| 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
(Please Sir, I Want Some More) - By Francis Wann | ||||
Please Sir, I Want Some More Today September 1 marks the start of a new school term, and perhaps it's also time we put our youth in focus. These days if you're anywhere near Causeway Bay or Tsim Sha Tsui, you probably couldn't have missed the sight of those energetic young men and women who would approach you and the first thing they want to convince you is that they're not doing a survey. At this point most would realise their intention to sell financial, investment, or insurance products. Our Government does not keep any statistics about them. They are also the most vulnurable group in the market. They've slipped through the mainstream of our education system, and they're also not entirely unemployed. Their existence has helped the Government to play down our unemployment figures. For years, the Government policy has been to keep enough students in school when there's no urgency to enter the job market. Now obviously there aren't enough jobs to go round and with the new graduates hitting the market, we've created a situation which has left our young people with no illusions about the real world. While the Government does not hesitate to pledge its commitment to investing in education, most wouldn't realise that education has often than not been used as a pretext for other policies where education would be of least significance. Mention Education reform and who would object to it? Mention lifelong education and all its glories and you could almost smell a relevant program there. Not interested in formal education? we've got Project Nijin. Life at school too hard? There's the Springboard Program. Can't get a place in A-level? Why not consider Associate Degree Programs? Learn a trade at the Vocational Training Centre. Want work? There're Pre-employment Training Programme, Youth Work Experience and Training Programme, and Skills Enhancement Training Scheme under the Government's $432m relief package launched in May, and another $715m in July for short-term employment and training projects. It seems that whenever you have a problem, they have an answer. But have they ever asked what our youngsters really want? They used to be branded the bland generation, leaving school without any qualifications. When dealing with youth problems in the past, it was invariably free concerts, rave parties, tennis courts and youth community centres. The Government must wake up to the fact that our youngsters also want to be counted, and they want a commitment to the society and they want to prove it. The Secondary School Union formed after the July 1 demonstration has shown us that regardless of their academic achievements, they still live on their own ideology - if only they're given the opportunity. You may say they're living in their dreams. But who isn't? 40 years ago Dr Martin Luther King expounded his dreams about the civil rights of the Blacks. And almost a century ago, Paul Harris also had his dream and initiated the ideal of Rotary... Next time when a youngster comes up to you and says it's not a survey, think about the dream. | ||||
President's
Column Motivation It was 1968 after a football match. I left the Star Ferry in Tsim Sha Tsui, walked along the gangway and noticed three advertising billboards hanging on the wall and the order was Jaycee, Lions, and Rotary. I stopped and took a glance at those advertisements. My accountant friend and football team manager told me if I could join those organizations, it simply means that you’ve achieved some social status, and you’re recognized as a leader in your profession. At that moment, I wondered if it was a luxury social club formed by the rich in Hong Kong. Since then this conversation always reminds me that I want to become one of them in the future. A few years passed. I met a sub-contractor. He was the Jaycee director in the year of 1976, and I successfully became a Jaycee. I have since learnt a lot of things particularly on leadership skills. I also understand a lot more about community service. I recalled my friend’s message and I began to think that he could have given me a wrong concept on these organization for a few reasons. They didn’t perform their duties in the luxurious way, and the members were not awfully rich. They only show their interest in service and fellowship. I was more inclined to learn more about this organization. One day in 1983 my uncle, a Rotarian (a well known garment manufacturer), came to my home and saw my Jaycee membership certificate, and he asked if I wanted to attend Rotary meetings. He brought me to the Sheraton Hotel that afternoon, paid $200 for the meal charge and introduced some Rotarians to me. We exchanged our business cards - Director of Peninsula Hotel, CEO of Volkswagen motors, MD of Toyota, Doctors, Lawyers, Accountants. They were the senior management people. Apparently, membership of a Rotary club was quite different from Jaycee. Naturally, I recalled my friend’s words again, I thought this was what he meant, the high profile ones. My impression then was that the Rotarians were more knowledgeable, mature and professional, but I still didn”t know what Rotary was. I decided to prepare myself to be a Rotarian and my target was set. My understanding was that Rotary clubs were made up of high quality men and women, and if I wanted to join them, I should improve myself in different aspects. It became my motivation. I found out that I needed to improve not only in education, but also in leadership training, and human relationship. Although I haven’t succeeded yet, this target has given me a direction in the past twenty years. Here, I should thank my football team manager as well as my uncle. Without their enlightenment. I would not have become a Rotarian. | ||||
