| This
is the biweekly bulletin of the Rotary Club of Kingspark Hong Kong Club Website: http://www.rotary3450.org/kingspark-hongkong | ||||
 | Kingspark News Rotary
Club of Kingspark |  | ||
| Chief
Editor : Francis Wann Club Webmaster : John Wan | ||||
Editorial
(Yes Minister) - By Francis Wann | ||||
| Yes Minister Last Monday January 12 saw the ceremonial start of another new legal year of our judiciary with all our judges parading in their grandeur for the occasion. It might seem something of an annual ritual within the profession, and perhaps a bit incomprehensible if not bizarre for the layman. But as Chief Justice Andrew Li in his address reminded us, " the unequivocal voice of our citizens... must be fully appreciated and understood by everyone in the community: in particular by those holding and exercising powers of government, whether executive, legislative or judical." It was indeed a timely reminder, particularly in the aftermath of the New Year rally, and at a time when the Equal Opportunities Commission is still struggling to reestablish its credibility after the resignation of its chairman, a former Court of Appeal judge. There is no doubt we pride ourselves of our judicial system which as Justice Li describes in the official website, upholds the rule of law, safeguards the rights and freedoms of individuals, and commands domestic and international confidence. Central to this concept is the firm belief that the judiciary must not only be independent, it must be seen to be independent and impartial. And as he reminded the judges, " they are not isolated from the community. On the contrary, they are part of the community which they serve. They live, breathe, and think in the real world." Readers might still remember the controversial CFA ruling a few years ago over the right of abode issue, and the subsequent consultation with Beijing which put the integrity of our system in question. Judges, after all, are expected to display the utmost of standards of personal conduct at all times as there must be many occasions when they cannot just go by the book when discharging their duties. There is no shortage of Rotarians in the legal profession, and it would be of fundamental importance that the message from Justice Li is well heeded and embraced in every sense. Meanwhile the Judiciary is about to produce a guide to help the profession safeguard its dignity and independence. While judges are only mortals, perhaps they would also find Rotary's four-way test another practical help whenever they are confronted with a moral dilemna, and are entrusted with the responsibility to make a decision. | ||||
President's
Column Nothing is Impossible Happy New Year. I would like to begin by wishing you and your families a wonderful and fruitful year of 2004. Another year has begun. Last year, we faced a very difficult time due to outbreak of Sars, Article 23, and the unfortunate passing of a few prominent singers. I think Hong Kong people don't want it happen again this year. I was born to a poor family. I haven't enjoyed an easy life, and since I was young I had never owned any new toys, new clothes, even new books. So, I didn't have the chance to compare in my past. In my dictionary the word "easy" seemed strange to me. Perhaps because of this, when I encountered difficulties in later days I could handle them easily. About 35 years ago, I was a trainee as a decorator, and my major duty was to assist the carpenter on site which might include painting, masonry, steel smith, electrical installation, etc. Whenever I found the other contractor or workers had problems in work, I'd voluntarily get involved to help them. Some of my partners thought I was stupid, but I ignored their criticisms. I understood that those experiences were a valuable asset to me, and helped me lay good foundation to be a boss later. Nowadays, I always tell my kids that the real glamour of a leader was not in their look or appearance, but their ability. People will always show their respect to those who can handle difficulties mentally or physically. In Rotary, all members are working voluntarily to serve the community. They contribute not only their time and money, but their hearts and a sense of willingness. Our January vocational seminar will be held in Shatin City-one S.K.H. Lam Kau Mow Secondary School tomorrow (16th), and our keynote speech will be "Equip yourself for a better future." For our Rotarians we should say equip ourselves for a better next half year. The Lunar New Year will come after 10 days, I would like to say Kung Hei Fat Choy here and wish you an auspicious year of the Monkey. | ||||
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By PP Edward Lau At today’s (January 8th 2004) regular meeting, I officially rejoined the Rotary Club of Kingspark Hong Kong. Instead of conducting the normal induction ceremony on a new member, President Peter simply gave me back my badge in a simple ceremony – he actually attached the badge to my lapel - and officially welcomed me back into the Club. Thank you President Peter. Even though I only rejoined Kingspark Hong Kong after an absence of some seven and a half years, I have been trying my best, as many of you know, to maintain my ties with the Club and come to as many of the meetings and activities whenever I am in Hong Kong. Through this means, I had the opportunity of meeting many of the newer members of the Club in addition to maintaining the friendship and fellowship with the existing members. I actually look forward to these gatherings as they are kind of like going home, meeting your old friends and catching up with the latest developments with Kingspark Hong Kong and Rotary at large. Many of you know that my family moved to the States in July 1996, shortly after completing my term as the second president of Kingspark Hong Kong and handing over the presidency to President Alex. Let me fill you in with some details of the times we spent in the States. We relocated to San Francisco as I was being transferred to the bank’s San Francisco office. We have always loved San Francisco as both Alice and I went to universities in the Bay Area, although at different times, and we were looking forward to moving back to our old stomping ground. We bought a house in a small residential community south of San Francisco called Hillsborough some eighteen months before our move and spent months renovating it. Many relatives and friends, including CP John and his family, have come and stayed with us in the house. We have enjoyed very much our time in the States and one of the highlights of our