This week, we had the privilege of hearing an inspiring presentation from Sam McLarty of the Bionics Institute at St Vincent’s Hospital. Sam, who was born profoundly deaf and received a cochlear implant as a young child, shared his remarkable journey to becoming a Development Advisor at the Institute. His story was a powerful reminder of the impact of innovation, resilience, and purpose.
Next week, we look forward to a Behind the Badge presentation from one of our newest members, Julie Mulhauser, who will share her passion for community service and advocacy. It promises to be another engaging and uplifting evening.
Great news on the Satellite Club front—Rotary International has now been officially advised of 10 Satellite members. While final processing takes a few weeks, we’re excited to welcome members of the new Balwyn Blue Club to our upcoming functions as we continue to broaden our reach and impact.
As the current Rotary year draws to a close, preparations are underway for our Changeover Night on Tuesday 17th June when the leadership baton returns to me.
We’re also gearing up for our first event of the new Rotary year—the Camberwell Art Show at Swinburne University on Tuesday, 1st July. Be sure to book online as soon as possible to secure your spot. See link under Upcoming Events.
Lots to look forward to—see you soon!
JULIE MULHAUSER: BEHIND THE BADGE
Join us for a special Behind the Badge presentation as we hear from our President-Elect, Julie Mulhauser. This is a unique opportunity to learn more about the person who will soon be leading our club — their background, passions, career journey, and what Rotary means to them. These sessions are always a highlight, offering a deeper connection with the people who help shape our club’s future.
Image: Collingwood Football Club, AFL, Peter Ryan 30-Nov-2016
Sam McLarty was born in Launceston, Tasmania, just under 30 years ago. However, his profound deafness wasn’t identified until he started childcare. On his first day, a child in the room began crying, prompting a chain reaction from the others—except Sam, who remained completely unbothered. His calm reaction raised concerns, and later that day at home, his parents conducted the classic “saucepan test”—clashing two pots behind him. Sam didn’t flinch. It was becoming clear that he was deaf.
Following a series of tests and consultations with specialists, Sam was diagnosed as profoundly deaf. At just 18 months old, he became the youngest person at the time to receive a Cochlear implant. While implanting devices in children was controversial back then, today early implantation is strongly recommended to avoid speech and language delays.
Recognising Melbourne as a global centre for deafness research and treatment, Sam’s family relocated to Victoria. He attended Yarra Valley Grammar in Ringwood, a school renowned for its embedded deafness support clinic. There, he began to thrive—particularly on the football field, where he discovered a passion that also became a powerful outlet to prove himself.
Standing at 197cm, Sam joined the Oakleigh Chargers and was later drafted to Collingwood in the 2016 AFL National Draft. Though he didn’t play a senior game, he remained with the club until the end of 2018. Collingwood, at that time, was restructuring its list to build towards a premiership and made the difficult decision to part ways with several younger players in favour of experienced talent.
Sam took the opportunity to shift his focus toward education, enrolling in a science degree at Monash University without any pressure from the club. He went on to complete an Honours degree in genetics, driven by a deep curiosity about the biology and genetics of hearing.
This academic path led him to the Bionics Institute, where he now works as a Development Advisor. The Institute, founded by Professor Graeme Clark—the inventor of the Cochlear implant—is home to over 117 scientists, engineers, and clinicians. Their research covers a wide range of fields, including:
Autoimmune & Chronic Conditions
Movement and Balance Disorders
Brain Research
Chronic Pain
Hearing & Vision
Incubator & Translational Research
Sam often expresses his belief that Professor Clark deserves a Nobel Prize. At a time when the idea of electrically stimulating a nerve to produce hearing seemed outrageous, many critics dismissed Clark as “bananas.” But history proved him right. Today, more than a million people around the world benefit from Cochlear technology, with the Bionics Institute continuing to refine and expand its applications.
The Institute’s scope has broadened far beyond hearing loss. Its work in chronic pain, Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, epilepsy, vision loss, and neurological disorders aims to transform lives through cutting-edge bioengineering and medical innovation.
Outside of work, Sam is married to an Irish lady and enjoys exploring the world through travel. His journey—from a toddler diagnosed with profound deafness to a leading voice in biomedical advancement—is not only inspiring but also a powerful testament to resilience, curiosity, and the impact of science on human lives.