By Joyce Mak (Joyce Mak is our Club's Programme Director. Her job is to invite interesting speakers to speak at our regular meetings. This is her report on 5 recent meetings - Ed) Date:
10 July 2003 Topic:
Protect our natural heritage and leave our children a living planet Speaker's biography: Ms. Cindy Cheng is Director, Marketing & Fundraising of WWF Hong Kong. She joined WWF Hong Kong in 2001 as the Director of Marketing and Fundraising. She oversees all the fundraising campaigns, corporate relations and development, membership program, retail operations, Mai Po public visit programs, PR and communication functions. Apart from the meeting the challenge of raising funds in the midst an economic downturn, her current focus is on the launch of Hong Kong's very first marine life center. Cindy has an educational background in Marketing and Biology obtained from the States, after which she began her career in a public health NGO in Seattle. Upon returning to Hong Kong, she has worked in the MICE, telecom, and HR consultancy industries that have enabled her to gain much experience in the areas of PR, loyalty marketing, and event management. Prior to joining WWF Hong Kong, she ran her own PR business in event organization. Equipped with her skills and exposure gained from both the private and NGO sector, she is leading her team to help spread the important message of environmental conservation and protection to the people in Hong Kong. The Report: WWF Hong Kong (WWF Hong Kong) is one of Hong Kong's leading environmental charitable organizations that seeks to ensure a better environment for present and future generations in Hong Kong through the implementation of a wide range of focused conservation and environmental education programmes in Hong Kong and the Mainland of China. Cindy briefly shared with us the history of WWF Hong Kong and projects that WWF is currently undergoing in the coming years. One of the projects she now focuses on is the Hong Kong Hoi Ha Wan Marine Park, which is an unique site in terms of the rich diversity of marine life and easy accessibility which should prove to be a priceless resource for the enjoyment and education of the students and people of Hong Kong and South China. Date: 17 July 2003 Topic: Branding and promoting your business Speaker's biography: Ms. Denise Mcguire is Managing Director Hill & Knowlton. She has more than 20 years experience in public relations. Prior to rejoining Hill & Knowlton, Denise spent three years as CEO of Shandwick Thailand. She had previously worked at Hill & Knowlton Asia Ltd from 1989 to 1995 and before this had spent six years with Hill & Knowlton in London. She began her career at Communiqué PR in Dublin, Ireland. In Hong Kong her experience includes developing and implementing strategic corporate and marketing communications for clients in a diverse range of industries, including telecommunications and technology, banking and financial services, travel and tourism, healthcare and infrastructure. Among her current clients are Microsoft, PetroChina, PCCW, Hong Kong Science and Technology Parks Corporation, Continental Airlines, O'Melveny & Myers, McDonald's and American Express. While in Thailand, Denise provided corporate, marketing and financial communications counsel to leading corporations including General Motors, London Royal (Durex), Intel, Compaq and Northwest Airlines. Denise also has experience working in China and Taiwan, dating from the opening of the first McDonalds in China, in Shenzhen in 1991 through to her current work with mainland Chinese companies such as PetroChina. For six months in 1991 Denise managed Hill & Knowlton's operation in Taiwan, on temporary secondment from Hong Kong. The Report: Denise McGuire focused on the practical aspects of branding and promoting your business. She presented strategies for how to most effectively position our business in the market and present ourselves to our market, and how to legally protect the unique items that identify our business: our brands, trade marks and logos. Date: 24 July 2003 Topic: Junior Achievement Hong Kong: Investing in Hong Kong's Future Speaker's biography: Ms. Michele Cheow is Director of Junior Achievement Hong Kong (JA Hong Kong), a non-profit business and economics educational organization originating in the United States. She joined JA Hong Kong in June 2001 to develop the organization and enable it to help build leadership, character, and creativity in Hong Kong's young people through a sharing of Junior Achievement's comprehensive, activities-based programs. Prior to joining JA Hong Kong, Michele Cheow was with Deloitte Consulting's strategy group in Los Angeles, and worked in a variety of industries, including consumer products and aerospace and defense. She is a graduate of the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) where she earned a joint degree in Chemistry and Business. The Report: Hong Kong's business leaders can help build Hong Kong's business leadership tomorrow. To ensure a competitive future, Hong Kong needs young people who are confident, who understand teamwork