The Windeward Bound Trust AND the Rotary Club of North Hobart
Turning the Tides: 30 Years of Maritime Youth LeadershipFor three decades, the Windeward Bound Trust has operated its magnificent 33-meter traditional wooden brigantine tall ship out of Hobart as a floating incubator for youth leadership, resilience, and personal growth. But a ship cannot navigate rough seas without a reliable anchor—and for Windeward Bound, that anchor has long been Rotary.
The Rotary Club of North Hobart has a proud history of championing local youth through its designated Youth Service avenue. In an exciting expansion of our shared history, our club is working alongside the Trust to directly break down financial barriers for young Tasmanians who are doing it tough.
Through targeted funding applications and community co-sponsorship, our partnership is actively securing subsidized berths to place young people from diverse, regional, and refugee backgrounds straight into the heart of the action.
What We Achieve Together
When North Hobart Rotarians connect with the Windeward Bound crew, the result is an award-winning youth development pipeline that translates community goodwill into life-changing maritime experiences. Our joint efforts focus on:
- Opening Opportunities: Providing full and partial scholarships so that financial, lifestyle, or family hardships never prevent a young person from reaching their full potential.
- Building Brighter Futures: Moving young people away from screens and into an immersive "trial by fire" environment where they learn navigating, helm-steering, and team building under real pressure.
- Cross-Cultural Inclusivity: Proudly supporting unique initiatives like the Youth Leadership Challenge, which pairs young local Tasmanians with peers from migrant and refugee backgrounds to foster deep social cohesion.
Dynamic Collaboration in ActionAs a modern, multi-generational club meeting at the Maypole Hotel, North Hobart Rotary prides itself on a media-savvy, hands-on approach to community service. You can regularly see our joint impact highlighted across our digital networks and public Facebook page—capturing everything from the emotional departures at Waterman's Dock to the proud updates of trainees climbing the 24-meter mast.
Our collaboration doesn't stop at the shoreline. With Windeward Bound proudly hoisting its primary Upper Topsail sail—magnificently emblazoned with the Rotary International logo—the ship acts as a sailing billboard for "People of Action" along the entire Australian coast.
We look forward to sending our next cohort of sponsored local mariners out to sea, proving that when the wind meets the wheel of Rotary service, lives are permanently changed.
To learn more about how you can sponsor a young person or support our next collaborative youth voyage, explore our current initiatives or join us for a Tuesday evening guest session!
Partnering for Global Nutrition: The Rotary Club of North Hobart and Food Plant Solutions
At the Rotary Club of North Hobart, we believe that local fellowship can spark global change. One of our proudest ongoing associations is with the Food Plant Solutions Rotary Action Group (FPSRAG)—a groundbreaking, Tasmanian-born project that has grown to combat hunger and malnutrition in over 60 countries worldwide.
Instead of just sending short-term food aid, Food Plant Solutions creates science-based, easy-to-use educational resources that empower local communities to grow and eat nutrient-dense, climate-resilient plants already available in their environments. It’s a sustainable, empowering approach that addresses the tragic global reality that five children under the age of five die from malnutrition every single minute.
Our Deep Local Roots
This global mission hits very close to home for our club. Led by Chair and Past District Governor Una Hobday OAM, the project has always shared a close bond with our members. In fact, our club's very own PRID John Thorne played a vital development role in launching the Fresh Food for Families initiative under the Food Plant Solutions banner.
When Una visited our club to present the project's milestones, it served as a powerful reminder of what Rotarians can achieve. By providing communities with the simple knowledge of what to grow, what to eat, and why it matters, we aren't just giving a meal—we are securing a future.
We are incredibly proud to champion Food Plant Solutions as they scale from local Tasmanian roots to major partnerships with World Vision and the United Nations.
An old phone in a drawer. A lifeline for someone in danger.
How North Hobart helped activate DV Safe Phone in southern Tasmania. It began with an article in a magazine, became personal through one woman's courage, and grew into a network that is changing lives across southern Tasmania.
Where it started
The Rotary Club of North Hobart first discovered DV Safe Phone through an article in Rotary Down Under magazine. The concept was an immediate fit — a program that combined supporting vulnerable people with reducing electronic waste. But it became something more than a good idea when a young woman visited the club to speak about her experience of domestic violence.
