Events

Gabe has been a Rotarian for 25 years with a background in accounting and law, and his passion for peace was ignited after attending the 2018 Peace Summit at the Toronto Rotary Convention. Since then, he has led initiatives across Oceania as a Peacebuilder Club founder, RAGFP Treasurer, and Rotary-IEP Positive Peace Activator, promoting peacebuilding projects and inspiring a culture of peace within Rotary.

Jennifer has a career background in project management and business strategy. This experience along with a passion for creative design has provided her with a unique skillset to build eyecatching websites with a strategic focus on helping businesses grow. Website Warriors prides itself on helping businesses solve all website challenges, whether it be renovating old websites, modernising to suit business service changes or trouble shooting functionality issues.

Kieser focuses on using physiotherapy-led strength training to help individuals manage chronic pain and improve their quality of life. This approach is particularly effective for managing lower back, hip, and knee pain, which impacts 4 out of 5 Australians at some point.
Aren completed his Bachelor of Exercise Science and Masters of Physiotherapy at La Trobe University. He enjoys helping clients with various injuries and conditions: sporting injuries, lower limb injuries and neck/ low back pain. He loves working with clients to strive to improve their health and wellbeing outcomes.
 

Tim Webster is a photographer, writer and videographer, whose work focuses on cultural and environmental themes. His interest in heritage has led him to create three books of illustrated oral histories, including Melbourne's Queen Victoria Market (Thames & Hudson). Exploring livelihoods, traditions and change, he travels widely and works with various clients documenting heritage architecture.

David Chu is a local educator and community leader. He has worked closely with students and families from diverse cultural backgrounds and has a strong interest in education, community engagement, and cultural understanding. His work often explores how traditional values are preserved, explained and shared across generations. In this talk, David offers an overview of the cultural traditions and symbolic foundations of the Lunar New Year.

The School of St Jude is a charity-funded independent school in Arusha, Tanzania, founded in 2002 by Australian Gemma Sisia with the mission of “fighting poverty through education.” It provides 100 % free, high-quality primary and secondary schooling to academically promising children from impoverished backgrounds, now educating around 1,800 students across three campuses with boarding for secondary students and over 300 local Tanzanian staff. St Jude’s also supports graduates into higher education and places volunteer teachers in government schools. Scholarships cover uniforms, meals, transport and resources, helping break the cycle of poverty and build future leaders.​

Gemma grew up on a property near Guyra, New South Wales, and studied science and education in Melbourne, the Northern Territory and Armidale. At 22, she volunteered as a teacher in Uganda, where she met her husband, Richard Sisia. Returning to Australia, she fundraised to establish The School of St Jude in Tanzania, which now provides free, quality education to 1,800 students.

Faith Samwel is a graduate of The School of St Jude, Class of 2020, raised by her mother as one of five sisters. After excelling in science and mathematics, she completed community service as a volunteer teacher before earning a full scholarship to study civil engineering. Graduating in 2025, Faith is her family’s first engineer and the founder of the growing hair-care business, Hair Gallery.

Dr Rion Ahl is a doctor, and entrepreneur based in Melbourne, Victoria. He currently works at Alfred Health. Alongside medicine, Rion has developed a strong interest in health systems, digital health, and the future integration of AI into our lives. 

Rion is the cofounder of 50Coach, a fast-growing tutoring and academic support platform focused on improving outcomes for Victorian secondary students. Through initiatives such as FreeVCENotes and the Rural Scholars program, he has worked to expand equitable access to high-quality VCE resources and mentorship. His work sits at the intersection of education, technology, and scalable service delivery. Beyond 50Coach, Rion is involved in multiple consulting ventures and speaking work across Victorian schools. 

Elaine Pratley is the founder of Peace Kitchen, an Australian social enterprise that supports refugees and people seeking asylum through food, skills training, and community connection. Elaine believes in empowerment over charity, using cooking as a practical pathway to confidence, dignity, and belonging. Through Peace Kitchen, she brings people together across cultures, creating opportunities for newcomers to share their talents, build independence, and contribute meaningfully to the Australian community.