Past President, Jane Auchettl, spoke of the background to the club’s ongoing partnership with the people of Ambon. Ambon is an island 800km north of Darwin in the Indonesian archipelago.

In December 1941, during World War II, over 1000 members of Australian Gull Force were sent to Ambon, to help Dutch forces defend against Japanese invasion. When the Japanese invaded in January 1942, 290 members of Gull Force were massacred and 809 became Prisoners of War. Of these, only 121 survived and returned home at the end of the war.

In 1998, Past President Rob McDougall, travelled to Ambon with Gull Force members and families in honour of his father, who was one of the surviving POWs. Gull Force was committed to helping the people of this very poor island who had been so instrumental in their survival. This visit developed into another 14 trips for Rob and a project for Rotary Wendouree Breakfast.

Members and friends of the club have travelled several times to Ambon to establish partnerships with local organisations and assist local people to address some of their most pressing needs, including matters such as drainage and education.

The next trip to Ambon will be from 25th August to 3rd September 2026, with 11 Rotarians participating. Member Jan Ross will be hosting her much-anticipated annual ‘Tripe Dinner’ later in July to raise funds for the Ambon project.