and know how to follow as well as lead - there is no academic subject for these vital traits. Michelle demonstrated how Junior Achievement Hong Kong provides an effective way for business people to expose today's youth to the talents and skills they will need. JAHK coordinates business volunteers to teach programs on enterprise, personal financial literacy, and professional etiquette. JAHK continually seeks energetic business volunteers and dedicated sponsors to ensure all young people will have this critical exposure in their youth. Date: 14 August, 2003 Topic: Regional Threat Assessment on Asia Speaker's biography: David W Holloway is Chief Operations Officer of International Risk Ltd. based in Hong Kong. He has spent 28 years in investigations in Asia, including 22 years with the Royal Hong Kong Police. His role at International Risk requires him to oversee and co-ordinate resources for all investigative, business intelligence and risk mitigation consulting assignments, and to manage a broad range of investigative and risk consulting assignments on behalf of International Risk's clients. David has wide experience in the investigation of business fraud, conflicts of interest and other corporate investigations, in the conduct of sophisticated business intelligence and pre-transactional due diligence assignments, in crisis contingency planning and response, and in security consulting. David spent most of his police career in the criminal investigation and criminal intelligence fields, latterly as deputy head of the Commercial Crime Bureau where he had operational control of the collection, collation, analysis and dissemination of commercial crime intelligence and was responsible for liaison with international law enforcement and regulatory agencies and financial institutions. David speaks Cantonese and is a graduate of the Federal Bureau of Investigation National Academy program. He is a Certified Fraud Examiner. The Report: David shared with us his insights on the impact of key issues that have impacted Asia in 2003, both politically and economically. Given the scale of the region, David focused on three key areas, viz., North Korea Crisis; Terrorism in Asia; and SARS and the downstream consequences, both economic and political. He reminded us that developments in Iraq, Afghanistan and the Middle East have had a significant impact on the outlook in Asia - in particular South East Asia. Whilst North Asia, notably China, Hong Kong, Japan and South Korea (other than the associated threat from the North) are assessed to be at relatively lower risk than the remainder of Asia, but we should not be complacent in this respect. In the light of what has been happening, he concluded that it is critical that corporations have in place, at the very minimum, the following; viz., corporate headquarters crisis incident management plans; local office crisis & emergency plans; emergency evacuation plans; simulated incident training programmes; travel & security plans. Date: 21 August 2003 Topic: SARS - Economic Opportunities to the HK Pharmaceutical Industry Speaker's biography: Dr. Bing L. Wong is CEO of Advantek Biologics Limited Hong Kong. Dr. Bing Wong received his PhD degree in Chemical Engineering from Tufts University. While at Tufts University, he was Associate Professor of Chemical Engineering Department, and Associate and Acting Director of the New England Enzyme Center. He was also one of the founders of Biopure Corporation (NASDAQ: BPUR). During his 18 years of services at Biopure, he served as the Chief Technical Officer, and subsequently Senior Vice President. He co-founded Advantek Biologics Limited in Hong Kong in 2001. Dr. Wong holds a number of patents related to biotechnology development. During his tenure at the New England Enzyme Center, Dr. Wong was responsible for hundreds of biologics preparations, including the first clinical batch of rDNA Gamma interferon preparation and the scale-up work for ß-Glucocerebrosidase, which is now marketed as Ceredase? by Genzyme Corporation (NASDAQ: GENZ). At Biopure, Dr. Wong was responsible for the development of Cephalosporin antibiotics and Hemoglobin-based oxygen carriers (artificial blood): Hemopur and Oxyglobin, and strategic business ventures and fund raising activities in the US and the Far East. While serving as the Chairman of the Chinese Economic Development Council, Dr. Wong actively promoted local economic development and education in Boston's Chinatown. In 1992, the Executive Yuan of ROC named him "Model of Overseas Chinese Young Entrepreneur". In 2001, Bunker Hill Community College of Boston, Massachusetts awarded Dr. Wong a President's Distinguished Service Award for his extraordinary commitment for higher education in the Boston Asian community. The Report: The Hong Kong biotechnology industry is small and far from reaching a critical mass. It is also widely believed that the local drug market is dominated by multinational pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies. The recent SARS outbreak has, however, demonstrated that Hong Kong does have its competitive advantages. Leveraging on US technologies, Hong Kong professionals and China resources, Advantek Biologics (Hong Kong) has recently co-developed, under the Chinese State Council Ministry of Science and Technology's 863 Programmes, the world's first SARS hyperimmune globulins for the treatment of patients of future SARS outbreaks. Can we apply this strategy to other epidemics such as bird flu and Dengue Fever? What are the roles of China's accession to the WTO and the introduction of CEPA? | ||||
