ON Melbourne Cup Day 2025, the Rotary Club of Maleny, supported by the Maleny Hotel, drew the winning ticket for their Melbourne Cup Raffle, awarding a framed collection of Melbourne Cup memorabilia generously donated by renowned jockey Craig Williams.
Since late last year, Rotary Maleny has been working to channel funds raised through the raffle to their sister Rotary Club in Krakow, Poland, where the money will be used to purchase portable electric generators for Cherkasy, Ukraine.
This marks the second time the club has sent aid to support facilities in Cherkasy, a city still under constant threat from Russian missile attacks, where electricity for lighting and heating is often disrupted.
The generators will assist medical clinics, schools, and other humanitarian facilities, ensuring essential services continue despite the ongoing conflict.
Rotary Maleny said the process of transferring funds was challenging, taking two months and three attempts to gain government approval.
Current legislation limits banks from providing explanations for rejected transfers, adding to the difficulty.
The Maleny club expressed heartfelt thanks to the community for their generosity, particularly Chris and the team at the Maleny Hotel for their unwavering support.
“Your contributions have not been in vain,” Rotary Maleny said, acknowledging the hundreds of people who purchased tickets to support humanitarian aid.
Through this initiative, the local community has played a direct role in delivering life-saving resources to Ukrainians in urgent need, showing that local efforts can have a meaningful global impact.