| 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
(I Started A Joke) - By Francis Wann | ||||
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I Started A Joke
Most have indicated that they would urge the mainland leaders to consider universal suffrage - if given the chance. And naturally they wouldn't be given that chance - whatever their timeframe - and they should have known better. The invitation was being interpreted as a thaw by some, but an irony by others. Understandably Long Hair Mr Leung Kwok-hung would have been kept well out of sight - if they had their way. The veteran streetfighter and Trotskyite's likely unofficial appearance today outside the Convention Centre would be an added media sensation for the world at large. But probably our Honourable Mr Leung would be too busy to bother about the paparazzi these days as he is apparently trapped by his self-inflicted political ideologies regarding the wording of his oath at the Legco swearing-in next week. People from all sectors, including the 60,000-strong in his constituency who voted for him, will be watching with much interest. And if Mr Leung wanted to seize this opportunity to make a joke of a national, and perhaps international scale, he must also realise that it will also cost him dearly. Apart from the National Day, today also of course marks the beginning of a new Legco year. It's right to argue that there is not much any legislators can do in the existing legislature, but the art of manoeuvre inside the Chamber would also mean that collectively they can influence the government on a wide range of issues. And today the government will also re-introduce the 5.5 per cent welfare payment cuts, an issue very much close to Mr Leung's heart. If he still wishes to play the establishment game, he has to learn to play by the rules. Our Honourable Mr Leung should beware, however, that the joke could be on him. | ||||
President's
Column Vocational Service Month
October is "Vocational Service Month" in the Rotary calendar. Aimed to promote high ethical standards in all vocations and plan vocational service activities for all vocations represented in our Club, PP Tom Hui, Club Services Director Elsa Law and Vocational Service Director Feroz Sultana are planning an activity to observe Vocational Service Month. Their plan is a 2-day trip to Guangdong, tentatively on 15-16 October. For the first day, we shall visit a school and teach the students English. Then we shall pay a visit to a sports shoes factory , which is owned by Rotarian Stephen Lin of our Club, to observe the manufacturing process of sports shoes. We shall stay in China for one night and return to Hong Kong the next day. Apart from enriching our members the knowledge of a vocation represented in our Club, it is also hoped that we can extend our community services to the people in need in China. Furthermore, our Board has also resolved to re-schedule our regular lunch meeting on 21 October to join the District Vocational Service Luncheon Meeting to be held on the same day at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel. By all means, we shall not forget our Vocational Service Seminar, which is well known in the District and scheduled to be held in January 2005. I would like to take this opportunity to remind you to mark your diary for the coming up meaningful events because we need your participation and help to make them successful. Please attend the trip, the luncheon meeting and say "Yes" to our Vocational Service Director if she seeks your assistance on the Vocational Service Seminar. Dear Kingsparicans, I trust that you all know the importance of participation and involvement because our Club is not a "cheque writing" club. We extend our services to those in need, share our fellowship and become Rotarians through service above self. Please think about your objective of joining Rotary and take action! I wish to see you and your family more in the coming regular meetings, Club and District activities. | ||||
International Understanding Trip By Leslie Tang, Wah Yan College Hong Kong
This trip was organized by the Joint Interact Council. The objective of the trip was mainly to promote understanding between Interactors from different cultural background through sharing and community services. On the other hand, I think meeting other participants from various Interact Clubs was also another kind of meaningful interaction. Our first destination was Ipoh, a town situated in Perak. We were gratefully welcomed by the local Rotarians and Interactors when we arrived at the hotel. They were nice and friendly and made us feel very warm. After the welcoming, we were brought to some sort of “food plaza” of local food for supper. We tried a local famous dish comprising chicken meat and bean sprout. You might find that it was very simple, however when you ate them together, you would find it was very tasty. We soon experienced the habit of a Malaysian: eating 6 times a day. Most of us had probably gained weight after the trip. We were also surprised by the great amount of Cantonese used by the Malaysians. We all did not feel homesick because the culture was very similar to that in Hong Kong. On the second day, we did services together with Interactors from St. Micheal students in a handicapped service center. We cleaned the place and played games with the targets there. During the service, I discovered that the St. Michael girls were very enthusiastic in taking care of the targets. That impressed us a lot. Also, the facilities there were very old which made the services hard to do. However, the dreadful situation did not influence their heart to do service, they even did it better. We visited the St. Michael School on the third day. We were welcomed by the head boy of the school. The school band then did a marvelous welcoming performance to us. Not only did they perform the music, but they had also incorporated a lot of actions to accompany it. We then visited a lot of attractions incldung a happy cave and the old castle. During these visits, we learnt a lot about the history of Ipoh. For example, the origin of the name Ipoh came from a toxic tree which native people used to make venom from. We also learnt that tin mines used to fuel the economy of Ipoh. We also knew that Ipoh was divided as old town and new town. In the old town, the buildings were short and old, most of the lands were neglected, leaving a large part of area. However in the new town, the buildings were tall and contemporary, we all thought the new town of Ipoh is going to be one of the metropolitans in Malaysia. In the evening, we traveled to Kula Lumpur and we experienced how proud the night of Kula Lumpur was. We all were in a good mood and slept at around 4a.m. Time passed by quickly and we were on our last day in Malaysia. The schedule was very tough. We went shopping in the Twin Tower. Before our tour guide had asked all of us to go to the top of the Twin Tower and had a full view of Kula Lumpur. Once we heard this, we were very excited. However, due to the horror attack such as 911, the Malaysia government not allowed any tourists to go to the top of the Twin Tower. After that, we went to have the traditional pork tea. It was one of the famous food in Malaysia. It tasted a little bit spicy which could stimulate your appetite. We also visited a chocolate factory to see how the chocolate was made and bought as souvenirs for our friends. Here we came to the last point in Malaysia, a co-educational school which is called GWS. We had several games with the students there and exchanged the contacts with them. They were very kind to us. We stayed there for a very short time and then we needed to go to the airport. We missed the students there so much. We had a good time in Malaysia. This memory would be unforgettable for me and other Interactors. We also need to thank JIC for hosting this trip and my mother club Interact Club of Kingspark for subsidizing us. | ||||
William "Bill" Boyd [Repeat] William "Bill" Boyd of Auckland, New Zealand, has been nominated RI President 2006-2007. Bill was Regional Rotary Foundation Coordinator together with PDG Raymond Wong of District 3450; and in 1994 they started the Foundation Alumni Resource Group (FARG) together. Bill has been in Hong Kong and has a good impression of the District. | ||||
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Vocational Service
Coincidentally, today the Church celebrates the Feast of Saint Theresa who was notable for her humility and for her trust, faith, simplicity and dependency on God. She drew strength and inspiration from the gospel which says that the kingdom of God is given not to the very learned, but to the children. In the famous Sermon on the Mount, Jesus using parables said of the importance of being humble, small and childlike and the theme runs through the gospel. "Unless you become children again, you cannot enter the Kingdom of God." This is something that Rotarians can ponder upon, particularly in this month dedicated to Vocational Service. No aspect of Rotary is more closely related to each member than a personal commitment to represent one's vocation or occupation to fellow Rotarians and to exemplify the characteristics of high ethical standards and the dignity of work. The essence and principles are outlined in the Declaration for Rotarians in Business and Profession which all Rotarians can find in the inside back cover of the pocket planner. It is thus important for Rotarians to remember that Vocational Service is not so much an avenue to learn about other vocations or occupations as about practicing how one can benefit others and hence the world with one's vocations and occupations while recognising the importance and value of every profession. | ||||
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
: Thomas Chan | ||||
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