Are We Changing for the Better or Worse? By PP Ted Ho (PP Ted Ho was twice President in the Club and is our Events Editor) It's been a long time since I took my family on holiday. Early this month, Dora and I took our children back to England for our summer holiday. As I have lived there a long long time, it felt like going home for me. Since I returned from England to Hong Kong for good in 1991, I have been back to England a few times. The previous time was 1998 when I was the club president for the second time. As I have been away for so long, I noticed the significant changes of the culture there. Some changes are for the better, but mostly I notice the changes are for the worse. First, the people are very much overweight. Although they like to watch all kind of sports activities, they seldom participate and they do very little exercise. Most importantly, their eating habits have changed. The people eat too much junk food. It is very difficult to find a butcher shop or a grocery store in the area. Instead, these traditional butcher shops and grocery stores are out-pushed by all these American style supermarkets. These big supermarkets offer a large variety of processed and frozen food and offer comparatively very few choices of fresh and health products. It seems to me that the people have changed their eating habit. They do not want to spend time on cooking any more. And they do not care about their health and their looks. Back to Kingspark, I also realize our culture is slowly changing all these years. It takes a person to go away for some time to notice the significant changes in Kingspark, either for better or worse. This person is PP Edward Lau. PP Edward Lau is our charter member and the second president of our club. After he completed his presidency with Kingspark, he had to leave H.K. for U.S.A.. Recently, he came back to H.K. and is planning to rejoin Kingspark. At the last Club Assembly, PP Edward told us the significant changes in Kingspark. "There are very little fellowship among members." PP Edward said, "Some members I only heard of their names but never have the chance of meeting them," he added. Suddenly, I realized this drastic change in Kingspark. There are many members who are taking official leave and do not attend meetings. There are new members who have either come once or twice or none at all after their induction as our members. There are members who said they are too busy to attend meetingr. There are lots of excuses for not turning up at functions. I think it is time for all of to ask this question. Why did we join Rotary? Is it for fellowship, for services, for self development, or for business contacts? No matter what your purpose of joining Rotary is, showing up is the first step to achieving the objective. If you do not show-up, how could you even hope to do so? | ||||
MUNA: Views from Publication Department By Kenix (Kenix was Head of Publication Department, HKIMUN 2003) On behalf of the publication team of MUNergy (HKIMUN daily newsletter), I would like to express our heartfelt gratitude to your generous donation and support. HKIMUN was such an invaluable opportunity for us not only to learn, but also to enjoy . During those critical four days, our team stretched to the greatest our potential to work round the clock. My room was often used as a 24-hour work station scattered with MUNergy’s layout plans and papers. Some of our reporters attended the assembly in daytime and social activities at night, and immediately wrote their newsfeeds afterwards. As designer and editor, I had to work at midnight to organize the layout and edit texts. Finally, we took the original copy to the far away printing company for production. That was how each issue of MUNergy, which reported all events of the day before, was born in the afternoon. From the very first day of joining this department, we all knew we needed to work really hard in a stressful atmosphere. Other OC members asked me why we could not make an earlier deadline for all articles so that we could relax a bit. I knew for many MUNs like BEIMUN (The Beijing Model United Nations), their newsletters “Beiwatch” only reported events before 5pm. Events after 5pm would be reported on the third day. However, we insisted on providing the latest information for all our delegates and guests. This was our top priority. I was glad that no one in our department complained. Instead, we shared the same goal and enjoyed our time together. This was what I treasured most in HKIMUN 2003. My mind is still full of unforgettable moments from MUNA… I won’t forget how other members worked hard on their articles and came up with good titles; I won’t forget how all of us worried about the possibility of delay; I won’t forget how they worried about me when I got fever on the third night; I won’t forget how touching it was when I received the very first copy of the last issue; and I won’t forget how miserable I was when my staff were still picking up photocopies but not attending the Closing Ceremony… HKIMUN was great, while MUNergy made me understand that synergy created by a team could be infinite. It is amazing and wonderful to imagine that MUNergy is going to spread this treasure to more youngsters who would make MUNergy even better.. | ||||