seven plus years of living in the Bay Area must be the witnessing of and, to a very small extent, participating in the entire cycle of the boom and bust of the internet bubble taking place down in Silicon Valley. It was certainly spectacular, both on the way up and even more so on the way down. My work was both challenging and exciting, and the main complaint is the traveling as my geographical coverage expanded to include both North and South America. I thought I travel way too much when I was working in Hong Kong but it was no match against the heavy traveling schedule in the States. In general, American businessmen would think nothing of hopping into a plane to see a client, to have a meeting or whatever. It’s almost like us getting into a taxi to go to Kowloon. However, these excessive corporate traveling essentially grounded to a halt with the recession and the airlines are suffering as a result of this cutback. Anyway, getting back to the topic on hand, I found time to pursue my other interests which of course included Rotary. Through the introduction of PDG Raymond Wong, I joined the Rotary Club of San Francisco, also known as Club No.2 as it was the second Rotary club, after Chicago. Rotary Club of San Francisco is the main Rotary club for San Francisco with some 300 – 400 members, depending on the state of the economy. It is so large that all members are divided into “monthly divisions” based on the person’s date of birth so that we do not feel lost. The Rotary Club of San Francisco runs a number of established programs every year, such as, Camp Enterprise, where a group of high school kids spend a weekend at a camp outside San Francisco with Rotarians to devise competitive marketing projects, and Academic Decathlon whereby the Rotary Club of San Francisco co-hosts this national academic contest with the San Francisco School Board, plus whatever projects designated by the current president. For a number of reasons, we have recently decided to move back to Hong Kong. Our apartment is now renovated and our belongings shipped back from the States and we are more or less settled. An important aspect of our rejoining the community has just been achieved and that occurred today with my rejoining the Rotary Club of Kingspark. I look forward to being actively involved with the Club. | ||||
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He Had a Dream Last Monday must have been an auspicious day. As Hong Kong's guardians of justice celebrated another year of achievement, some 50 km away, out in Tin Shui Wai, New Territories, an educationalist presided at the Inauguration of a primary school, amidst more educationalists, government officials, friends and well wishers. It was the Inauguration Ceremony of WF Joseph Lee Primary School, a fruit of love made possible through the dedicated, commitment, vision and hard labour of many teachers, educationalists, parents and policy makers, under the inspiration of one man, none other than a past governor of the District, Joseph Lee. In his Opening Address, Joseph Lee in his typical modest demeanour shared with his audience his dream of building a future for the new generations through sponsoring a new primary school in Tin Shui Wai under the Direct Subsidy Scheme. The School began operation two years ago and today has a student population of 570, to be increased by another 150 next summer. Dr Rosanna Wong was the keynote speaker. She is no stranger to Rotary, having been a Rotary Ambassadorial Scholar and having spoken at many Rotary gatherings, large and small, both local and overseas. She is also a good friend of Joseph Lee whom she described as a person with the heart in the right place as far as education is concerned. She then outlined briefly the principles and tenets of educational reforms in Hong Kong, with particular emphases on lifelong education, continuing upgrading in standards, diversification, multi-disciplinary approach and the role of the parents. She said that the primary objective of educational reforms is to produce quality school; and went on to discuss the characteristics of a quality school, noting that students of such schools carry a distinct air reflecting high quality, creativity, seriousness and a desire to learn; that teachers of these schools are all committed to the ideals of education, are experienced and well qualified and are motivated to love and care for their students; that there is a high degree of and active parent involvement and interaction between parents and teachers; and that the sponsors are far sighted individuals with exemplary vision amd mission. Dr Rosanna Wong went on to distinguish education providers from other service providers and the extra sacrifice and commitment that are called for in the case of the former. A successful quality school would produce happy, caring and creative graduates, which in turn would be conducive to the maintenance of Hong Kong's competitiveness internationally and hence ensure and insure sustained growth for Hong Kong. WF Joseph Lee Primary School certainly meets the definition of a quality school, as anyone who was at the Inauguration would agree, having listened to the speeches of the principal and watched the performance of the students. Past governor Joseph Lee is to be congratulated for having conceived such a dream and for asking his friends to help him fulfill what turns out to be more than a dream. What
a pleasant breath of fresh air from a Rotarian in the District, the same one in
which the current leadership are apparently more concerned with picking a successor
than providing services for the needy, with total disregard for Truth, Honour
and Virtue! | ||||
Views in any article in Kingspark News reflect those of the authors. They are not necessarily the views of the Rotary Club of Kingspark or of District 3450. You are welcome to write to Chief Editor Francis Wann or Club Webmaster John Wan on any topic, particularly in response to articles published in Kingspark News. We would publish all contributions as long as the authors identify themselves, the contents are not offensive or abusive, and would not offend common decency or common sense. You need not be a Rotarian to write to us and you have a choice to withhold your name in the published version. Where the contents make reference to statements or policies of individuals or organizations, we would try to obtain a response fro the latter for publication in the same issue if possible. | ||||
Chief
Editor : Francis Wann The Board of Directors President
: Peter Lo | ||||
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