| 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
(Stand Up And Be Counted) - By Francis Wann | ||||
| Stand Up And Be Counted First it was the Article 23, then it was the pace of constitutional reforms, then came Allen Lee's most disturbing and dramatic revelations in front of the Legco home affairs panel. One might just wonder if it's another episode of Reality TV show. No one will dispute the importance of freedom of speech in our community, and indeed the Government has issued two press releases within one week reiterating that "freedom of expression and a free press are the cornerstones of our success. These freefoms are an integral part of Hong Kong's vibrant and cosmopolitan society as well as a vital element of the Hong Kong success story as a free, open and pluralistic society..." (Press releases May 23, May 27) While the Government has pledged "zero tolerance" for any acts of intimidation, threats, criminal damage and violence, and while Chief Secretary Donald Tsang has reminded us of the administration's commitment, that may not be enough to convince the public who wants to see something more substantial and concrete in the way their freedoms are defended, and in the way their desires are interpreted to the central government in no uncertain terms. It's understandable that some Rotarians and other members of the public take a different attitude towards the issue and argue that Rotary being a service organization, our priority should be our service opportunities to the community. But if the Object of Rotary is to be understood in its entirety, the advancement of the best interest of the community would inevitably point to a system of government which is transparent, fair, and accountable. And as Rotarians encompass every single professional and business sector, our belief would certainly make a difference. On the same day of the press release "Freedom of expression continues to thrive" (May 27), there were at least two petitions in the local press signed by academics and professionals expressing their worries that their rights might have been curtailed. Some might think they are over-sensitive, but without a level-playing field and a system of checks and balances, our freedoms, as Nietzsche wrote on the various aspects of human integrity, are "not only dearly bought, but also easily lost".(Twilight of the Idols) And while Rotarians all over the world are subscribing to the value of freedom and other principles, the question of membership growth has always been of fundamental importance at club level. To put it plainly, the induction of one more member alone would effectively mean one step closer in the realisation of the Rotary vision. As PDG Moses Cheng is preparing to put forward our views at the RI Council on Legislation in Chicago later this month, perhaps it's also about time we think seriously about the meaning of sustainable growth. | ||||
President's
Column Vocational Service The vocational group discussion session was held on 8th May, at Kowloon Shangri-la Hotel Laurel Room, lower level 1. Moderator, P.P.Gary Cheung; Resource person, PDG Arthur Au; Reporter, P. Peter Lo; Participants: Rtn. S.K. Shum (Admiralty), Rtn. Emba Leung (Kowloon North), Rtn. Claire Mak (Tai Po), Rtn. Feroz Sultana (Kingspark), Rtn. Philip Jeble (Kowloon) Rtn. Lau Suet Ting (Queensway), Rtn. Raymond Cheung (Hou Kuong) Rtn. S.W.Yip (Macau Central), and Rtn. Ricky Chan (Pennisula), all being Vocational Service Directors of their respective clubs. The opening remark and briefing was presented by Moderator P.P. Garry. After the briefing, resources person P.D.G. Arthur led the participants in the discussion to express their ideas. Arthur told us the major emphasis and the importance in the vocational service were the professional ethics and the 4 way test. Rtn. Feroz Sultana (Kingspark) shared her experience with the participants about the vocational talk to the F5 – F7 students. In the past three years we also made use of this project to promote the image of Rotary to the public. Moreover, we could fully utilize all the resources from our club members. This project not only served the youths in our community, it was also for our membership extension. Rtn. S.K.Shum (Admiralty) suggested the district could organize the gathering with the vocational talk, to be held quarterly. Rtn. Emba Leung (Kowloon North) suggested we could invite more speakers during our regular meetings or to organize seminars on professional ethics. Rtn. Claire Mak (Tai Po) suggested that vocational projects should be low-budget and if the club has problems on resources, we could make it as a joint project with other clubs. Rtn. Lau Seut Ting (Queensway) suggested members could gain experience by actively participating in various vocational projects hosted by other clubs or organizations. Rtn. Raymond Cheung (Hou Kuong) said Rotary should provide more vocational service projects on careers, not only to secondary schools, but also to university students and the public. Rtn. Philip Jeble (Kowloon) said he would consider having similar projects like Kingspark’s, but perhaps with new emphases. Summary: 1. professional Ethics is our main concern. 2. invite speakers to our regular meetings to talk about professional Ethics education. 3. joint vocational projects with other clubs. 4. regular vocational director’s gatherings. 5. new idea and low cost should be a consideration at design stage. 6. meaningful projects should continue in the long run. | ||||
By Elsa Law Doctors and Nurses
I flew over to Melbourne earlier this week because my niece was taken seriously ill. She had lost a lot of blood for no apparent cause. I arrived with my niece’s elder sister. We could not help panicking when we saw my niece’s face as white as a sheet of paper. We had no clue as to who might be a good doctor and what the health care system was like there. My niece was already telling us that she had already been to a doctor who had shown no interest in her illness at all. Naturally, we were under the belief that other doctors might be the same. But it turned out that we were proved wrong. With some luck, we managed to locate a local doctor nearby. The doctor turned out to be a genuinely helpful doctor who immediately advised us that my niece was to be admitted to the emergency unit of the St. Vincent Hospital nearby. Immediately we felt a sense of direction and a sense of relief. Anyone who has watched the series “ER” would know it is drama which plays out the best of doctors and nurses. In normal everyday lives, it is hard to expect doctors and nurses to behave with genuine compassion and care as they see so much suffering daily in their job. Therefore, it is surprising and amazing that St. Vincent Hospital’s doctors and nurses were genuinely that. They were an amazing bunch because despite their workload and the stress of their job, they all stayed cheerful, friendly, helpful and most of all caring. They did not just talk shop but made sure that every possible test would be taken and every clue followed up. We could clearly felt their commitment. My niece was the benefactor of it all, she certainly felt much more at ease and appreciative of the medical profession. As for us, the doctors and nurses at St. Vincent became our guiding light that bought us out of darkness. Yes, doctors and nurses can make a huge difference to our lives and St. Vincent’s doctors and nurses have certainly made a big difference to my nieces and me. On a final note, I must say, doctors and nurses deserve our praises and recognition, especially their kindness, care and compassion. | ||||