By Ivy Yeung (Ivy was Secretary General of MUNA 2002 and Chief Programme Officer of MUNA 2003) The Report As many of us know, the Hong Kong International Model United Nations 2003 has come to an end and a success finally. Of course, behind all the successes, there were problems. Problems aroused because of different internal and external factors, and mainly, the people. We had problems from the very beginning, but we reviewed, discussed and came up with solutions. Then, problems arose again, we reviewed again, discussed again and might come up with some solutions. In the end, when we did not have much time, problems arose again and again, we scanned through some, ignored some, picked up some (those important ones), and could only find solutions for some. This is an ongoing process before everything succeeds. The process is just normal, like we get up unwillingly every morning to go to work, like we eat when we are hungry. It is normal. So, today, I am going to discuss something normal - people. I will go into details to discuss the problems arising from people, from aspects of structure, communication and delegates. Structure: First, we had Rotarians and Rotaractors in the Organizing Committee. Rotarians were the advisors and we are the implementers. To be frank, many people doubted if we could work closely with Rotarians. The answer is 'Yes, we could." Not only did we work closely with Rotarians, we shared the workload, happiness and tears. As a Rotarian told me, the experience of working with Rotaractors in HKIMUN 2003 made him younger. At that time, we knew that we were not only partners-in-service, but also good friends. Secondly, the Organizing Committee was divided into different Departments, Assembly, Programming, Secretariat, Finance, Public Relations and Marketing, Publications, Multimedia, Communications. Each department had their pre-assigned duties. Frankly speaking, there were duties that are not assigned to any of the departments, but we had to get them done. At last, some departments did them. This was because we did not have much experience and information to organize such a big event. Again, this is all about people. Communication: Communication problems arose whenever there are people. Communication problems increased when the structure is complicated. In the Organizing Committee, there were more than 30 people, so there were many problems waiting for us to solve. When 30 people came together with different expectations, ability, attitudes, experience, in addition to a lack of information and communication, dealing with people is the most difficult and the hardest task! We spent a lot of time and efforts dealing with problems arising from the assembly of people. Delegates: In the HKIMUN 2003, there were 229 local delegates and 74 foreign delegates from different countries. They joined together to participate in the event with various expectations and objectives. So, we have to manage and deal with 300 people of different colors andbackgrounds, and with different cultures. No doubt, problems appeared. Some would like to go out at night; some did not follow the procedures of the Assembly; some had language barriers. Then, we had to run here and there to solve these problems. We could not solve the problems without the help and assistance from Rotarians! To conclude, we faced and overcame many problems in the HKIMUN 2003. Most of these were people-problems. I believe that in real life, we do have a similar situation. When time is a constraint, problems will arise. All we can do is to review and solve them. This is life. And the problems have made our life fuller. The Story Behind MUNA 2003 Exhausted, tired, sleepy, weary, worried, anxious, restless, afraid…. Imagine that every one of the 50 Organizing Committee members and Executive Officers came across all these feelings during the 4-day and 3-night HKIMUN and the prolonged preparation period; and you would wonder why they were so willing to spend time and effort on it.. You may want to know what makes them so committed. Let me tell you a story. Once upon a time, there were a man, a little boy and a little girl. To make things simpler, let’s call the man ‘Mak’, the little boy ‘Choi’ and the little girl ‘Yeung’. Four years ago, Mak, Choi and Yeung met and came together because of some shared missions: to serve oneself and the community. At the time, Mak first introduced the Model United Nations (MUN) to Choi and Yeung. As they were too young to understand the meaning of the event and the dream of Mak, they just thought that the event would be quite boring. Two years later, they grew up and became more and more mature, Mak made them really think and plan the event. Still, they had doubts in their minds, “Well, if this is a conference, does it mean that the students have to sit in a Conference Room and keep on discussing matters all the time?” Choi and Yeung asked with question marks on their faces. “Yes, they will be having Conference and discussions all the time. But they are the ones who make the conference interesting by adding in cultures and costumes of their representing countries.” Mak told them, like a father. “How about if we try it out once? I know that there will be a MUN in Canberra in the coming August, I suggest you two go and participate in it. Maybe you will then know why you should and could organize the event.” Choi and Yeung packed their things and went to Canberra in August 2001. After returning from the Canberra MUN, Choi and Yeung were full of energy. They then understood