Kirsty Nancarrow - Media Trainer/Keynote Speaker/MC/Author

29/09/2026

This morning, FHC Founder Som Tamang and Himalayan Dreams author Kirsty Nancarrow gave an update to the Rotary Club of Cairns Sunrise.

You can watch some of Som's update here: https://youtu.be/RMzSZcQNHKg?si=oecgDWSDRTjiNg16

More than 1450 people have been confirmed dead in the wake of the August 26 flash flood triggered by a glacier collapse on the Nepal-Tibet border.

Som and his team of volunteers have been taking food supplies and cooking utensils to villages that lost everyrhing in the disaster.

He shared stories of families FHC gave some financial assistance to, thanks to many generous donations from.the Cairns community and elsewhere.

Kirsty, who is a member of the Rotary eClub of Empowering Women and girls, explained Rotary's FHC school project would be even more cruicial now, with children more vulnerable to trafficking and child marriage following disaster.

Som told the meeting he hopes to create three paid outreach positions for his women volunteers to ensure families most in need receive FHC's support.

He said the FHC Hostel in Batase hopes to secure permission from the Government of Nepal to acccommodate between 50-100 children from flood affected villages...but the reality is thousands need help.

The relief and recovery effort will be long term.

To donate, visit https://directory.rawcs.com.au/28-2023-24

or

https://www.f-hc.org/donate-to-fhc-flash-flood-response #

📸

25/09/2026

Have you ever met a more charismatic reptile than Australia's thorny devil?

They only eat ants, drink through their feet, and fool predators with their false head.

25/09/2026

Join Som and Kirsty for a special update on the flood response in Nepal this Tuesday morning at Rotary Club of Cairns Sunrise

Himalayan Dreams shares the story of Som and his team's incredible response following the April 2015 earthquake in Nepal.

His team of young leaders has stepped up once again in the wake of the devastating August 26 flood disaster.

Hear about how you can support the immediate disaster response and help Batase Village care for and educate children who have lost their families and school.

23/09/2026

Every time I return to Mparntwe, Alice Springs, I feel so connected to this country and the people who call this place home.

Today, between media training sessions, I dropped off a few copies of Himalayan Dreams to Bronwyn at Red kangaroo books 🦘📚📚, the first bookshop to host an author talk for me, and my longest supporter.

It was a privilege to attend the launch of the campaign for Alice Springs Community Foundation, making new connections and renewing old ones.

Finally, the evening was spent celebrating Northern Territory authors and poets at the NT Writing Awards. Congratulations to all of the winners and finalists, many of whom are from Alice Springs.

I just happened to sit next to a person I had never met before who had Himalayan Dreams on her bookshelf at home and was a friend of one of the volunteers mentioned in the book. Alice is like that.

Alice Springs has always been a culturally rich place with an enormous community spirit. I really felt that today.

NT Writers' Centre
Rotary Club of Alice Springs
Mparntwe Alice Springs Community Foundation

21/09/2026

This morning I gave an update to Rotary Alice Springs Mbantua and Rotary Club of Alice Springs on the efforts of Som Tamang and Friends of Himalayan Children Inc. team in the Nepal flood recovery.

It was an honour to represent RotaryClubEmpoweringWomenAndGirls and share our club's projects.

Next Tuesday September 29, you can catch Som Tamang and I at the Rotary Club of Cairns Sunrise.

I will be sharing the journey with Rotary Hobart on Thursday October 8.

21/09/2026

Thank you for having me as a guest speaker Rotary Alice Springs Mbantua.

It was a pleasure sharing an update on the role of Friends of Himalayan Children Inc. in the Nepal flood recovery.

I was also proud to be representing the RotaryClubEmpoweringWomenAndGirls.

Congratulations to the club on securing a world first Global Grant for domestic violence prevention services in Central Australia.

So much of my advocacy is about protecting women and children so this project aligns perfectly with my values.

18/09/2026

Thank you to everyone for your support and generosity. 🙏🇳🇵

From my heart thank you so much everyone. Som

17/09/2026

I am looking forward to being back in one of my favourite places, Alice Springs, and sharing an update on Som Tamang's aid mission to Nepal, following the August 26 flood disaster.

Donations can be made through the following links:
Friends of Himalayan Children Inc. https://www.f-hc.org/donate-to-fhc-flash-flood-response

Rotary International https://donations.rawcs.com.au/Default.aspx?ProjectID=2938

I'll also be sharing the amazing work of our RotaryClubEmpoweringWomenAndGirls online club.

The Rotary Club of Alice Springs-Mbantua is pleased to announce we have the accomplished Journalist and Writer, Kirsty Nancarrow as a guest speaker at our upcoming meeting on the 21st of September.
Here is Kirsty’s bio:

Kirsty Nancarrow is an award-winning former ABC journalist with a media career spanning three decades. Kirsty founded Women in Media Far North Queensland, she is a member of the Rotary eClub of Empowering Women and Girls, and an advocate for social justice, gender equality, and mental health. Kirsty is the best-selling author of Himalayan Dreams: The Story of Som Tamang. Kirsty first interviewed Som Tamang for the ABC following the 2015 Nepal earthquakes and wrote his remarkable story after a life-changing month as a volunteer teacher in his village, Batase. Kirsty won silver for Woman in Media in the 2026 Women Changing the World Global Awards. Himalayan Dreams was the BiBA 2025 Biography of the Year and won Gold in the 2025 ABLE Book Awards for Multicultural Peace and Harmony. Kirsty is currently the Director of Regional Media Training, delivering workshops Australia-wide. She lives in Cairns.

The meeting starts at 6:45am for a 7am start at the Doubletree Hilton (Deck Bar) on Barrett Drive.

13/09/2026

An Update on our Rotary Service project– Rise Her. A leadership development program for Navy Cadets aged 13–18.

Run by club president & member

Interested to find out more about our work? Or want to come along to hear our amazing speakers? Join our next club meeting on October 13th, 7pm AEST, to hear from Dr Rana Dadpour, co-founder of Aus–Iran, on how women are not the regime. Sign up link in comments.