[Eddie Ng is President of the Interact Club at Wah Yan College, HK - Ed] Joint School Charity Variety Show 'PHANTASY' – The Wonderland
Date: 16.4.2004 (Friday) After 15 formal meetings and countless informal meetings, ‘PHANTASY’ was finally presented to public on 16th April, 2004 at Queen Elizabeth Stadium Arena. With the help of DJs from Commercial Radio Hong Kong as Masters of Ceremony, the show started off brightly and ran smoothly. The most exciting parts of the evening and which everyone had been waiting for were of course, performances by Canto-pop singers Candy Lo, Leo Ku and Edmond Leung. Leo Ku’s performance in particular sent the all audience into ecstasy and became the climax of the night. As a variety show, we have included programmes such as Singing Contest, Dancing and Drama Performances, as well as Band Show and Make-up and Hairstyling Contest. People enjoyed the programmes very much. For such a large-scale function, good preparation is absolutely important. From poster, promotion video to house programme, we have dedicated ourselves to the farthest and strived to make everything match our theme – wonderland. Our objective was to raise fund for End Child Sexual Abuse Foundation (ECSAF) and to arouse public awareness to the increasingly severe problem of child sexual abuse. The show started 15 minutes later than the scheduled time to allow the audience to settle down. After an exciting, exhilarating opening dance by 'The Otherz', it came to the Make-up & Hairstyling Contest first stage. Pop-band 'Zodiac' gave us an outstanding performance afterwards. They played 3 songs, 2 of which were composed and written by themselves. St. Joseph’s College’s Dickson Chan caught everybody’s attention with his natural and convincing voice in his singing performance. The first climax came when our Drama 'Peter Pan' and first guest singer Candy Lo came on the stage. Another dance performance by 'Youth Wave' was sandwiched by the 2 parts of Singing Contest Finals first round. The best of the 7 organizing schools were in for 4 final places. Before intermission, all audience had another chance to have a look at all models of the Make-up & Hairstyling Contest. They all looked as elegant as you could imagine after they put on make-up and put on their selected clothing. The intermission was just in time for the audience to take a brief rest, as the second half was even more exciting. After a series of performances by pop-band 'Fangle', Class 4B of Marymount Secondary School and dance crew ‘Vinyl’, it was combat time again. In between of the Class Entry and the dancing performance, Edmond Leung brought the heat to all audience with his superb play. With the 4 units of contestants fighting for the best of the best place in Singing Contest Final, they gave all their best and showed how good they were to all audience. After a game and another singing performance by Marymount Secondary School’s old girls Vivian Ng and Kendy Suen, it came to the most breathtaking and important part of the night – Leo Ku’s singing and Prize Presentation. That absolutely has reached the climax of the night. Finally, the show ended with a performance given by all Organizing Committee with the song ‘Heal The World’. This was the biggest function of our Interact Club this year and I dare say, this function could also be one of the biggest functions among Secondary students this year. I am glad to be the President of the show and I am sure the experience I gained from the organizing process would benefit me much. | ||||
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The Perfect Rotarian
He thought he had been a perfect Rotarian. He attended every club meeting and board meeting, and was at almost every club and district function. He was always there to greet visiting Rotarians from sister clubs and was on the reciprocal visits every time. Most importantly, he had always delivered what he promised other Rotarians. He therefore could not understand why others just wouldn't do the same. Have you met him or someone similiar in your club before, or have you ever felt what he felt? We live in an imperfect world, which could be one of the reasons why Paul Harris gathered three other business associates for a meeting nearly a century ago. While the best behaviour code for a Rotarian - if it ever gets published - would probably ask every Rotarian to be fair to others, to seek the truth, to work for peace and so on, the code would only be binding at best for the individual who wishes to abide by it and very importantly would not entitle him or her to expect reciprocal treatment by another Rotarian, or if you choose to be more word perfect, another member of a Rotary club. Rotary and for that matter any voluntary organization works on the principle of volunteerism, namely, the individual sets the standard for himself or herself, but not for others. These days, there is very little or hardly any sanction for non performance in this context. In practice, the only available sanction for club members who do not deliver would be limited to them not being invited to commit themselves to another service project, which does not speak a lot from the start. This brings us to a very important and fundamental principle, which argues for a more rigorous as opposed to vigorous selection of new members. This is an age old question: should we go for quality or quantity? The answer should be, we want those who understand what Rotary is all about and believe in what Rotary represents. The world has seen that it does not take too many people to make a difference. Jesus came by Himself and selected no more than 12 disciples to spread His Word. | ||||
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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