why Mak had tried to convince them to organize the event. Choi and Yeung now had the drive and motivation to work towards the next MUN. Soon, they convinced their friends and board members of the Rotaract Club of Victoria to organize MUN 2002 for around 60 local students and 24 foreign students. With nearly a year of preparation, MUN 2002 went off successfully, and the seeds of love were sown in the hearts of the 84 delegates. Mak, Choi and Yeung saw the MUN 2002 delegates cry with joy and happiness. It was so encouraging as Mak exclaimed, “We must continue to spread the MUN in Hong Kong!” The story goes on when another good man ‘Sin’ entered the scene. Sin tried his very best to attend and participate in all meetings, give advice and help. The 50 Organizing Committee members and the Executive Officers were inspired by the enthusiasm of Sin, Mak, Choi, and Yeung, as well as those who took part in MUN 2002 and were ready for HKIMUN 2003. Even though they were so exhausted, tired, sleepy, weary, worried, anxious, restless during the HKIMUN 2003, they never gave up once. All these feelings were offset by compliments from everyone, especially the delegates. Just a little ‘thank you’ would make them run faster, eat less, sleep less – all in the name of HKIMUN. If you had ever seen them cry for HKIMUN, they must be crying with joy and happiness. This is how the Hong Kong International Model United Nations 2003 was carried out. But the story has not come to an end yet. All of us are now more energetic because we have the responsibility to make more people know about MUN; and make them love it.. | ||||
By Joseph Chan (Joseph
Chan is our Review Editor. This is his interview with Victor Lai, We Rotarians always talk about how to motivate others to achieve a common goal. Common motivation instruments include cash prizes, free overseas trips, public recognition, promotion, training courses and soi on. These involve not only lots of monetary resources but also our precious time.. How then can we motivate others in a much simpler and cost-effective way? I got an answer from an interview with Rotaractor Victor Lai in mid-August. A fresh graduate from the Chinese University of Hong Kong and now a financial planner, Victor is the President of the Rotaract Club of Victoria, and the Deputy Secretary General of the Hong Kong International Model United Nations 2003 project (HKIMUN). He is a handsome young man with dark complexion. It’s rare not to see a smile on his face. Victor enjoys his life in the Rotaract world very much. He has formed sincere friendship with other Rotaractors who share the same vision and good will as his. He has also gained lots of satisfaction and trust from cooperating with them in various activities. During the HKIMUN, Victor worked closely with his partners in resolving numerous unforeseen problems, some of them could actually be classified as crises, relating to logistics, supply of drinking water, communication between delegates of different cultures, emotional problems, etc., and he only had a few hours of sleep throughout the four-day programme. All these were witnessed by those Rotarians who have taken part in this project. Despite the fact that the HKIMUN was such a demanding project, Victor has no regret for the time and effort that he had put into it. He believes that the project would help local students to have a better awareness on global issues and appreciate different cultures and languages. He sees problem-solving and crisis-handling as valuable experiences and he enjoys a lot in the process. Victor’s positive attitude is the main drive for what he did. Yet, an external force should not be neglected, i.e. the “actions and attitude” of the Rotarians involved. Victor told me that Raymond SIN and Alexander MAK had actively participated in the preparation and implementation of the HKIMUN project and he was deeply moved. He could not have imagined that they would stay with the committee in a meeting until 1:00 a.m., considering their full schedules. Most importantly, Raymond and Alex treated them as partners instead of subordinates, listened to their ideas, and gave them advice rather than instructions. Victor and other Rotaractors have been very much moved by the actions and attitude of the Rotarians in the HKIMUN project, which are much more motivating than monetary rewards or remarks. The effect will last not only in the HKIMUN project but also future events. To work hand in hand, we can set an example for others to appreciate and follow. Treating them as partners and giving them respect, we can share their joy and fear. Even without any slogans or material rewards, we can always achieve our common goal together. | ||||