She spoke with courage, dignity, and determination. Her story — that her father had caused the death of her mother — was heartbreaking. It also made something very clear: domestic violence is not an abstract issue. It affects real people, real families, and real communities. And a club that cares about its community had to do something practical about it.
The answer was DV Safe Phone.
What DV Safe Phone does
Founded in 2020 by Ashton Wood, DV Safe Phone is a national charity that collects unused and broken mobile phones, refurbishes them with fresh batteries and wiped data, and distributes them free to survivors of domestic violence through police and frontline services. Each phone kit includes a working handset, charger, starter SIM, and phone credit — a complete, private, unmonitored lifeline.
Perpetrators often take, break, or monitor their victims' phones — cutting them off from emergency services, support organisations, and the people who could help them escape. A safe phone restores that connection. It can be the thing that makes escape possible.
What North Hobart did
DV Safe Phone's founder Ashton Wood has championed the program across Tasmania himself — speaking to politicians and community partners to build the statewide case. The Rotary Club of North Hobart threw its energy into activating the program on the ground in southern Tasmania, securing a founding grant of $10,000 from the Hobart Airport Community Grants Program to get things moving.
That funding went straight to work: refurbishing and securely wiping approximately 113 mobile phones, and establishing a network of 11 collection points across southern Tasmania. Phones donated here are distributed through trusted frontline organisations back to Tasmanians in need — a circular model that keeps both the devices and the benefit local.
"The Rotary Club of North Hobart have been incredible supporters of our mission."— Ashton Wood, Founder and CEO, DV Safe Phone Ltd
Get involved
Support DV Safe Phone in Tasmania through our club's project.
Got an old phone in a drawer? Put it to work. Find out more about how the program works, where to donate, and how RCNH is making it happen in Hobart.
ROTARY CLUB OF NORTH HOBART AND Hobart Jazz Club (Hot August Jazz Festival)
A Partnership in Rhythm and Community
The Quick Stats
- The Initiative: The Hot August Jazz Festival
- The Scope: 250+ Tasmanian musicians, 10 venues, 400+ performances from midday to midnight.
- Rotary's Role: Funding major street advertising infrastructure and providing active front-of-house hospitality teams on the ground.
- Why this Partnership Works: It pairs the Jazz Club’s creative musical programming with Rotary’s trusted local logistics and volunteer energy to keep a landmark 20-year festival free and accessible to the public.
For over two decades, the Hot August Jazz Festival has transformed the Elizabeth Street strip in North Hobart into a pulsating, vibrant hub of musical celebration. Organized by the dedicated team at the Hobart Jazz Club, this iconic event brings the community together in the heart of winter, showcasing an incredible depth of Tasmanian talent—ranging from senior professionals and big bands to up-and-coming school music groups.
While the Rotary Club of North Hobart was not part of the festival's early beginnings, a deep mutual appreciation between our club, the Jazz Club, and the City of Hobart quickly evolved into a thriving, vital partnership.
How We Roll Up Our Sleeves
A festival of this scale requires serious logistical support to keep it running smoothly and, importantly, free for the public to enjoy. Our club supports the event in two distinct ways:
- Sustaining the Scene: Financially, our club has funded the installation of the prominent festival advertising flags along the streets—a significant annual cost that ensures the festival captures maximum visibility. In return, the Hobart Jazz Club proudly displays the Rotary logo on all printed street signage and programs.
- Active Front of House: On the final Sunday in August, our members are stationed on the ground, managing front-of-house greetings, welcoming audiences, and coordinating donation collections at key venues.
To outsiders, stepping in to share the operational load might seem like a small contribution to a massive twelve-hour event. However, the feedback from the Hobart Jazz Club committee has been incredibly clear: having a trusted, reliable team like North Hobart Rotary to handle frontline logistics gives them the peace of mind to focus entirely on the music.
For our members, it is a spectacular day of fellowship, short shifts, and community pride—perfect for volunteers who love fresh air, local connection, and world-class live jazz. We are incredibly grateful to the Hobart Jazz Club for welcoming Rotary to the party!