Pres. Henry opened the meeting by welcoming PDG Dom Vessigult formerly from the Hong Kong Club. He then asked PP Hubert to come up to introduce the visitor today. He welcomed Sam Yeung from Hong Kong NorthWest. We have a birthday boy today but PE Rudy is not here until 2:30PM so we will defer the birthday celebration for him until next week. Pres. Henry then reminded everyone to make sure they register with his Sec. on your intensions to attend our 50th Anniversary party. He then named a few members who have not signed up yet. Because of the complicated logistics involved we have to reserve a place for all our own members who are going to the party otherwise there may not be a place for you if you don't.

Pres. Henry then asked PP John to come to deliver his message. PP John gave us information on our future speaker on behalf of the program chairman.

April 7 We do not have a speaker so he got the agreement from PDG Uncle Peter that we hold a club Assembly on this day. So would all avenue of service chairman please prepare to talk on their areas. This also gives us a chance to tie up loose ends for our 50th Anniversary Function.

April 14 we're going to have another golf talk by David Lloyd on the subject "Why play the Game?" We have invited our daughter clubs to come to help us celebrate our 50th birthday. We have ordered a big birthday cake.

April 21 our speaker will be PP Con Conway on "IT issues at Beijing Olympics 2008"

April 28 the subject will be "The HK Property Market". The speaker will be Mr. Ronald Cheong of Midland Properties

May 6 the meeting on the 5th will be moved to this day when we will have a joint meeting with all the clubs in Area 3 to welcome the Rotary's Centennial Bell. The meeting place will be at the American Club hosted by Rotary Club of Queensway.

May 12 Vacant

May 19 Charles Yeung will speak to us on "The Rules of Golf"

May 26 Public Holiday -meeting canceled

Further to the information provided by PP John, Pres. Henry reminded everyone to make himself available to attend the meeting on April 7th because PP John has promised to underwrite any shortfall on the number of members attending this meeting. Remember our minimum is 15 and he promised to make up any shortage.

Pres. Henry then asked PP CY to come up to make his Sergeant-At-Arms report. PP CY announced that we have 15 members & 2 visiting Rotarians attending. The total collection was $1,100.

Then Program Chairman Dr. Tony announced that our speaker today is Mr. Simon Tam, a director of the International Wine Centre in Hong Kong.

Mr. Tam started by asking us what is the difference between 1982 Chateau Lafitte and a 1992 Chateau Lafitte. The answer is $2,000. This pretty much is the highlight of his talk. He said that just because the price tag is $13,000 per bottle does not make it an excellent wine. Therefore his talk today is to let us know how to appreciate fine wine. How you measure which wine is best suited to you depends on what you will eat with it.
He said that he chooses wine for about $150 and this is considered extravagant in his opinion. Usually you can choose a good wine around $120 per bottle is already very good. Because every year you have different crop coming up therefore knowledge is your weapon. You have different varieties of grapes. You have different environments such as the amount of sunlight or rain. This makes a big different in the quality of wine you can produce. The challenge is how to capture the grape's fruity flavor into the wine. How long the wine taste lingers in your mouth.

Mr. Tam then invited questions from the floor.

Dr Tony asked, "What is the difference between wine and grape juice?" The answer is grape juice is different from wine is the flavor. You have all kinds of flavor in wine whereas grape juice is just one flavor only.

PP Stephen asked, "Does the glass you drink you wine from make a difference in the taste?" The answer is NO.

PP Tim came up to thank the speaker in his usual jovial manner.

Pres. Henry then closed the meeting by proposing a toast to RI coupled with the Rotary club of HKNE.

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Rotary Information

Golf Information

Answer to last week's golf quiz

1. When a player's ball is farthest from the hole than his opponent's ball, then the player is said to have the "Honor"

True
*False [see Definition of "Honor"] - only refer to teeing -off

2. In match play, A is 4 on the green. His opponent conceded his next stroke. Yet A still putts but misses the hole. His score for this hole is 6.

True
*False [see Rule 2-4 and Decision 2-4/1] - his score is 5. A concession once given may not be declined or withdrawn.

3. A player places a club on the ground parallel to the line play to assist him in aligning his feet properly. He removes the club after the stroke has been played. There is no penalty.