BALWYN ROTARY PROUDLY SUPPORTS KEW ROVERS’ BIG FREEZE 11 EVENT
L to R: Julie Mulhauser & Ian Davidson
Julie Mulhauser and President Ian Davidson were proud to represent Balwyn Rotary in supporting local footy legends from the Kew Rovers, who were doing their bit for the Fight MND Big Freeze fundraising campaign.
This year, the Kew Rovers were honoured to be selected as the official community club for the campaign—a well-deserved recognition of their spirit, dedication, and community impact.
The first day of winter brought with it a frosty morning, but the sun soon emerged—bright, if not warm—setting the scene for a crisp and lively day at the market. Stallholders began setting up early, and the keenest of bargain hunters were already poking around by torchlight. Their search was momentarily interrupted by flashing lights and sirens as a fire truck arrived at Woolworths to assist a rough sleeper, followed shortly by an ambulance. A dramatic start to an otherwise smooth set-up!
Support on the ground came from Tony O’Brien and Charles Smith, followed by Chris Finley, and a solid team of seasoned Rotary marketeers from Camberwell, Canterbury, and North Balwyn. Together, they helped usher in another successful market day, with takings around $2,300. The cold kept things quiet early on, but by 11 am, the market was bustling, with the usual mix of treasure and, well… let’s call it "characterful collectables."
As always, stallholders were cautiously optimistic about their takings—though a few admitted to doing “pretty well,” which we all know means “very well indeed.”
Last weekend, I was at a Cub Scout Leadership Course at the Boroondara District Scout Activity Centre in Canterbury, where I gave directions to a grandmother from Aspendale. Her grandson was at Cubs, and she thought she’d check out the market while she waited. She returned after lunch declaring the market “a load of junk”—though she did admit the flowers were fabulous. That said, she left with four “valued possessions” from that load of junk, proving once again that one person’s junk is another’s treasure. At least it’s easier to find these treasures at the market than lurking on a neighbour’s nature strip!
Today, I should have been back at the Scout Centre, but duty (and a market roster) called. I managed to convince Joanna to attend Scouts instead, and thought Jenson might join me at the market—but apparently, he had other plans.
As always, it was great to catch up with fellow Rotarians and hear what’s happening in their clubs. It’s these conversations that make the market more than just a fundraiser—it’s a community.
And finally, a moment of light-heartedness to wrap things up: Was I in the right place at the wrong time, or the wrong place at the right time? A conversation broke out about ageing hairstyles and a 75-year-old asking a younger member her age. After some visible hesitation and careful phrasing, she finally replied, “Moving towards 60…” Just goes to show—some things are harder to part with than market treasures!
All members: Philip Lambers sends out reminders a week before your shift.
If you are unable to do your rostered shift, you need to organize a swap and let Philip know.
Shift Times
OIC: 06:15 – 13:00
Set Up Crew: 06:30 – 12:30
Sunday 08-Jun-25
Marc Mirams (OIC) lan Davidson / Peter Little, Jim Thomson
Sunday 15-Jun-25
David Jones (OIC) Anthea Rutter / Chris Finley, Brian Pollock
Sunday 22-Jun-25
Russell Jones (OIC) Julie Mulhauser, ???
Box Hill Miniature Steam Railway
Arrival time: 10:45
Trains depart: 11:00-16:00
Location: Elgar Park, corner of Belmore and Elgar Roads, Mont Albert North
Rosters are organised by Fred Gibbs and Clarke Ballard.
Any changes or alterations please send an email to bhmsr@balwynrotary.org.au
Rotary Controller: Clarke Ballard
Sunday 15-Jun-25
Clarke Ballard, Russell Jones, Philip Lambers, Richard Seeley, Pauline Wilson
Sunday 20-July-25
David Jones, Marc Mirams, John Walker, Bill Goodwin, Michael Curry, Clarke Ballard
Sunday 17-Aug-25
Chris Finley, Ian Davidson, Angela Ciliberto, Clarke Ballard
RIMERN
Tuesday 10-Jun-25
Murray Wilkinson, Ed Frost
Tuesday 24-Jun-25
Kevin Walsh, Peter Frueh
Volunteers
Chris Finley, David Hobson, Ed Frost, Julie Mulhauser, Ken McQualter, Kevin Walsh, Marc Mirams, Murray Wilkinson, Peter Frueh, Peter O’Brien, Russel Jones
