deliver outcomes that last. At the same time, we are honest about the fact that the friendships formed around that Tuesday table are part of why this works. Fellowship is not a nice-to-have. It is the engine.
We are a multi-generational club, and we think that is one of our greatest strengths. Members who have spent decades in public life sit alongside people who joined last year and are already leading projects. The knowledge flows in both directions.
We are not a networking group with a charitable veneer. We are not a social club that occasionally rattles a tin. We run real projects, manage real budgets, and partner with real organisations to deliver outcomes that last. At the same time, we are honest about the fact that the friendships formed around that Tuesday table are part of why this works. Fellowship is not a nice-to-have. It is the engine.
We are a multi-generational club, and we think that is one of our greatest strengths. Members who have spent decades in public life sit alongside people who joined last year and are already leading projects. The knowledge flows in both directions.
What we are working on right now
Steady on your feet
Backed by a Calvary Community Council grant, this programme delivers a structured 28-day falls prevention challenge to seniors across Greater Hobart. Angela Holzberger, our Immediate Past President and a nurse unit manager specialising in aged care, leads it. It combines clinical knowledge with community outreach — and it is changing lives in our own neighbourhood.
Recycle for good
John Jessop, our President, built this programme from the ground up. We partner with SEED — a Hobart social enterprise — to channel Tasmania’s 10-cent container deposit scheme into inclusive employment and community funding. Every bottle collected through our workplace bins creates a job and returns money to local projects. It is a circular economy in miniature, and it works.
Securing safety: the phone project
We have now delivered 113 refurbished smartphones to people escaping domestic violence situations in greater Hobart. Each phone means a lifeline — the ability to call for help, access services, and stay connected with family. Robin Cooper, our Community Service Director, leads this quiet, practical, life-changing work.
Global health
As members of a 1.4 million-strong global network, we contribute to two of the world’s most significant public health efforts. Howie Oh, our International Service Director and national treasurer of Rotarians Against Malaria, leads our RAM engagement across the Asia-Pacific. We also support the End Polio Now campaign through The Rotary Foundation — a programme that has reduced polio cases by more than 99 per cent worldwide.
NextGen leadership
We are actively building the next generation of Rotary leaders. Members like Adam Reibel and Brodie Farrell-Oates have risen to senior club roles within a few years of joining — and have already represented the club at international conventions, zone conferences, and global professional exchanges. If you are under 45 and want genuine governance experience alongside people who have been doing it for decades, we are looking for you. To let us know you’re coming: www.rotaryclubnorthhobart.org.au/contact-us.html
How we make decisions
Everything we do is tested against Rotary’s Four Way Test — four questions that every Rotarian is asked to apply to the things they think, say, and do:
- Is it the truth?
- Is it fair to all concerned?
- Will it build goodwill and better friendships?
- Will it be beneficial to all concerned?
What Rotary stands for
Rotary organises its service work across four areas, and our club is active in all of them.
Community service is the work closest to home — supporting local organisations, health initiatives, and people in our own neighbourhood who need a hand.
Youth service focuses on the next generation: school partnerships, leadership programmes, and initiatives that help young people develop skills and confidence.
International service connects us to the global network — humanitarian work, health campaigns, and partnerships with Rotary clubs in countries where the need is greatest.
Vocational service is the idea that brought Rotary into existence in 1905: that the way you do your work — your ethics, your standards, your care for others — is itself a form of service. We take that seriously.
Rotary also has a fifth avenue — Club Service — which is simply the internal work of keeping the club well-run, welcoming, and sustainable. And at North Hobart, we would add a sixth priority of our own: making sure the world knows what we are doing, and why it matters.
Community service is the work closest to home — supporting local organisations, health initiatives, and people in our own neighbourhood who need a hand.
Youth service focuses on the next generation: school partnerships, leadership programmes, and initiatives that help young people develop skills and confidence.
International service connects us to the global network — humanitarian work, health campaigns, and partnerships with Rotary clubs in countries where the need is greatest.
Vocational service is the idea that brought Rotary into existence in 1905: that the way you do your work — your ethics, your standards, your care for others — is itself a form of service. We take that seriously.
Rotary also has a fifth avenue — Club Service — which is simply the internal work of keeping the club well-run, welcoming, and sustainable. And at North Hobart, we would add a sixth priority of our own: making sure the world knows what we are doing, and why it matters.
come and see for yourself
The best way to understand what we are about is to spend a Tuesday evening with us. No application form. No commitment. Just turn up at the Maypole Hotel at 6pm, order a drink at the bar, and join the conversation.