True
*False [see Rule 8-2a and Decision 8-2a/1] - There is no penalty only if he removes the club before his stroke

4. A's ball is 25 feet on the putting green. B's ball is 10 feet on the putting green on the opposite side of the hole. A plays a stroke. His ball passes the hole and hits B's ball. B is penalized 2 strokes for failing to mark and lift his ball.

True
*False [see Rule 19-5a] - It is A who is penalized 2 strokes

5. In all forms of play, provided that the competition is not delayed, the player may agree to start at a time other than that laid down by the Committee.

True
*False [see Rule 6-3a and Decision 6-3a/3] -Normal penalty is disqualification.

6. In stroke play, through the green, a bunker lies between a player's ball and the hole. The player walks into the bunker to assess his line of play. Before he leaves the bunker, he rakes his footprints. There is a two stroke penalty.

*True [see Decision 13-2/29] - If a player worsens his line of play, he is not entitled to restore it. In doing so, he has improved the line and is in breach of Rule 13-2.
False

7. Prior to his shot, a competitor lifts a towel covering a fellow-competitor's bag to determine what club the fellow-competitor used for his stroke. There is a two stroke penalty for obtaining such information through a physical act.

*True [see Decision 8-1/11]
False

8. A player rotated his ball on putting green to line up the trademark with the hole. He did not lift the ball, mark its position or change its position. There is no penalty.

True
*False [1 stroke penalty - see Decision 18-2a/33] - No penalty if ball's position is marked before he rotates his ball.

9. In match play, A's ball is not yet on the green and is about 20 feet from the hole. B's ball is already on green (a large green) and is about 50 feet from the hole. It is A's turn to play the next stroke.

True
*False [see Rule 10- 1b]

 

10. A ball is deemed to be on the putting green when any part of the ball touches any part of the putting green.

*True [see Definition of "Putting Green"] - important for Nearest to the Pin competition.
False

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Joke & Cartoon

 

An American tourist in London decides to skip his tour group and explore the city on his own.

He wanders around, seeing the sights, and occasionally stopping at a quaint pub to soak up the local culture, chat with the lads, and have a pint of Guinness. After a while, he finds himself in a very high class neighbourhood.....big, stately residences...no pubs, no stores, no
restaurants, and worst of all... NO PUBLIC RESTROOMS.

He really, really has to go, after all those Guinness's. He finds a narrow side street, with high walls surrounding the adjacent buildings
and decides to use the wall to solve his problem. As he is unzipping, he is tapped on the shoulder by a London Bobbie, who says, "I say, sir, you simply cannot do that here, you know."

"I'm very sorry, officer," replies the American, "but I really, really HAVE TO GO, and I just can't find a public restroom."

"Ah, yes," said the Bobbie..."Just follow me." He leads him to a back delivery alley," then along a wall to a gate, which he opens.

"In there," points the Bobbie. "Whiz away,...anywhere you want."

The fellow enters and finds himself in the most beautiful garden he has ever seen. Manicured grass lawns, statuary, fountains,
sculptured hedges, and huge beds of gorgeous flowers, all in perfect bloom.

Since he has the cop's blessing, he unburdens himself and is greatly relieved.

As he goes back thru the gate, he says to the Bobbie "That was really decent of you .... is that "British Hospitality ?"

"No" replied the Bobbie, with a satisfied smile on his face, "That is the French Embassy."

 

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Photographs of our Meeting
on
31st March, 2004

 

Our speaker today was Mr. Simon Tam from International Wine Centre whose talk was entitled "Wine - All You want to Know"

(L to R) PDG Uncle Peter, our guest speaker Mr. Simon Tam & Pres. Henry.

(L to R) Hon. Sec. Eddy, PDG Y.K. Cheng & PDG Dom Vessigult.

(L to R) PP CY, Rtn Francis, PP's Hubert, Stephen, Tim & Rtn Kenny.

(L to R) Dir. Laurence, PP's Desmond, John IV, Dir Heron, Program Chairman Dr Tony & Rtn Sam Yeung (HKNW).

PP Tim giving the vote of thanks to our speaker.

Pres. Henry giving our guest speaker a photograph of himself talking to us.

PDG Uncle Peter pictured here with PDG Dom. Hope to see you more often.

The group photo of PDG Uncle Peter, guest speaker, Pres. Henry, PDG Dom & visiting Rotarian & our members on 31st March, 2004.