By Clarence, Olivia and Vivian (Clarence is a PP, Olivia Treasurer and Vivian Vice President of our Rotaracto Club) The Adventure and Tourism Development in Antarctica A new Rotaract year had started for nearly 2 months, I am glad to share with you what Rotaract club of Kingspark HK had been doing. We conducted our first General Meeting on 25 July 2003 when invited a guest speaker, Dr Frankie Ng, from The Hong Kong Polytechnic University to share the "image and fashion". There were a total 30 participants at the General meeting, which I think was a very good start for the club. All the participants enjoyed themselves that night, particularly PP Ted Ho who asked a question that had puzzled him nearly 20 years. In the meantime, there was a 6-week YOGA course going on. This is the first time we have this special activity. We have a total of 20 participants in this course, including Rotarian Jane and her husband. By the end of the course, we still could not do some postures. The second General Meeting was held on 19 August 2003. This time we invited Dr Thomas Bauer from The Hong Kong Polytechnic University again and the topic is "The Adventure and Tourism Development in Antarctica". Dr Bauer is a very experience Antarctica traveller and one of five tourism researchers of Antarctica in the world. He mentioned that the attractiveness of Antarctica is unique and no repeated visits are the same. A good news for ladies is that there are no cockroaches, only thousands of lovely Penguins. An interesting question raised by an attendee was how to differentiate between male and female penguins. With the sense of humor from Dr Bauer, the answer is related to the footprint (you can guess). To protect this last piece of peaceful and unpolluted area in the world, there are very straight rules and regulations for the tourist to follow as mentioned by Dr Bauer, e.g., no wild life animal can be touched. We shared the pictures and video during the talk and there were totally 32 participants at this General Meeting. Rotaract Club of Kingspark HK will continue to bring up interesting topics every General meeting. At our upcoming General Meeting on 26 September 2003, the speaker will be from Spina Bifida Concern Group. We would confirm the venue later. Please come and join us. An upcoming event will be moon cake delivery in Wanchai area for the elderly in the afternoon of 6 September 203 and meanwhile, we are processing applications for the "Young Envoy Programme". Moon Cake Express Year after years, we eat moon cakes at the Mid-Autumn Festival in Chinese tradition. Do you still recall the legends of this tradition? Here is one of the more well known one. "Between Sung Dynasty (A.D. 960 - 1280) and Ming Dynasty (A.D. 1368 - 1644), China was ruled by the Mongolian - the Yuan Dynasty (A.D. 1280 - 1368). The people were not pleased under the Yuan rulers and began to secretly set up a rebellion. It was said that moon cakes - which the Mongols did not eat - were the prefect vehicle for hiding and passing plans of the rebellion. On the night of the full moon in August, the rebels successfully overthrew the Yuan government." Nowadays, we eat moon cakes in the Mid-Autumn Festival not only to commemorate the legend, but also to treat it as an occasion for family reunion. We get together to enjoy the full moon, eat moon cakes and share our stories. To celebrate this traditional festival, we are happy to announce that 23 amiable volunteers will be delivering moon cakes to singleton elderlies living in Wanchai and Causeway Bay areas on 6 September 2003. We sincerely thank them for their love and support. | ||||
A Bumper Edition One can feel Chief Editor Francis moaning on the day he was to receive the articles promised him but did not - three days before the publishing date. Worse, his computer broke down and he had to do his editorial work in a public library. In the end, he sent me all he had received with apologies that he had yet to edit some of them and a warning that I could be getting some articles direct from would be contributors. We certainly have a rather conscientious chief editor. True, some promised articles had yet to turn up, but by any account, we have a bumper edition this time, comprising three (or four, depending on how you read them) more articles on MUNA 2003, a rather informative report from our dutiful and hardworking Programme Director Joyce, a report from our Rotaractors, a sombre and thought provoking article from PP Ted, and a letter to the editor, in addition to the usual Editorial, President's column and this column. I had to withhold another letter for the next edition and I was seriously contempating to jettison this article. In terms of contents, we have indeed made substantial progress. But is this what the membership wants? More importantly, will its publication help to put more Rotary into the Club and the membership, which would in turn help to address the questions asked by PP Ted Ho. It is interesting that over the years, we seldom had feedback from our own members on our bulletin. This had not helped the editor or the club leadership formulate editorial policies. We had a fruitful Club Assembly last week which featured heart to heart discussion and exchanges. But only slightjy more than a third of the members attended. In the comfort of your home or office, tell us what you think, now, please. | ||||
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. | ||||
By Dominic Vessigault (Dom
was known as Dominique Vessiagault when he was in Hong Kong. Dear Editor, I refer to Harry's letter to you and would like to say that another California Rotarian agrees wholeheartedly with him. Kingspark News must continue. It is, in my opinion, the best Club bulletin I have ever encountered. And much of the praise should go to the Club's Charter President John, for having started it all. I shall be in Hong Kong late September to be there during my President's visit (President Biya, of Cameroon) and I look forward to seeing you again then. With love and warm regards to you, also from Chrisitane, Yours ever in Rotary, Dom | ||||
Chief
Editor : Francis Wann The Board of Directors President
: Peter Lo | ||||
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